Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy the new chapter! Will try to update by New Years!
Chapter 11: The Finishing Move
"CURSE YOU ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMM!"
Dib's last words were drowned out as the chicken squid snapped its beak shut and swallowed him whole. Dib let out a scream as he went sliding down the creatures throat, unable to grab onto the slippery walls around him. Finally he slid into a black void and fell several feet before finally landing at the bottom of the stomach with a soft plop. Feeling slightly disoriented, Dib tried getting to his feet but was having difficulty as he appeared to have landed on something sticky. Everything around him was pitch black but luckily Dib was prepared for such an occasion.
"It's a good thing I always keep a strap-on head light on hand in case of unlikely events such as this." Dib said as he took the light out of his pocket and strapped it around his large head. Turning it on, he looked down and was surprised to see that he landed in a big gooey pile of melted cheese. In fact, the entire stomach was completely covered from wall to wall in melted pizza cheese and Dib soon realized he was ankle deep in it.
"Well, at least it's better then swimming through stomach acid." Dib said somewhat optimistically. Not knowing where to start, he picked a direction and started wading slowly through the cheese, a feat that proved to be challenging as the thick goo kept sticking to his shoes.
"Ugh, it smells like rancid fish in here." Dib said, holding his nose as he continued to wade through the stomach cheese. "The sooner I find that cloner the better."
"You lookin for a cloner? I know what dat is!"
Dib jumped slightly and turned his head in the direction of the familiar voice. "Who's there? Who said that?"
"I did! Now Imma do a little dance! Doo doo doo de do do doooo..."
Dib aimed his head light around and noticed the voice seemed to be coming from the stomach walls. Wading over, he aimed his light higher was surprised to see GIR plastered up against the cheese-covered wall. His arms were stuck in the cheese but his legs were moving freely and kicking in rhythm to his song. Dib then heard more voices singing along with GIR and moved his light along the wall. He was further surprised to see Zim's robot parents were also plastered against the wall next to GIR, along with the extremely happy looking kid that was floating in the lab tubes earlier. All four seemed to be stuck but otherwise looked relatively carefree and unharmed.
"Whoa! You guys are still alive?" Dib asked walking up to them.
"Well of course we are!" Robot Dad answered. "Digesting us quickly would be rude."
"Yeah, we're just hanging out here til the Office Christmas party!" Robot mom responded, her eyes rolling back in her head.
"Okay then...well since you guys are here, have you seen Zim's cloner?" Dib asked. "It metal, round, looks like a giant cooking pot?"
"Cooking pot? I'd love one of those for Christmas!" Robot Mom exclaimed. "Then we can make tons of bacon and pudding meatballs!"
"Oooh! We can make those fish lard sandwiches they show in the health magazines!" Robot Dad agreed.
Dib rolled his eyes. "Ugh, I didn't ask if you wanted it, I asked if you've SEEN it!"
"Seen what exactly?" Robot dad asked causing Dib to smack his forehead in annoyance.
"I know where it is!" GIR exclaimed.
"You do? Where? Tell me!" Dib pleaded.
GIR shook his head. "Only if you get me tacos!"
"Tacos? We're inside the belly of a giant chicken squid pizza monster! Where am I going to get tacos?" Dib asked.
"Then I no helped you." GIR looked away and clenching his mouth shut, humming loudly to himself. Dib let out an aggravated sigh and bent down, where he somehow managed to fashion a lumpy piece of pizza cheese into a small taco.
"Here!" Dib said holding up the cheese taco. GIR looked at it and squealed in delight before grabbing the taco with his foot and devouring it in five seconds.
"OK you got your taco! Now where is the cloner?" Dib asked.
"Mmmm! That was tasty!" GIR said after swallowing the last bits of cheese. "I want another one!"
"No! Not until you tell me what you know!" Dib said pointing at him.
"Big head boy's a meany!" GIR pouted and once again turned away. Dib groaned loudly and once again bent down to make another cheese based taco, which GIR instantly inhaled, chewing thoroughly.
"Mmmm, yummy!" GIR said happily licking the cheese off his mouth. "Now what was you saying? Oh yeah...um...uh...I want another one!"
Dib growled angrily. "Enough with the tacos you stupid robot! I can't keep making them all day!"
"Maybe you can stick one in the cloner over there and make more." The happy kid said as he pointed off to the corner.
Dib quickly turned his head and spotted the cloner, which was embedded on the opposite side of the stomach wall and dripping with cheese.
"The cloner! How'd I not see that before?" Dib exclaimed before turning to the kid. "Wait, you knew where it was this whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I was hoping to be digested by now."The kid said happily. "But since I'm not, I thought I'd help you out! Helping people makes me so happy!"
His eye twitching, Dib shook his head and waded over to the cloner. After much strain and effort, he was finally able to pry it off the stomach walls, dropping it down into the cheese. Dib exhaled in relief and began dragging it to the center of the stomach with some difficulty.
"Okay, I got the cloner. Now all I need to do is get the chicken squid to throw it back up and save the day!" Dib grunted with effort. "I'll start by placing it near the stomach...opening..."
Dib's face fell as he looked upwards at the top of the stomach where the throat valve was, which was a good fifteen feet in the air.
"Oh boy..." Dib said wearily as GIR started sucking bits of the cheese off the bottom of his foot.
Meanwhile, Zim was busy trying to keep the chicken squid at bay, using the flame sword to stab and shoot at the creature whenever possible. Despite the creature's severed leg and slower speed, it was still attacking with as much voracity as before and was keeping Zim on his toes. Zim meanwhile made sure the creature never lost sight of him, using every opportunity to lure it into a new room or hallway and further into his base. His overall plan was to keep the creature as far away as possible from Gaz and any room that contained a power source. Eventually he got the idea to lure it toward the hanger where he kept his Voot cruiser, hoping the wide open space would provide enough room for them to fight without causing further damage. Plus if could get to it in time, he could use the cruiser as both a fort and weapon against the creature.
Zim had just turned another corner and stopped at a panel, waiting as the chicken squid tried catching up with him. Holding his hand over the button, Zim waited til the precise moment when the chicken squid was about to seize him. He activated the button, causing a set of doors to close on the creatures tentacles, temporarily stopping it.
"Ha! Try and keep up you big chickeny...chicken head!" Zim shouted, mocking the creature with his laughter before racing down the hallway. Although he knew the door wouldn't hold the creature for long, Zim still needed to buy Dib and himself some time but was careful not to get too far ahead.
As Zim turned a corner and waited for the chicken squid to catch up, his laughter subsided as he felt a sudden wave of exhaustion followed by blurry vision and weakness in his knees. Holding onto the wall, Zim slowly knelt down and closed his eyes, rubbing the sides of his head furiously in an attempt to regain his focus.
One thing he had neglected to tell Dib, and for good reason, was that while his PAK battery would continue to keep Gaz alive while plugged in, the PAK itself could only keep Zim alive until it ran out of power. Without the battery, he was looking at a good twenty minutes at most, longer then had his PAK been completely removed but still short on time, especially since Zim was using most of his energy to chase and fight off the creature. He knew that if he disclosed that information to Dib, the human would probably take longer on his mission in hopes that Zim would expire before the monster did.
"Ugh...keep it together Zim!" he told himself, slapping himself rather hard on the cheek.
Hearing the banging and screeches of the beast as it tore open the doors and was fast approaching, Zim forced himself to his feet and continued forward. Luckily he was just around the corner from the entrance to the hanger and raced inside, shutting the door behind him. Zim immediately spotted the Voot cruiser and jumped into the cockpit, quickly activating its shields and weaponry. Just as he had everything functional, the creature busted through the doors and crawled its way onto the landing floor. It hissed at the Voot cruiser, which was now floating in midair, ready to take on the giant foe.
"Alright you stinkin abomination of sea beast and human filth, time to take you down once and for all." Zim then grabbed the controls and pressed a button, firing lasers at the chicken squid, which let out a horrible screech as it stumbled back. Gripping its tentacles on the ground, the creature propelled itself forward and wrapped itself around the cruiser which sank a bit under the added weight. Luckily it stayed in the air despite the creature starting to tear into it, allowing Zim to rocked the controls back and forth in an attempt to shake the creature off.
For a while, it was beast versus machine as the two tangled with each other, the cruiser blasting multiple shots into the creature which was now leaking black ooze and pizza cheese. The creature didn't quit however and kept bashing on the cruiser, creating dents and large cracks in the windshield. Still Zim held on, trying to keep his focus despite feeling his body and motor skills start to weaken.
"Come on Dib-stink, hurry your big head up already!" Zim yelled out loud as the creature began bashing its beak against his windshield, causing it to crack a little more each time.
Inside the creatures stomach, Dib and the other devoured sidekicks were being knocked around by the constant movement, unaware of all the action and fighting that was going on outside. Dib tried frantically to hold on as he was rocked back and forth, a feat that proved difficult as the only thing he had to grab onto was cheese. At one point he heard the faint sound of laser blasts going on outside and watched a hard blast against the stomach wall jarred GIR, the robot parents and the smiley kid loose. All four went flying off the wall and were being propelled back and forth across the stomach with every jarring movement. Dib tried to move out of the way but all the sidekicks smashed into him at once, sending all of them flying and crashing into the opposite wall.
"Woohoo! This is fun!" GIR exclaimed as he jumped into the air, only to go flying upwards before landing back on top of Dib's head.
"Agh, stop that!" Dib exclaimed, prying GIR off his head. "Quit fooling around you guys! We need to get this cloner up the throat and out of the creatures mouth before its too late! You robots must have extendable arms or legs or something like that to lift this thing!"
"Oh no, we don't do that." Robot Mom said casually.
"We can do this though!" Robot Dad said as he spun his head and body around in two different directions.
"Oh that looks like fun! Let me try!" Robot Mom said she spun herself around in the same way.
Dib smacked himself hard on the head, watching as the Robot parents spun so fast they fell to pieces.
"I win!" Robot Dad's head shouted.
"Nuh-uh! I want a rematch!" Robot Mom said, as her head rolled over and was now face down in the cheese.
"You!" Dib pointed at GIR. "I know you have rockets in your feet. Fly this thing up there and shove it back up the creatures throat!"
"Hmmm...nah. I likes it in here!" GIR shook his head and fell back onto the cheese covered floor, moving his arms and legs to make a cheese angel. "Heehee! It's so soft and squishyful!"
Dib looked as if he was about to blow a gasket when suddenly an idea came to mind. "You know...I think I saw a bunch of tacos at the top of the hole up there."
GIR perked up for a moment then shrugged and continued making cheese angels. "I don't want tacos anymore. Now I want taquitos!"
"Did I say tacos? I meant taquitos!" Dib corrected himself. "Uh yeah, a really big taquito! Oh but there's only one of them up there though. If only you could get this cloner up there, you can make uh, a million of them!"
GIR sat up and smiled. "A million taquitos!? All right! Let's do this!"
GIR then activated rocket boots, grabbed the cloner and flew up toward the stomach valve, forcing his way through and up the throat. Once he was gone, Dib grabbed the Smiley kids arm and pulled him toward the broken, littered parts of the Robot parents.
"Quick, we need to take cover immediately!" Dib said as he picked up Robot Mom's torso and handing it to the kid.
"Why do we need to do that?" the smiley kid asked, twitching slightly as he looked over the robot part curiously.
"Cause when that cloner goes off, these guys won't be the only ones scattered in pieces." Dib explained as he used Robot Mom's arm to pry open the cover on Robot Dad's torso.
Meanwhile, Zim was slowly starting to lose his battle with the chicken squid, as well as his focus. Despite its wounds, the creature was fighting more savagely then ever, ripping off some of the Voot cruisers lasers and damaging the rockets so that it wasn't hovering as high. Zim struggled to keep the cruiser straight but every slam from the creatures tentacles caused more of the systems to become damaged.
"Ugh! Curse this relentless squidropod!" Zim swore out loud as he shook the chicken squid off enough to dislodge one of its tentacles. He then flipped the cover off the top switch on his controller, intending to launch a torpedo at the creature.
Unfortunately, Zim's vision started to blur again and his finger kept slipping and missing the buttons. It was as if he was forgetting how to use his hands, which was one of the major warning signs that he was starting to deteriorate. Once he was finally able to regain focus though, Zim realized too late that the chicken squid had torn the torpedo cannon off his ship and had now disabled his weapon controls.
"No! That wretched creature has-GAHHH!"
Zim ducked back as the chicken squid finally succeeded in smashing its beak through the cruiser's windshield. Zim let out another scream and tried reaching for the flame sword, but was quickly seized by the creatures tentacles. It then yanked him out of the cockpit through the hole and held him up high, letting out a loud squawk before opening its mouth wide to eat him.
Suddenly the chicken squid started gagging and began making a bunch of awful gargling noise, as if it were choking. The creature then dropped Zim, who was barely able to grab onto the ships ledge in time, before tearing at its throat and making a huge heaving motion. With one loud cough, Zim was surprised to see the cloner reappear in the creatures mouth, along with GIR who looked around in confusion.
"Aww, where'd the taquito go?" GIR asked in disappointment before spotting Zim and waving. "Hi master! I'm in a chicken's mouth!"
"GIR! Pry open the lid on the cloner, quickly!" Zim commanded.
His eyes turning red, GIR saluted and started ripping off the metal lid on the cloner. The creature tried stuffing GIR and the machine back down its throat but Zim had made his way back into the cruiser and was now using the ships arms to grab its tentacles, effectively keeping the chicken squid from moving.
Finally GIR finished prying open the lid, exposing the cloner's core. "I did it! Now where's my taquito?"
"Up here GIR! Now stuff that device back down its throat and come join me. Things are about to heat it up." Zim said as he activated the flame sword.
GIR let out a happy squeal, pushed the cloner to the back of the creatures throat and activated his rocket boots, allowing him to fly out of the creatures mouth. Zim kicked down the broken windshield and leap into the air, landing on GIR as he flew by. The two flew high enough that they could clearly see the creature, who was still struggling against the cruiser's metal limbs and unable to swallow or spit out the cloner.
Kneeling on top of GIR, Zim rested the flame sword on top of GIR's head and aimed it so that it would launch right at the cloner. Mustering up every ounce of focus he possessed, Zim gripped the trigger. "Sorry squidy. Kitchen's now closed."
He then pressed the button on the side and squeezed the trigger, causing a flaming sword to shoot out of the barrel and straight into the cloner's exposed core. The device erupted into a massive display of fire and smoke before finally blowing up in a giant burst of energy. The chicken squid let out a roar as the blast ripped through its body, causing it to explode in a burst of feathers. Zim and GIR shielded themselves from the splatter while the cruiser was knocked back by the explosion, crashing against the wall before falling onto the ground.
Once the brightness had died down, Zim looked back to see the hanger covered in pizza cheese, feathers and bits of squid tentacles. From among the chunks of cheese, the robot parents heads came rolling out along with their various body parts.
"Aww, did we miss the Christmas party?" Robot Mom asked in disappointment.
Just then their bodies came rolling out of the cheese residue seemingly on their own. The metal plates covering their insides popped open, revealing a disoriented Dib and smiley kid who looked both confused and irritated.
"See?" Dib said in a drunk, dizzying manner. "I told ya...their bodies would...shield us from the blast...mostly..." He then collapsed promptly into a pile of cheese and feathers.
"Ugh! That was horrible! It was so smelly and cramped in there!" The Smiley Kid said, looking uncharacteristically angry. "Forget the blast, I thought I would've died in there from the smell alone! That was a terrible hiding spot kid! Man, I've never been so...". He suddenly stopped and felt the corners of his now frowning mouth, before feeling the metal screw on his head, which seemed to have partially broken off. "Hey! I..I don't feel happy anymore! I can frown and think angry thoughts again! This is the best day of my life! Woohoo!"
As the kid went racing out the room in celebration, GIR flew down to the ground allowing Zim to jump off onto a spot that wasn't covered with cheese.
"We did it GIR! We've vanquished our disgusting foe with amazing genius and flair!" Zim declared confidently.
"Yaaaay Taquito!" GIR then dove face first into the cheese, eating as much as it as he could. "Mmmm it taste like exploding!"
Despite how woozy he feeling, Zim stood up proudly and grinned at the carnage around him. "Yes GIR, I am quite amazing. Score zero for filthy squid monsters, score one bajillion for ZIM, the greatest Irken warrior in the universe! Nothing can possibly ruin this moment!"
Just then the lights flickered before completely shutting off, plunging the room into darkness.
"Aww is it bedtime already?" Robot Dad asked out loud.
Zim's eyes widened in terror. "No! Not now!" Activating a flashlight from his PAK, Zim navigated his way to the door, stopping briefly to look back at the GIR.
"GIR! Stop stuffing your face and try to get the power back on! Quickly!"
Even though he knew it would eat up a lot of his leftover power, Zim activated his rocket jets and flew out of the hanger, leaving a confused looking GIR licking the cheese off his face.
Quickly Zim flew down the hallways, his PAK's flashlight barely visible in the darkness which caused him to bump into walls and objects at every turn. Zim however refused to slow down until he reached Gaz and pushed himself to fly faster, despite the increasingly high drop in his energy levels.
Finally he reached the spot where he left Gaz and landed roughly on the floor. His legs had given out and he could feel weakness start to overcome him. Trying desperately to regain his focus, Zim shined his light in her direction and was horrified to see that his PAK's battery had dislodged itself from her chest. Without a power source to fuel it, the device had rejected her life form meaning there was nothing fueling her systems. Zim grabbed the battery and with some difficulty, stuck it back into his PAK where it powered back up, allowing Zim to regain some strength and energy. He could tell it wasn't back to full power but decided to worry about it later. Right now Gaz was his priority. Placing his hand on the spot where he heart was, he couldn't detect a beat or any trace of movement indicating she was alive. He then waved his hands in front of her eyes but still felt nothing.
"Argh! She isn't breathing either!" Zim cursed in frustration. "I need to get her systems working again. Think Zim think!"
He then began wracking his brain, knowing every moment he wasted was one moment closer to her never waking up. Finally an idea came to him.
"I got it! If electricity managed to stop her heart, then surely another jolt could get it working again." He then paused and frowned. "But the power in the base is still down, and GIR probably won't get it working again in time. The only source of electricity is my PAK...
Zim paused as the thought crossed his mind but he shook his head. "No. It's too risky. It's not fully charged and any attempt I make may result in my own demise. I can't risk myself and my mission for one lowly human! Even if she is an amazing shot and a highly skilled swordsman...and the most clever of her species...who's lust for power rivals my own...who saved my life...twice..."
Zim then looked down at Gaz, whose paling complexion was getting worse. He had never felt such at odds with himself before, especially when it came to choosing between himself and another being. Even worse, he was now feeling a whole new stirring in his squeedily spooch, something that overrode every instinct he had as an invader and went against all reason.
"So be it."
Having made his decision, Zim summoned two arms from his PAK which had electrical pads attached at the ends. Sending power from his PAK to them, Zim rubbed them together and placed them over Gaz's chest.
"Activate!" Zim shouted as a zap of electricity coursed through Gaz's body, causing it to jolt upward a bit. He waited but she remained still. Figuring she needed another boost, Zim sent another jolt of electricity through her body. Aside from a light spasm, she did not move.
"Warning: Power Reserves at 65%. Attach external power cord to recharge." The deep voice from his PAK said.
Seeing Gaz was still not conscious, Zim narrowed his eyes in determination. "Override warning."
He then activated the electrical pads again and zapped Gaz. Nothing happened.
"Warning: Power Reserves at 48%. Attach external-"
"Override warning" Zim repeated before zapping her once more. Still she did not respond.
"Warning: Power reserves at 33%-"
"Override." Zim repeated, then zapped Gaz again.
"Warning: Power reserved at 21%-"
"OVERRIDE!" Zim shouted as he continued to shock Gaz. The more power he used, the more energy he took away from himself. Soon Zim's flashlight fizzled out and his healing ability started to wear off as well, causing his skin to turn deathly pale and old cuts and bruises to reappear. Still he kept going, with every shock wave causing him to become weaker and more sickly-looking.
"Danger! PAK battery power down to 4%. Further drainage will result in full system shut down. Attach external power cord for immediate reboot."
Retracting his metal arms, Zim fell to his knees breathing heavily. His insides felt like they were on fire and his spooch felt like a deflated balloon that had been refilled with lead. Every movement he made was painful and he felt completely drained of energy. With some effort, he pressed the button on his wrist communicator. "GIR...have you gotten...the power...back yet?"
"I *TSSH*not*TSSH*see*TSSH*" GIR replied as the frequency seemed to be distorted. "Fix*TSSH*darkness*TSSH*banana!*TSSH*"
Seeing that GIR would be of no help, he cut the transmission. He looked down at the still motionless Gaz as a wave of crushing defeat washed over him. If she hadn't woken up by now, she was never going to. If he attempted to keep on reviving her, it would surely result in his own death. Zim hung his head low.
"I...failed." Zim whispered to himself. He then reached over to Gaz, stroking her pale cheek which still felt somewhat warm to the touch.
"Gaz...I...I'm..." As his fingers brushed by her neck, he felt a strange vibration which made him perk up. "Wait! Hold on a second!"
Remembering what Dib had done before, Zim placed his finger against the spot on her neck and was surprised to feel it pulsating.
"She's starting to come back! There's still a chance!" Zim said in amazement. With that spark of hope Zim forced himself to his feet, his body straining under the efforts, and summoned back his metal arms. "All she needs is one last jump start."
Forgoing all warnings and consequence, Zim activated his PAK one last time and pressed his electrical pads against her chest. With one big jolt, Zim sent the last of his energy reserves coursing through Gaz's body, causing his own PAK to short circuit and finally power down.
As soon as the electricity wore off, Gaz lurched forward, her eyes wide open as she gasped for air. She collapsed back down, coughing up a fit as her body struggled to for air. Gaz leaned onto her side, gasping and groaning in pain as she found herself in an unfamiliar place surrounded by darkness. Straining her eyes, she looked over to what appeared to be a silhouette of Zim, who was standing up with his PAK limbs still out.
"Z...Zim...?" Gaz said in a hoarse whisper as she tried looking up through the darkness.
Zim said nothing. Had Gaz been able to see him, she'd have noticed his eyes had gone dark, his mouth hung open, and smoke was now emitting from his PAK. With no strength left to hold himself up, Zim collapsed forward, his arms spread out as he hit the floor. His PAK, now visible to Gaz, appeared to be emitting a blinking red light, indicating it needed to be reactivated.
Despite being barely able to move, Gaz tried reaching over for the Irken's PAK to press the reset button. She fell short however and was just barely able to touch Zim's hand before her strength finally gave out. Feeling herself start to succumb to exhaustion, Gaz just barely managed to move her hand down so til her fingers were slightly touching his . Zim's hand twitched for a moment but he otherwise did not move.
Laying side by side, the two then slipped into unconsciousness, their hands still barely an inch apart. The last thing either of them saw was the surrounding darkness being vanquished by light, followed by the silhouette of a large headed figure.