A/N: Sigh, man am I tired. I hate my job you guys. I really do. It sucks. I can't wait to finish my damn book so that I can get published and do my own thing. I want to work from home. I hate working with stupid people every day, it drives me nuts. I would have killed someone by now if the thought of going to jail wasn't such a bummer. Hmm. Yeah, tired.
[scrin99: Wow, a new reader. Nice of you to review every chapter haha. I love that dedication. Awesome. And I'm glad that my story was able to open up your reading a bit. Continue to enjoy.] [Captor of the Crazies: I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. You have no idea how much I look forward to these reviews. I get them as emails, so throughout my day when I'm at my job that I hate, it cheers me up to see a review alert come up. It really does. But yeah, I'm so glad you were satisfied with my lemon. And that bitch Zeema had it coming. She was driving me nuts too. Glad to see that everyone else hates her as much as I do. Keep reading and reviewing, my friend.] [TheHolidays: Ah, its you. Where is the picture of Zim on the floor? I saw Jeza and Hak, but no Zim. Also, how was your weekend with whatshisname? TELL ME.] [Darkdeathr: Yeah, Zim has some… possession issues haha. But that's okay, I would be the same if I were him. Well, I probably would have killed someone by now. But don't worry, Pazak will get what's coming. You guys will love it.] [bee27: ahhh a new face. How lovely. I'm glad you like my fic, and I'm sorry for the cliffhangers. But they just make the story so much better haha. Keep reading.] [LillyMechLover: You're a boogerbutt. Haha.] [: OMG CINNOMAN SUGAR BOW-KNOTS NOM NOM NOM. Seriously though, that sounds good and I'm starving. And I am SO SORRY that I didn't put your name down. Funny thing is, I remember typing it out because its so long and I can remember checking it ten thousand times to make sure it was spelled right. So I am sorry, I must have erased it on accident. My bad. Not this time though. :D And yeah… as far as your predicting the story line, something like that… well maybe not exactly… we'll see. ;)] [MightyOmega: I think that suspense makes it more interesting. I like to leave you hanging, so that you look forward to the next chapter even more. I just think it makes for a more interesting read. And thank you! I'm trying to improve my writing style, practice makes perfect. You should read my book when I get published. ]
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or any of it characters.
Chapter 14
I woke up, retching violently. Guess I was lucky that I hadn't fallen asleep on my back. I sat up, spitting and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I was sitting on a cold, damp floor in a dark room. I was tired and achy and I couldn't tell if it was from all the shit that had happened or from falling asleep on a stone floor. I couldn't tell how long I had been locked up in here, I kept falling asleep and waking back up. It could have been three hours or three days. Or longer. I had no idea, I hated that Irkens didn't keep time.
I spat again, then scooted away from the pile of vomit. The smell was rancid, and it was only making me want to puke again. I was sitting, leaning my back against a wall. I felt so weak. Like I hadn't eaten in days. Which I probably hadn't. Zim had told me that he would get me out of here, but I hadn't seen him, or anyone, since they had locked me up. I was starting to feel unwanted. Maybe his experiment hadn't turned out the way he had wanted, I thought viciously. I thumped the back of my head against the wall, letting out my hurt and frustration. I regretted it immediately, my skull pounded where I had hit it. I was starting to shiver too, it was cold in here and all I was wearing were my pants. I pulled my legs up close to my body, and wrapped my arms around them, trying to warm up. I leaned my forehead onto my knees and sighed heavily, closing my eyes.
I thought of Zim, seeing his face in my head. I could see him sitting at his computer, and pacing complaining about something while I only half listened. I could see him yelling at me, and getting beat up by school bullies. I could see him looking at me with an almost smile on his face, and leaning back naked on the bed I while i… and now I didn't know if I would ever see him again.
I felt the sobs starting in my chest, and tried to hold them in. I was NOT about to sit here and cry. No way. Why the hell had Zim done this to me anyway? What was the point? We were alright, with me as his Zakri. I could have lived with that. Why the fuck did he feel the need to change shit just when it was starting to work. And why the hell wasn't he in here coming to my fucking rescue? Did he just not care? Was that it? He goes and drills this shit into my back and lets it drive me crazy then doesn't bother to clean up the mess? I wanted to kill him. I could feel that urge again, my eyes had narrowed and I wanted to wrap my fingers around his beautiful green throat.
And I wanted to kiss him.
I wanted to pull off his Invader uniform, one piece at a time.
I wanted to pull him close, and wrap my tongue around his antennae.
I wanted to bury myself inside him over and over again.
And I wanted to punch him in the face. I missed him, but I was so angry with him for doing this shit to me. How much crap did he plan to put me through? He annihilated my home, my family, he drags me off to this horrible place, he ignores me and bitches at me, then just when I thought things were okay, he pulls this shit! Well fuck him. Maybe they'll just kill me and put me out of my misery. I hope so. The sooner the better. Its fucking cold in here.
"This is so STUPID! Why can't they have his trial now? What are they waiting for? Stupid Pazak, he's got the Tallests in his pocket. I can't BELIEVE they listened to HIM over ME! I AM TALLER THAN HIM!" Zim screamed at no one in particular. He was pacing his room, going crazy from being confined to his quarters two days ago when they had taken HIS Dib. Hak sat at the table, watching him pace and listening to him patiently.
"I will KILL him for this! How DARE he try to OVERPOWER ZIM!" He continued. His arms were gesturing wildly. He hadn't been able to sleep or eat for two days, until someone had finally come to tell him that the Tallests had still not made a decision on the date for the Dibs trial. That had been two hours ago. Since then, he had been pacing and ranting as loud as he could, while Hak waited with him patiently. He wasn't allowed to leave, but Hak and Jeza had been with him almost constantly. They were allowed to come and go as they pleased.
"Where is Jeza?" He asked suddenly, turning to Hak.
"Doing exactly what you told her to. Calm down Zim. The Dib will be fine. She can handle this." Hak said confidently. He turned away from her again, and continued his pacing.
"I can't WAIT to get my hands on Pazak. He will regret the day he messed with ZIM." He said.
I jerked my head up when I heard the footsteps. They were faint, but they were the first that I had heard in god knows how long. I scrambled to my feet, clumsily, nearly falling over. I watched the door, hoping to see his face. It wasn't him.
Jeza unlocked the door and opened it quickly. I watched her glance behind her before she shut the door. Then she looked at me. Her eyes went wide as they took in my appearance. I guess I looked that bad.
"Dib, are you well?" She asked me, but she already knew the answer.
"Where is Zim?" I asked. "Why hasn't he come for me?" She shook her head but didn't answer.
"I can't stay long, come here, quickly." I obeyed, walking to her but narrowing my eyes in suspicion. She pulled a long thin needle out of her pocket, and I stopped dead.
"Calm down Dib, Zim sent me with this. This will help you." She said, holding her gloved hand out to me.
"Funny how I DON'T BELIEVE YOU." I said sarcastically. I backed up again, wincing when I stepped in my own vomit with my bare feet.
"Dib look, the pak that Zim gave you was designed a certain way. It can't do all the work to help your body adjust to it. It is using too much of your energy. You need sustenance. This will help you. If you don't take it, the pak will kill you. We suspect that that may be one of the reasons why they keep delaying your trial, and refusing Zim's requests to see you." She explained. I cocked my head at her, still watching her and unsure if I believed her.
"What do you mean, I need sustenance?" I asked.
"The pak is absorbing nutrition from your body in order to function. It is feeding itself. That is how paks work. That is why Irkens eat so much. In order to feed our paks. They are like parasites. But we need them to function as well. Your pak is taking much from you, and you are not eating. At this rate, you will die. Soon. You must let me inject this into you. It is Zim's wish that you stay alive." She said, facing me. She stood, relaxed and at ease, as if she wasn't in a hurry and this wasn't a desperate situation. I knew she was trying to help me calm down, and it was working. A little.
"Alright fine." I snapped. I held out my arm, not the one attached to my injured shoulder. She looked at me before she took it, focusing her attention on my skin. She jabbed the needle in roughly, with no warning or preparation.
"Hey what the hell? You're supposed to sterilize the skin first!" I complained, jerking my arm back as soon as she was done.
"Poor ignorant zakri. Zim has much to teach you of being an Invader. Your pak will protect you from infection. Do not worry." She said, almost smiling. "Now I must go, I must report back to Zim." She turned and opened the door.
"Wait! Tell Zim for me… Tell him…" I couldn't finish. She looked at me, her eyes softening a bit before she nodded her head.
"I understand Invader Dib. I will let him know." She said, before disappearing out the door and locking it once again.
It was cold out, it was December. My favorite month. I loved the cold, I loved the look of lifeless trees and brown grass. Call me emo, but I loved it. It was soothing to me. I was sitting in my room, I had the window wide open so that the chilly air could seep in. I was the only one home, Gaz was out somewhere and Dad was… well, Dad was never home.
I had my stereo that Zim had made me, sitting on my floor playing music. I was lying on the floor next to it, drawing. I drew pictures of dead trees, snowy landscapes and faceless people walking down dark streets. I was lonely.
Zim had gone out, said that he had some THINGS to take care of and I wasn't invited, so I was sitting home, alone. Drawing out my misery and singing softly to myself. I loved to sing, but I never did unless I was completely alone. It wasn't that I had a bad voice, I mean, it was alright I guess. It just wasn't something that I shared with other people. The words dripped from my practiced lips, I knew these songs by heart. I was drawing creatures coming from the dark, with large eyes and claws ripping through as if they were coming out of the paper.
If Zim could see me now he would say that I was sulking. I sighed, trying not to care. I continued to draw, my dark images transforming into a tall figure with whom I was very familiar. I didn't know why I always ended up drawing him, but I did. Always.
I huffed, dropping my pencil and rolling onto my back to stare at the ceiling. I closed my eyes as the next song came on. I loved this one. I sang along to it, every word memorized. I didn't hear him when he came to my open window sat on the window sill. I didn't see him, my eyes were closed and I was in a whole other world. I don't know how long he was there either. But when the song ended, he spoke, and I almost had a heart attack.
"I didn't know you could sing Dib-monkey. How… pleasant." He said, motioning his hand strangely. I had sat up, and I was clutching my chest so that my heart didn't rip out of it. I knew he had to be able to hear my heartbeat, it was so loud. I was breathing deeply, shaking my head. I couldn't get enough air to speak. He slid down, into the room and sat on my bed, as though he owned the damn place. I scowled at him as I heaved.
"Why has Zim never heard this before?" He asked mildly curious.
"Because I don't sing in front of people? Ever? It makes me uncomfortable." I grouched. "Why are you here? What happened to your business?" I asked meanly. I was still mad at him for leaving me alone for the whole freaking afternoon. I mean, not like I needed him or anything. But still.
"Zim BUISNESS is COMPLETED. I am done. Come to my base now." He commanded dramatically. He was always overly dramatic.
"Why should I? Maybe I'm busy." I huffed. He laughed.
"Don't be silly DIB. Come now, you can SING me some of these songs that you listen to so much." He said, nonchalantly as he climbed back up to the window.
"I'm not singing to you Zim. No way. Not happening." I said, determined.
"Oh, I think you will. Hurry up. You humans are so slow." He bitched, before dropping back out of the window. His confidence pissed me off.
"Why don't you use the door like normal people?" I yelled after him. I was so not singing.
Red stood in their bedroom, stuffing his face full of blueberry muffins, while Purple sighed heavily from the bed.
"What's wrong?" Red asked him, his voice muffled through the fluffy muffiny goodness. He frowned in concern, looking at his partner.
"What are we going to do about Zim and his Zakri?" He asked, looking up to Red for guidance.
"Well we'll have to kill the Zakri. We can't have a non-Irken as an Invader. It's ridiculous." He said, as though it were the most obvious solution in the world.
"Yes but Red, Zim is TALLER THAN US. If we make him angry… he may change his mind and take his rightful position as Tallest… We would be demoted. I don't want to be demoted." He said sadly, as though he was losing his dog of sixteen years to cancer. Irkens, so dramatic sometimes.
"Well we could always kill them both." Red said thoughtfully, fingering another muffin.
"That leaves us with Pazak." Purple said. "We can't kill Zim AND Pazak, we need at least one advisor."
"Well Zim is more of a threat right now…" Red said. Purple sighed, looking up at him.
"You're right." He frowned, then brightened and said, "Hand me a muffin?"