Bid made his way down the street, marching on with one hand wrapped around his subordinate's wrist. He would go to his house, he decided, the place where he grew up—blank. What was he thinking a moment before? It was the place he had set up base, right. His sister would be—blank. His robotic front for a family member would be there, probably as sullen and grouchy as he programmed It. Perhaps he should implant a new personality, one of a slightly more enjoyable disposition. Then again, with this personality, It never bothered him in the middle of his projects.
He glanced back. His subordinate had a frightened expression on, and whimpered slightly. He softened some. Stopping for a moment, he turned and put a hand on the poor creature's shoulder. "Everything will be alright, soldier. I promise, I'll fix everything. You don't have to be afraid."
The Irken still looked unsure, and seemed to want to be anywhere else, but Bid took his wrist again and led him into his base, a little more gently than before.
He passed It, sitting on the couch playing video games, and marched upstairs to his room.
"Good thing you're finally back, Dad's coming by this afternoon." It droned after him.
Dad? Blank. The scientist father. Bid had mind-wiped him and reprogrammed his memory to include Bid as his son, code name Dib. He had also eliminated the original child, Gaz, and replaced her with It, because she had come too close to blowing his cover. Yes, that's what had happened. He felt a wave of gratitude for his PAK, helping him fill in the holes in his memory time after time.
On arriving in the main room of his base, where he slept and worked, he closed the door and turned to the Irken. "Now, turn around, I need access to your PAK."
Shivering, the Irken turned around, but murmured, "What's a PAK?"
Pausing, Bid sighed. "It's the metal thing on your back, it stores all kinds of information."
"It does?" came the wondering voice.
"Yes." Bid pressed a panel on the Irken's PAK, and an opening appeared. Extending a wire from his own PAK, he plugged in and began the arduous task of scanning for data.
Fragmented bits and pieces came to him. The sensation of pain, the feeling of loss, the confusion as to who he was. And the face of the most important man… the face of the scientist father. Bid pushed that aside, reasoning the Irken probably could no longer distinguish who was and was not important to him. He probably just saw the scientist father's face and labeled him important. He frowned. Under all the bits of data, flashes of fleeting memories, and damaged instruments, Bid could hear someone screaming. It was somehow a familiar scream, and he could almost make out the words.
Diving down past data streams and fragments, he followed the trace, the faint sound of screaming coming through the PAK wire. He stopped abruptly as he came to a wall. This had to be the firewall surrounding the backup personality and memories. It was a heavy one, the PAK probably reinforced it to keep the original safe. If he could just get a peek in... He focused his attack on a small portion of the wall, unlocking code after code after code.
Suddenly a gap opened, throwing Bid back. Through the gap, with the volume of a Hsenna fowl, came the screech, "I AM ZIM! I AM ZIM! I AM ZIM!"
Zim? Bid gaped. Impossible. His military hero, here? But everyone knew the Invader had gone mad. Disappeared somewhere. He was here?
Good Irk, what had they done to him?
Bid blinked a moment. The fact that Zim had been here… that had been part of his delusion, had it not? But so was the whole situation he had been inserted into. What if It wasn't just It but… Gaz? What if the scientist hadn't been mind wiped, but was his father? What if—blank.
No!
Something inside him cried against it. He couldn't even remember a second ago, but something inside him reeled at the loss of whatever he had been grasping at moments before.
Disoriented, he disconnected from… the Irken in front of him. Frowning, he rubbed his head. Hadn't he just been trying to find out who this Irken was? Why hadn't he come away with any information?
The Irken's PAK was too badly damaged, his own PAK supplied. This one's identity was no longer retrievable.
A knock at the door. Bid started, cursing his softened senses. He hadn't even heard footsteps! He had to hide his subordinate. Grabbing his hand, he pushed him under the bed. "Stay down!"
Turning to the door, he called, "Come in."
The door swung open, revealing the scientist father. "Hello son, good to see you safe and sound at home. I knew the little green one was lying."
Bid blinked, processing the scientist's words. "Lying?"
"Well, we caught that little alien you've been chasing all over, and it claimed you were on its home planet, being brainwashed or some nonsense. Obviously you're perfectly fine, safe and sound. You haven't seen the little alien, have you? It didn't return after Skool like it was supposed to, the tracker indicates it's hiding nearby."
Bid's knees locked in place, his spine rigid. The scientist father had placed a tracker on the Irken. The only conclusion that could be drawn from that was that the scientist father was behind the Irken's massive trauma and loss of identity. He had to get the Irken as far away as possible, and disable that tra—
"Hi Professor." The Irken wriggled out from under the bed, beaming, and walking toward the man. "I remembered your name!" Bid was disturbed at the level of pride in the Irken's voice over such a simple act. "Sorry I didn't come back, made a friend!"
The scientist looked startled by this. "A friend? With Dib?"
A small ache started at the back of Bid's neck.
The Irken tilted his head. "That his name?"
"Yes, he's my son. Well, well done son, you've helped him make marvelous progress in integrating into the human world as a non-threatening alien. We'd better get him back to the lab now though."
The Irken's antennae drooped. "Gotta make me more better? More better hurts."
Bid's vision began to darken.
"Maybe a little, but not too much. We'll be careful." The scientist promised.
"Okay." The Irken walked forward, closer to that… hyuman, that… foul, stinking, horrendous…
Bid let out a cry of rage, flinging himself forward. His small body connected to the scientist's chest, knocking him to the ground. Wires sprang from his PAK, pinning the man's arms to the ground as he yanked back the infernal collar and wrapped his hands around that detestable neck.
"S-son!"
"I am not your son!" Bid screamed, spraying the scientist's face with spittle. "And you are the lowest form of sentience there is!"
The man struggled against him. He had the advantage of size, but Bid had his PAK, and a massive array of tools at his disposal. He brought out a razor-tipped wire from his PAK. Maybe he would slice the man open, just like he'd done to this poor Irken. Except he wouldn't close him up after. He'd just leave him open and bleeding, and bleeding until—
"Dib!" A desperate cry cut through his rage. Someone was tugging on his arm. He blinked, turning to face the distraught Irken.
"Dib stop, please, he knows my name!"
Dib. Dib. Dib. That had been his name in his delusion, his code name. The Irken was just repeating what he'd been told by the scientist, and yet… and yet that voice, shouting that name… Blank.
He looked down at the scientist, now unconscious under his grip. Chagrined, he retracted his wires. He had let himself get carried away, and now his cover was blown. Growling, he stood and paced away from the man. He turned to the Irken. "Come, we'll set up a new base, find somewhere else to observe from."
The Irken wasn't even looking at him. He was kneeling by the scientist, cradling the man's head and crying. "Don't be sick, don't be sick, it hurts when you're sick. Wake up, wake up and tell me my name. Please…"
Bid growled, "Soldier! Time is of the essence, follow me!"
The Irken looked up, eyes full of tears, and shouted, "Go away! You brought pain! He knows my name, you don't! Leave me alone!"
Shocked, Bid took a step back. This creature was obviously sick beyond repair. And if there was no help for him, he would only be a hindrance in Bid's mission.
"Very well soldier." Bid's voice was clipped as he turned on his heel. "Don't blame me when he takes you apart and puts you in twenty separate jars." With that, he glided down the stairs, walked past It, and left his base.