We're coming to the close here, people! Only this chapter, then two more and an epilogue, followed by any "bonus material" I can think to add. Bittersweet as that is, I'm trying to finish this up soon, since I have so many other projects I need to/want to start working on. Anyway, this chapter should be kind of fun, so I hope you enjoy. :-D

Chapter Twenty-Five
Crush(ed)

"Euuugh..."

I felt my whole body tremble as I waited for the blast. I suddenly wished I were pinned to Zim's operating table instead--at least that was a position I had been in before. What was the worst Zim had ever done to me? Threaten to take out my organs? No big deal. Slowed me down with that weird time thing? Painful but not too bad. Trapping my mind in that virtual reality machine for what had felt like decades? Heck, that was one of the best times I'd ever had in my life.

I heard the huge machine in front of me begin to charge up. "Okay, Dib," came Peggy's sinisterly chipper voice, "just stay still there for a minute, while I--"

CRASH!

"Whah--"

I jumped and spun around as best I could, finally finding the source of the noise behind me--a huge robotic battle-mech had just burst through the wall, sending a piece of machinery flying across the room. The robot was not quite as big as one of Peggy's Capturebots, but almost, a pair of huge robotic legs supporting an open area where the driver sat, with what looked like a pair of huge boom box speakers on the top. Zim sat in the middle of this machine, glaring out at Peggy. His stupid little robot was clinging to the mech's leg with one hand while he carried a very confused-looking pig under the other.

"ZIM!"

"Yes, it is I, Peggy!" Zim cried, his face twisted into a furious grin. "I have come to put a stop to you and the Dib-monkey's filthy little plan!"

"And then we gonna go for ice cream!"

"NO, GIR! You chose milkshakes as this week's treat! If you want ice cream you're going to have to wait 'til Thursday!"

"WAAAH!"

"Stop it! Don't make me cancel Wednesday Pizza Night!"

He gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Don't test me!"

"WAAAHHH!"

"Oy," RODGER muttered, dropping his face into one robotic hand with a look of profound shame.

"Get out of here, Zim!" Peggy yelled, face hardening. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"Ha! You and the Dib-weasel come together to plot my downfall, and it has nothing to do with me?!"

"I'm manacled to a table!" I cried a little shrilly, kicking feebly at the cuffs on my leg.

"Hyeh?" Zim seemed to notice me for the first time, confused. Then he scoffed. "Oh. Trying the old 'manacle-the-hyuman-to-the-table' trick on me, eh? Well, I won't fall for it!"

"Er--Capturebots, attack!"

Peggy jabbed a finger at Zim. Immediately all the Capturebots in the room spun around and made for Zim and his robot.

Zim grinned his horrible grin. I had seen it a hundred times before, but for probably the first time ever, I was actually glad to see it.

"Oh yeah, Peggy? Well, how about this!"

He pulled a lever. Instantly a huge, piercing sound filled the air; I screwed up my face, wishing I could cover my ears as the air itself seemed to shimmer and shake and glow--the speaker-like devices on top of Zim's mech seemed to be blasting the air with light and noise, and the Capturebots were falling back, sparking and sputtering.

"Ah-ha! The greatest in Irken magnetic-wave technology!" Zim cried over the noise, his mech spinning around to blast a Capturebot that had been sneaking up from behind. "Weren't expecting that, now were you?! WERE YOU?! No you weren't! Mwa-ha!"

"Stop it, stop it! You're going to ruin everything!" Peggy cried.

"That's the point! DUH!"

Rolling his eyes, Zim's swung one of his robot's arms around to smash into a damaged Capturebot--it went flying through the air and crashed into a collection of the tubes that lined the walls. The fronts cracked slightly. Peggy rushed out from behind her control station, followed by RODGER.

"Agh! Stop it, you maniac! You could put those people in a coma if you're not careful!"

I looked up at Gaz. "Gaz! Now's your chance! While they're distracted fighting each other, do--where did you get that soda?!"

"Vending machine." She took a sip and pointed off towards the wall--sure enough, there was a Poop Cola machine nestled between a collection of tubes with various skool teachers. "Now be quiet, I wanna watch this."

"Agh! Don't touch that!"

SMASH!

"You idiot!" RODGER roared.

Peggy's Capturebots were completely useless against Zim--any that came close got blasted by his mech's weird weapon. Peggy ran behind in its wake, unable to really do anything but squeal and moan as Zim smashed and crashed against every piece of machinery he could find. RODGER, meanwhile, was looking enraged.

"STOP IT!"

He leapt--Zim turned and leveled his weapon at RODGER. Though it didn't seem to affect him as it did the Capturebot, Zim simply spun his bot around and hit RODGER with one huge robotic arm--RODGER let out a cry and went flying out of my line of view, crashing, from the sound of it, against another captured human's tube.

"HEY! OH NO YOU DON'T!"

Peggy went running now--Zim spun around and laughed, and I had to agree with him, because what exactly was she going to do? Zim's robot arm spun around again, and Peggy went flying--she slid across the polished metal floor with a grunt--

"Hee-hee!" Zim's stupid robot slave called wildly.

I looked up at my sister. "Gaz, come on! You gotta help them!"

"'Them' who?"

"...Okay, that's a good point."

Peggy climbed to her feet. She was shaking with rage.

"Stop it NOW!"

"Or what?" Zim taunted, turning his robot yet again with triumph in his blood-red eyes.

"Or--or--urrrgh-AAAGGGHHH!"

An inarticulate roar came from her throat--and then, suddenly, her disguise began to rip.

Zim's face fell. "Uh-oh..."

It started just like RODGER, a tear in the forehead, running down her face, neck and chest, skin flying back suddenly to reveal what was underneath. Except it wasn't silver-white metal this time--instead, her body seemed to suddenly explode with massive gray flesh, gigantic lumps of it, expanding in seconds like a massive balloon--

"Ugh--GUH?!" I cried, head risen as best as possible, eyes going wide.

Zim's expression was about the same--his beetle eyes were huge, his mouth open, bizarre segmented tongue fully visible among his weird alien teeth.

How Peggy fit herself inside that tiny human girl suit, not even as tall as me, I will never know. All I know is that she was growing, expanding, to massive size in seconds, five, ten, fifteen feet long, almost twenty, huge amounts of stinking and slimy gray segmented skin, letting out a roar of rage--

"Whoa." Gaz said, eyes fully open.

"RAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

It was like some sort of huge, segmented slug or worm, at least fifteen feet long and almost as tall in its bloated middle, while the head and tail wiggled and cracked in the air, suspended by its massive center. It had no eyes that I could see--its head was nothing more than a set of snapping jaws filled with six-inch-long fangs and tusks. Its tail ended in what looked like some kind of a sucker oozing with green slime. Two short clawed hands thrashed wildly at its sides, as the mouth opened and roared, fangs flashing in the light.

"AAAGGGHHH!"

Zim let out a cry and pulled a lever--the mech spun around and began to run away, back for the hole it had come through. Monster-Peggy was too fast for it, though.

"RAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Like she had said, she couldn't seem to move very well--she was too simply too huge and bloated to get around. But she swung in a circle, her tail thrashing, and suddenly it shot out a blast of green sludge that shot forward like a cork from a bottle and slammed into Zim's robot, sending it crashing into the wall.

"AAAGGGHHH!"

Zim had jumped out just in time, rolling across the floor as his machine exploded behind him. Peggy let out another roar and came at him, sliding across the tiled floor as best she could, using her stubby arms to launch herself. Zim's red eyes went wide and he ran, screaming.

I watched all this from my position, still manacled to the operation table. I have to admit, I found the whole scene a bit unsettling.

"AAAGGGHHH! AAAGGGHHH AAAGGGHHH AAAGGGHHH AAAGGGHHH AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Gaz's hand suddenly clasped down over my mouth. "Shhh. I'm trying to watch this." Her eyes were wide open, and she turned, following as Zim ran past with Peggy in hot pursuit. I hadn't seen her so happy since the first time she ever won her piggy-vampire-whatever game.

I continued to scream beneath her hand, struggling wildly with the locks on my arms and legs.

"Don't worry, Mastah! I help you wit'--WHEEEEEEEE!"

Peggy let out another roar as Zim's little robot went flying across the room, screaming with glee, over to the rows of tubes. RODGER suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pressed a button on an empty tube--it slid open. Whether Peggy had been aiming for it or not, Zim's robot flew inside, and RODGER pressed a button to shut it again. The robot began to giggle insanely as it flew around through the blue light as though weightless, its voice silenced by the glass.

"AAAGGGHHH! Stop it! Stop it! I AM ZIM!"

"RAAAGGGHHH!"

Zim kept running in and out of my sight, as the monstrous blob that was Peggy followed behind, roaring its displeasure. Suddenly more Capturebots appeared, blocking his path--without his battle droid to help him Zim froze, spun around to face Peggy, eyes wide with horror--

"AAAGGGHHH!"

Peggy swiped at Zim with her claws, sending him flying up into the air--then she spun around again and smacked him, hard, with her tail. He went flying across the room, right towards the same tube where his robot was trapped. RODGER pressed the button again--Zim flew in, smashing with his robot into the back of the tube, and crumbled to the ground. A moment later his unconscious body lifted up, floating in his glowing tubey prison. The robot--indefatiguable as always--continued to float around and began to play with his unconscious master's antennae and eyelids, poking him and giggling in silent insanity.

I watched, transfixed with horror, as the Peggy-monster reared back, opened its massive jaws and let out a roar of triumph, arms waving wildly and more sludge shooting out of its tail.

Gaz's face reappeared in my line of sight. Her eyes were open, glittering wickedly, and she voice was closer to laughter than I had ever heard it before. "And you had a crush on her."

I whimpered. It was the only thing I could think to say.

I told you the Dib/OC romance was heading somewhere funny. ;-)