Couldn't resist this. I just couldn't.

Warning: One gigantic Dune reference, because I am highly lame and uncreative. :(

Note: No, reading Dune isn't necessary to understand this. You might miss a joke or two, though. Sorry. (Don't worry, my jokes are crappy, anyway.)

DESERT

From their high vantage point, Zim stared out across the vast ocean of sand and grumbled to himself; it was too hot here. Much, much too hot. This was the worst place for an emergency landing, hands down, but at least fuel wouldn't be a source of trouble. At least, if they could get to the fuel. He could see a promising spot off in the distance, taunting him, and tried to make up his mind. It would be dangerous...

Behind him, Dib shuffled up, rubbing at the back of his head; he'd banged it rather hard sometime during the rough entry through the atmosphere. "We're stuck here, aren't we?" he sighed, trying not to wince when he pressed a little too hard on a sore spot.

One hand resting on his hip as he rubbed at his chin with the other, the Irken otherwise ignored him, preoccupied with his own thoughts. Then, he turned on his heel and strode past the teen, back to the Voot Cruiser. "Not at all, Dib-creature. Everything is perfectly under control, just as long as you obey Zim without question."

Frowning after his travel companion, Dib gave an almost weary sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow before crossing his arms. "Just because we ran out of fuel, I have to listen to you?" He shook his head in annoyance when the alien didn't answer at first, instead rummaging around for something inside the beat-up vessel.

Zim reemerged a couple minutes later, uniform switched out for his more protective spacesuit, and – strangely enough – with a small bucket and shovel in hand. "Anywhere else, perhaps not. But here, yes. Very yes. Your survival depends upon your listening skills – do you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

The Irken gave a quick dismissive wave of his free hand, proclaiming, "Oop, too late, you're dead. Never mind, then."

Aggravated, Dib retorted, "Fine, I'll listen to you. Just don't be a jerk about it." He then rolled his eyes. "Oh, right, I forgot, you're incapable of being anything other than a jerk." Zim simply scoffed at him and began the trek down the steep rocky slope of the plateau they'd landed on, making his way towards the expanse of sand below. As he went, he called back over his shoulder for Dib to get into attire more proper for traversing a foreign planet.

Though he didn't entirely enjoy squeezing himself into Irken-made spacesuits, as they were overall highly uncomfortable, Dib obeyed anyway, glad that they at least shielded him from the intense climate. Not long afterward, he was picking his own path down to the dunes, barely even noticing the heat anymore. He found Zim standing at the very edge of the rock were it met the sand, eying the stuff critically, and couldn't help but give a disdainful snort. "It's just sand, Zim, come on," he chuckled, but he wasn't able to take two steps from the stone before Zim hauled him back, antennae raised in alarm.

"Smelly moron! You don't just walk out on it like that!" he snapped, whacking him in the arm with the bucket he was carrying.

"Uh, why not? It's sand, it's basically meant to be walked on."

"Oh, yes, and I'm sure the Great Makers would agree," Zim shot back, stepping from the rock carefully and keeping a wary gaze on the ground beneath his feet. He glanced up at his companion for a moment, all frowns. "Tell me, Dib, do you like worms?"

The teen stared back at him uncertainly for a moment, the seemingly irrelevant question and the 'great maker' comment throwing him off. Finally, he gave a confused little shrug. "I...guess...?"

"Well then, how would you like a worm as big as the Empire State Building?"

Dib made a face. "I...can't say I'd like it all that much," he replied, still not sure what prompted the questions. "Actually, I'm glad there isn't a worm that big."

"Well, Dib, welcome to Arrakis," Zim drawled sarcastically, with a sweeping wave of his shovel at the surrounding scenery. "Home of the giant worms that eat things that walk around on their sand." The Irken allowed a few seconds for this to sink in, particularly pleased by the expression of shock on the boy's face, then turned on his heel and took a couple of light steps; one long stride here, a stop there, one smaller step, not letting himself fall into any noticeable rhythm. "And this-" He pointedly took another couple of uneven strides. "-is how we avoid them. Don't fall behind!"

After his brain had wrapped itself around the concept of a worm as big as a skyscraper, Dib figured that it might be a good idea to actually listen to Zim this time around, and began to mimic the alien's actions. It was definitely strange, and quickly became tiring, but he kept up. "So...what's the bucket for?" he asked finally, having been wondering about it for a while.

Zim glanced at him, then to the bucket, and finally back at Dib before he grinned. "We're going digging for fuel."

Dib decided that perhaps he didn't want to know, so instead of asking about it, he just pasted on a fake smile, nodded, and went along with it.

Melange: good for cooking, getting high, and covering vast interstellar distances! :D

(I was going to make a Maud'Dib joke, but even I have my limits.)