Four very important things:
Don't try to move an injured person if you can avoid it, especially if they have a spinal cord injury.
Always put your seatbelt on before putting the car in motion.
Be kind to those in the service industry. Especially these days.
This story is really...really sad.
I was trying to find a good ending for this while listening to Spotify and then a song came on, Downhill by Lincoln. I felt fit the work sooooo...well, that's what I named it. Maybe give it a try if you've never heard it.
Thanks to Rainbowrose and Dramance for beta reading for me! Really, love y'all!
Last bit, I promise, this is a ZaDr fic so please, be aware.
Crashing into a fast food place at 2 am wasn't exactly Dib's idea of an ideal plan but staying at the hotel really wasn't soothing his desire for a crappy, cheap burrito. Specifically, his desire for a Krazy Taco crappy, cheap burrito.
Nostalgia was evil like that.
The bell rang as he pushed inside, wet sneakers skidding and sliding as he went. It seemed like the welcoming mat had been stolen so Dib almost fell flat on his face. Luckily, he had more control of his long legs and body now he was in his mid-twenties and recovered quickly, standing up with a gasp. He'd spun around, yeah, but was still upright.
He scratched the side of his slightly scruffy face and adjusted his glasses even though they really hadn't moved in the spin.
He was so cool.
The worker by the doors glared at Dib, bright blue eyes looking slowly down his jacketed, cool self all the way down to his feet. At his muddy (but still very cool) boots. She held a mop in her hand and swung it wildly, the wet, mold-grey, mop tendrils slapping her in the face a few times but she didn't seem to care. "I just cleaned that floor asshole!" She hissed, left eye twitching from underneath her comically silly taco hat.
"Well, if the mat hadn't been moved maybe-" he began but was interrupted by a sound, a sound he hadn't heard in forever.
Zim's laugh.
Dib shut his mouth, biting his tongue at the overwhelming and confusing urge to smile. He whipped around towards the serving counter.
"Zim!" Dib said, eyes wide.
The green "man" before him was still a lot like he'd been on the day the Membrane's had moved away ten years ago. Zim was a little taller now but still a good bit shorter than Dib. The irken uniform was gone however, replaced by a dark pink shiny jacket and black pants. There was that horrible disguise, purple contacts and the wig. And, of course, that laugh.
Dib beat down the urge to smile and frowned instead. His heart was beating so quickly and suddenly it was hard to breath. Dib's guts were twisting eel quick. He wasn't sure of what to think of how be felt.
Zim chuckled. "Ahhh, well, well, if it isn't Dib-stink? I knew you would come back. I knew you would eventually come to ruin my great plans of destruction for your sad little-"
"Uh, Zim." Said the worker behind the counter. "You need to finish your order. So far I got you down for eight burritos, a Cherry Poop, and a side of jam." He wasn't making eye contact with anyone, just looking down at the register, voice a simple drone, finger poised up over the screen ready to type more additions.
Zim turned to face the poor man and screamed, "You're lying!"
The man blinked up at the alien, looking very pathetic in his Krazy Taco hat and vest, but not, Dib realized, fazed. Like he was used to this.
"I also need a side of nachos and extra, extra cheese. Oh, and remember to triple bag everything, I don't want a repeat of last week, eh Marvin?" Zim ordered, calmly.
Despite his whole family, himself included, deciding that moving away from Zim was probably the best thing for the whole planet (afterall, Dib's interactions, on the whole, with the alien seemed to help Zim's schemes rather than hurt), that old rush of curiosity and paranoia was growing into a flame within.
He raised an eyebrow. It was weird, why was Zim here? And ordering food? Had he made some weird plan to take over the neighborhood through the taco place?
Dib recalled a particular failed ploy of Zim's to establish a following by becoming the Burrito King. He'd mistakenly thought that, by taking over the Burrito King, another local fast food place, he'd next be a shoe in for King of Earth. Zim had basically brought himself down without Dib's interference on that one.
Had the alien been more successful in Dib's absence?
"Why?" Dib asked. "Why are you here?"
Zim frowned, purple eyes narrowing. "Gir loves that cheese."
"No, I mean, why are you here, buying stuff? You don't even eat." Dib could feel both the workers in the fast food restaurant looking at them so he chose his words carefully. While once there had been a time when he wanted nothing more to expose Zim for the alien he was, the whole situation with the Florpus had taught him not to provoke the time bomb that was Zim.
Let sleeping werewolves or something like that.
"He's only dangerous when you're involved" Gaz told him weeks after the Florpus. "Just, stop going after him all the time. He'll go sulk and you can do those other weird stuff you like so much. Go look for the lost flying bunnies or something. Just stop!"
And then the two had talked their dad into moving. It'd been tough, both because Dib still couldn't let go of getting his-the alien and because his dad didn't want to leave the house where he'd raised them. In the end, however, claiming it was for science was all it took to get Professor Membrane hopping at the chance.
Why yes, that town does have a great scientific community! Professor Membrane had agreed after Dib and Gaz (well mostly Gaz, Dib had been really not feeling well) gave an actual presentation on the new place.
But fuck, now that he was here, back in his hometown and faced with Zim, the object of his obsession for so long? Even after all this time, Dib felt the compulsion to interrogate the alien. But also, he had to shove off old teenage thoughts. Fantasies of the two becoming friends, and, in his more embarrassing and lonely of moments, of them becoming well, more than friends. Zim had known him so well, for better or for worse.
No, no. That wasn't OK at all. Dib shoved those ideas deep down. Clearly absence had made his heart dumb as shit.
Zim's laugh became that familiar nervous, erratic one, his purple eyes going back and forth between the two workers who didn't really seem to give a shit. "Silly, silly Dib. Of course I eat, I'm a normal human man, just like you!" Thankfully, he didn't go so far as to prove his human status by consuming food that would have most likely caused his insides to melt.
He turned to pay for his meal, using a credit card, then, when a third worker showed up from the depths of the dark back of the Krazy Taco, took his greasy bag with a smile. Zim locked eyes with Dib, his smile still there, if a little pained. "Why are you here? Didn't you like...I don't know, go on a vacation or whatever?"
Dib stared at Zim. It was just so uncanny. Zim seemed to be almost entirely the same as when the Membranes had left the place. Except...Zim seemed...well, calmer? No, that wasn't the right answer. Was this just a trick? It had to be, Dib was growing less enthralled by his teenage pinnings and more caught up in older, more comfortable theories.
"We close in ten minutes," growled the pink haired mopping girl, "please Zim, you and your ex get your asses out so we can go home."
"Dib-beef is no 'X' Frankie, he's clearly an "L"," Zim said to her, letting out a laugh, one Dib wasn't sure he'd ever heard before. It was kinda ...cute?
Was this real life? Had Dib fallen asleep preparing for his meeting in the hotel? Wait…
"I'm not Zim's ex! And I'm not a loser!" Dib yelled.
Zim knew these people's names? He was socializing?! He wasn't acting like a damn parody of a human, even when threatened with exposure?
Dib's patience and therapeutic coping techniques his dad had worked with him gave way and he snapped. Well, a bit, he snapped a little bit. It just frustrated him, the way these people still couldn't see through this stupid diguse. It was just so obvious! Didn't they know they were in danger!?
"Ok, enough! There's no way you aren't up to something!" Dib glared around the place. He'd been gone for plenty of time to take over a city, let alone a silly little taco place, even for Zim. He had to try. "What did you do, brainwash them?" Dib asked, pointing at the workers who all just stared at him like he was crazy.
And not in a good taco way.
OK, maybe he was going too far.
Yet, Dib couldn't help himself. He reached over and snatched Zim's food bag away and looked inside. "What's in here? Some sort of tacos of, of, DOOM?" Within, Dib got a face full of heat and the delicious smell of nothing more than food. He grabbed one of the tacos and inspected it. A normal tortilla, simple lettuce that could also pass as plastic Easter grass...
Zim just stared at Dib, eyes happy and wearing a small smug smile. "Dib, no. It's just a-"
"A taco." Dib finished. He set the food back inside and handed it back to Zim. "You really are here just getting food for some reason, aren't you?"
"I told you, it's for Gir." Zim sniffed, insulted, "Are you OK Dib? Have you taken your medications? Maybe you need to go back on your, eh, vacation." He shockingly hissed his concerns in a sort of a whisper, well, as close to a whisper as Zim was capable of.
"It wasn't a vacation Zim, " Dib said, sighing with weariness that only followed one of his paranoid episodes. It had been a good month or so since the last one. "I told you, we moved away." He frowned. "For Gir? But can't he just come get his own food?"
Zim's eyes darted away from Dib's for a split second and his mouth closed. After the odd pause, Zim said only. "Gir hasn't been feeling well."
Dib opened his mouth to apologize. He actually suddenly felt guilty, embarrassed, and kinda like shit. Was Zim truly upset? "Zim, I-."
"One minute!" Frankie shouted, "you have one minute to leave before we push the ejection button!"
Dib rolled his eyes and the two exited the building, stepping into the night. On cue, the Krazy Tacos display lights switched off, leaving them both in the gloom. At least the rain had stopped. The drive back to his hotel would be much easier.
Dib noticed as they stood, that the jacket was over Zim's back. He wondered why. Actually, Dib found he had so many questions for Zim, questions that, thankfully, didn't concern uncovering a foul plot. "Hey, did you walk here?" Dib asked. He didn't see any sign of the Voot or any other vehicle aside from the workers. Did the buses even run this late?
Zim rolled his eyes. "Like I would tell you my secrets Dib-thing!" Again, all this with a happy grin and an almost cute cheer. What was Zim's deal? He seemed almost giddy for some reason.
Maybe Zim missed me? Dib pondered this weird, simple minded idea. Well, it had happened before, back what felt like forever ago, when Dib had tried pursuing real science. He'd just assumed that Zim was alright when Gir never came around begging him to be Zim's "Mary" again.
He was glad now he hadn't turned down the meeting with dad's old science buddies. Maybe Gaz was right again and things we're different.
Dib took a step towards the alien. "Hey, don't act like that. I know I was a bit much just a second ago but I promise, I'm not gonna try to capture you or anything, I just, I wanted to know if you wanted a ride home. Like, justa so Gir's food won't get cold."
Zim stared forward at the bare streets, the bus stop, up at the dark and threatening sky, still heavy with clouds. Then, finally, at the massive bag of food he held
Now up close, it looked from the state of his wig, jacket, and boots, Zim had, in fact, walked here.
Dib sighed."Come on, look, I'm serious, It's been years Zim, I've moved on, I guess. I'm not interested in exposing you anymore. Not if you really aren't trying to take over." He smiled. "Really, I'm-"
Zim's whole body went rigid suddenly and a spike of energy, fear, and worry sprang wild through Dib. "I'll be fine," the alien said without looking away from the road, jaw clenched. He started walking away. "I haven't moved on. I still intend to take over this sad excuse for a planet. I don't need your help. You're my enemy."
Zim flashed purple eyes at Dib and the look he gave Dib was... difficult to understand. Hurt? Hate? Sadness? No, irkens couldn't feel those things.
Right?
Dib thought back some months ago.
Gaz shouting at him. "I know it's hard for you to get it through that huge thick skull of yours, but I'm telling you, Dib, I saw him and things are off. Just go! I'm tired of Dad calling me to rescue your cow-kicked stupid head!"
"Don't forget it, human." Zim hissed in the dark. "After I bring this to Gir, I'll return and find you so I can finally end things once and for all!" To Dib's ears, the threat sounded upset and lacking it's the smug, evil, mocking, gleeful tone.
Dib watched Zim walk away and it felt like his stomach was being torn out. The feeling confused him. He had to admit, he'd missed Zim on a level and it seemed Zim felt the same.
Maybe.
Dib had tried to keep tabs on the alien from his new city, had even called a few of his old classmates, Greta for one, asking questions about him. He'd even eventually called Zim and talked to the alien over the phone a few times. Those conversations hadn't sucked.
"You alright Space Boy?" Dib asked, laying on his bed, resting on his back, looking over Mr. Count's math homework as he chatted through the cell phone next to his head.
"I'M FINE. I'LL HAVE TO CALL YOU BACK LATER! I HAVE TO GET BACK TO-NO GIR, LEAVE THE SLEEPY MATTRESSES ALONE!" Zim replied.
Dib could hear the dull thuds of Gir bouncing on said mattress. "Sleep...um, really. Gotta be one of the worst names, yet."
"Oh stop fool boy. Zim is wonderful at making names! Anyway, it's to make people sleep so I may enter their dreams and implant desires to serve me and the irken empire!" The alien laughed. "A good plan right?"
"Alright well," Dib began.
"BUT I'LL NEVER TELL YOU!" Zim screamed.
Dib laughed. "You just did, asked for my opinion and..." For a second, he'd forgotten why'd he'd called in the first place. "So, have you heard back from your leaders?"
Dib could almost see Zim grow angry. "FOOLISH HUMAN MEAT SACK, THE TALLEST ARE CLEARLY BUSY WITH MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS!"
Silence. Dib put down the paper against his legs and grabbed the phone, risking putting it to his ear. "Zim? You still there?"
"I must go now, I've got a lot to do if my plan is going to be ready before you get back from your vacation-" Zim had spoken.
"Zim, it's not a vacation, we-." Dib groaned, covering his eyes. The alien was a terrible listener, even after two years of trying to get Zim to understand.
"MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICINE, I WANT YOU AT YOUR BEST WHEN I TAKE OVER!" Zim shouted.
Dib winced and pulled away. He heard a click as Zim ended the call.
But then…somehow, someway, even this had stopped.
Had it been Dib or Zim that had ended things? He turned towards his car. Who was he kidding? Dib knew the answer to that. He'd fix it. Dib imagined driving his car alongside Zim with the window rolled down. He'd tease the alien until Zim gave in and-
Two cylinders of steel shoved itself into Dib's back. At first his mind went to Zim. "Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" His words trailed off as he saw the reflection of a huge, masked man in his car window
"Shut the fuck up. Don't turn around." Growled the man "Or I'll blow your spine in two."
Dib gulped. He'd dealt with a hell of a lot in his life but never a man with a double barreled shotgun aimed point blank in his back. "OK, OK, OK." Dib babbled, not one to stop speaking, especially when his life was at risk.
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Yelled the man, "GIVE ME THE CAR KEYS! SLOWLY!"
Anger seethed in Dib, strong, hot, and happy to be tempted. Wow, he was really making a mess of his growth as a person in one night wasn't he? He bit back his instincts, just long enough. He slowly reached into his pocket, grasped the keys but also the pen he kept there, he'd simply snap around and-
A flash of pink and the sound of a gunshot. Two screams joined in on ripping into Dib's ears. One deep, hoarse, the other, high, unearthly.
Dib was shaking, ears ringing, and was pressed up against his Honda Fit, but standing. So it looked like his spine was unharmed. Dib blinked, thankful he also hadn't shit or pissed himself, though he had the feeling he really needed to vomit.
He turned around, his not torn up and bloody back to the car and faced whatever had just happened.
A masked man lay, still alive, gasping as his entrails oozed out onto the wet pavement. He was not too large but the gun near his body was easily the most alarming thing Dib could recall.
And then, beside that, several feet away, was…
"Zim!" Dib shouted and fell to his knees beside the alien.
Zim lay, on his stomach, PAK legs out, twitching, letting out faint blinks of purple light before they, right in front of Dib's very eyes, stopped and went dark. From a new hole in the back of Zim's jacket, the PAK sat, shattered, insides torn open by the buck shot. It was a horrific, broken snow globe, pinkish gel leaking with the rest of Zim's body. The PAK blinked, flashing pink lights.
"Zim?" Dib asked. "Zim?"
There was one blink from a single undisguised eye. Zim stared up at Dib and mouthed something and then, the PAK went dark and Zim's eyes closed.
Dib panicked. What was he supposed to do? Was Zim even breathing? Did he need to breathe? Should be check for a heart beat? A squiddelyspooch beat?
Oh, fuck, fuck. No. This couldn't happen, not like this. Not ever! Why, why had Zim done that? Had he been trying to attack Dib and got caught in the crossfire? No, that didn't make sense. Had Zim been trying to save him? Fuck, that was almost as crazy. Right? Fuck! This wasn't right, not...
Dib's guilt was threatening to swallow him whole as his mind spiraled. Isn't this what he'd wanted at one point though? A dead alien, ready to be picked apart, studied? Proof, finally, proof and humanity's safety truly and forever ensured.
He'd walked away from Zim for the good of the Earth. Dib had stopped talking to Zim. He'd moved on. And, it seemed like he came back just in time to get this reward. He'd done the right thing, right, and this was proof, right?
But...no. Zim wasn't a threat, especially this Zim, not one that would rescue Dib. Zim's leaders were gone and Dib knew that even with an alien body, no one would take aliens seriously as they needed too, let alone think highly of Dib. This was the one thing he was certain about after reaching adulthood.
And no, no! He didn't want this anymore, how could he ever have wanted this, he wanted...he wanted Zim to wake up. Dib gently touched the alien, faintly tasting the sting of alcohol in the back of his throat.
No response. Dib took a breath. It was time to make a decision.
Zim's smile, just now, in the Krazy Taco. Dib, being in his new school, first middle school and then highschool, always looking for flashes of strange green skin. Feeling like there was an empty gap in his side. In college, having his sister pulling him out of a drunken stupor.
Gaz, growling at him as he lay, groaning in the back of her car, "You need to go see him. He's not... he's not right, and you're miserable. I don't care if the world ends, I just can't see you sad. Dad can't see you like this anymore. Just go back but this time, be a human being about it."
The feeling of excitement and fear when told he had to go back, back to that town.
Be human about it. Gaz had said.
In the distance, Dib heard sirens, loud and coming closer and closer. But it was only when the rain began to pour from above once more and the hiss of it burning on contact finally sent Dib into action.
He opened his backseat car door. Then, gently, oh, so gently, inspected Zim's injury. The shot had gone through both Zim's stomach and PAK. Dib needed to stop or slow the bleeding somehow. He took off his coat and got it underneath Zim, then wrapped it tightly around him. Finally, just as the authorities arrived, Dib loaded Zim in the back of his Honda, belly down, PAK legs folded close to the alien's body, and shut the door.
"Hey!" Shouted a cop.
"Sorry but this is a Professor Membrane matter!" Dib shouted at them. Really, even now, in this time of panic, name dropping his dad felt weird but damn, nothing else came to mind.
He launched himself into the front seat, locked the doors, and slammed his seatbelt on only after he'd already taken off. He didn't want Zim dead, he wanted him alive. Alive as Dib felt right now. He took off, burning rubber and sped on and on, barelling down the road as fast as he could push the vehicle, he took sharp turns, sending them into a few spins, and squealing tires. Dib sped through red lights and took a few shortcuts that weren't probably meant for a vehicle.
Dib figured the momentum would hold Zim in place. Still, as the street names began to feel familiar, he slowed down. Thankfully, Zim's house was still in the same place. He actually let out a huge breath of relief at the sight of the garish teal and purple house. He parked on the curb (of course Zim still didn't have a garage or a driveway) and got out, glancing around like some criminal about to break in (or a little boy wanting exterestial evidence).
No one was out. Not even a dog barked. Surprisingly, the small neighborhood was silent despite Dib's loud arrival.
"OK Zim," Dib whispered as he picked Zim up, trying to be as careful as possible. Not wanting to risk harming the PAK further, Dib chose to hold Zim in his arms, from the front, so he could keep one hand on the damaged computer. The PAK legs were, much like a spider's legs, curling around the Zim. The alien's face rested against Dib's neck, odd lizard-like skin against Dib's. The blood smelled ridiculously good, like oranges or maybe grapefruit.
"Irkens are apparently a citrus fruit/reptile/insect hybrid." Dib joked. "I'll start my newest set of logs with that note." Dib wanted desperately for Zim to awaken and scream at Dib.
He didn't.
Was this all just useless? Was Zim already long gone to wherever hell dead aliens went to? "Don't worry space boy, I got you, just…" Dib felt what had to be tears starting to well up, his throat seemed to be closing. Did he remember to take his Zyrtec this morning?
Dib hesitated at the path to Zim's door. The garden gnomes were still there but didn't move an inch. He took a step. Nothing. A couple more. Again, the gnomes stared creepily at nothing, didn't raise their arms or even turn their eyes to fire at this intruder.
Dib swallowed, shifted at Zim's barely there weight a little and walked to the door. He rang the doorbell. No response, his stomach dropped. Oh, Zim had said GIR was ill. That was OK, Dib had watched and stalked Zim for long enough to know how to get inside.
"Sorry about this but…" Dib whispered and took Zim's gloved hand and placed it against the door. His hand looked small in Dib's, fragile.
Dib expected to face one more challenge, the parent bots, but they were missing as the door opened. Dib guessed that after growing up, Zim had dismantled them. He stepped inside and closed the door behind them, taking a huge breath.
All that was left now was to get down into Zim's lab and then get Zim back together.
Dib began to call for GIR but stopped. The overwhelming smell of cleaning products nearly bowled him over and if Dib hadn't already been crying, his eyes probably would've made all the wetter. And the place was dark. For some reason, the lights hadn't come on upon entry as they had once done. What he could see of the place in the dim glow from the street lights outside looked the same, hell, there was Gir, sitting there, on that couch, staring at the television that was...
Turned off.
"Hey, uh, GIR?" Dib called, walking forward. His heart was beating too fast, his breath being sucked away by the scent of the chemicals and fear. Zim was growing colder by the second, the sounds of water, dripping from them both, down to the tiles, unnerved him even more.
Drip, drip, drip.
His grip around Zim tightened, using his arms to hug the irken.
Gir's eyes were lightless and while his body looked to be in working shape, the steel shinning, polished as it had never been before, it seemed like…
"Gir?" Dib croaked. He took one hand and gently poked the robot.
No excited scream, no burst of laughter, nothing.
Minimoose? Surely Minimoose is somewhere around here. Dib thought.
"Minimoose?" He called, walking around, feeling his arms growing tired. Zim had seemed to light and so small a couple of minutes ago but now, he felt like dead-
No! Dib thought, not dead, just really fucking heavy because of his stupid hard drive attached to his freaky back!
"The moose is gone." Groaned Zim's computer, sudden and without warning. The voice was still as teenagery and dramatic as Dib recalled, yet, tired? Could an AI be tired?
He wanted to ask where Mini had gone but he'd already wasted enough time. "Computer!" Dib yelled barely controlling his ever spirialing mind but happy to feel hope once again, "Hey! Computer!"
"What?" They snapped. "What do you want?"
"Can't you fucking tell?!" Dib hissed between clenched teeth. "Zim got hurt, really fucking bad and I need to get into the lab to help him."
There was silence for a while.
"OKKKKKKKK." Said the computer. "I can't let you do that."
Dib sputtered. "What? Why? I'm trying to-"
Zim's voice boomed everywhere and, at first, Dib thought Zim had awakened, but no, it was just a recording. "Don't let anyone in my lab, especially that slug Dib!"
The computer sighed. "I would love to let you in but it goes against my coding."
Dib felt like pulling his hair out but that would mean dropping Zim so instead he just screamed. "Please! Zim needs help!"
The computer was quiet. "Alright, just don't fucking do anything else, I'm watching you."
Apparently the computer hard increased their vocabulary.
There was a slight thrumming, then a door appeared where the monkey painting used to be down the hall. Dib rushed over and entered. He tried his best to swallow all his anxiety.
"It's OK, alright, just gonna go down here, hook you up to some machines and fix you so you can yell at me?" Dib said, turning his head slightly to look at Zim.
Had that been a slight twitch? Had the PAK blinked for a millisecond? Maybe…
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Zim's lab was still the twisting, bowel-like facility it had been but Dib found himself easily able to locate what he'd guessed was the med bay. It was a room, shaped a bit like a half moon, the curve of the walls covered in monitors. Dib carried Zim to the center and bent over and gently lay Zim, stomach down, PAK up, on the single low pink table there.
"OK computer," Dib said, "can you like...scan him or something?"
"Fine." Hissed the computer, though, it lacked it's usual edge. A single cable shot out and locked into Zim's PAK. Dib winced at the sight, like sticking a finger into an exposed eyeball.
The was a deep hum, a whir, and then a deep, ragged, gasp.
"Show me!" Dib barked and without hesitation, the medical lab's screens flickered to life, showing detailed models of Zim's body and PAK. The body actually seemed somewhat recoverable, well, according to the scan. Dib's Irken was a bit rusty. The PAKs results however, it's image was struck with so many harsh, black blotches, and dim areas.
"Computer?"
Silence.
At once, every screen began to flash red and angry.
The computer spoke but no longer with that teenager sulking tone. It was all one note, without emotion. Pure emotionless and heartless machine. "Irken deceased, on hostile planet, lockdown initiated."
There was a boom, a rush of turbines, the clunking of gears, and the whole building began to shake and tremble. Dib heard rocks and dirt shifting, pounding the base. Cracking sounds grew loud and thunderous. It was like the very Earth was all coming apart.
"Retracting power cables." Said the computer.
The screens first showed shudders of steel covering all the exits, then, they revealed video of the house's roots and tendrils that snaked and wormed throughout the neighborhood for energy, draw back, coil, and retract, returning to the base.
"Must not leave any trace of Irken Invasion, for the EMPIRE! Beginning destruct sequence."
A familiar, smiling Irken symbol joined by a countdown clock flashed onto every monitor. Ten minutes. Dib had ten minutes to save Zim and escape.
"Wait, why?" Dib screamed. He launched himself at the nearest keyboard and began swiping at it, trying to interfere. No response, no chance.
Fuck, he wished he hadn't left his suitcase at home. "Come on, override! Cancel, cancel, please!"
Nothing.
He went to Zim in desperation. "Zim, Zim, it's not funny anymore man, please, just come back. OK, please?"
No response.
He ran towards the elevator and found the exit from the med bay was still blocked. No way to muscle out either. Dib even tried to find a laser or anything but Zim had no doubt used his PAK for everything.
Dib paced around the middle of the lab, breathing hard, pulling at his hair, semi-aware he was getting alien blood everywhere but at this point, did it really matter? He did a couple of more rushed laps around, thinking it over as best he could. Dib took a breath. He checked his coat pockets, he had his keys, the pen, his wallet and...yes!
Dib pulled out his phone.
No, he wasn't about to give up now. They'd both faced worse after all.
Dib hacked away while he walked to sit beside Zim on the table. The lockdown made things a little difficult but he still had a way with technology, and, really, Dib knew Zim's network probably more than Zim did.
"Yes!" Dib shouted and punched the air. "Still better than you, Star Roach." He didn't look at Zim, he couldn't. Not yet.
He searched first, for signs of Zim in the PAK. As the scans had shown, it looked as if there was no life, no sign of Zim at all. He spent six minutes, searching, searching. Dib checked the backways, files, programs, caches, and applications. Dib combed through every bit of code.
Dead. Zim was dead.
Dib felt the tears coming back. He felt anger, sadness, every emotion in the human body wash over him in a wave. He spent another minute looking. No, this wasn't happening, he wouldn't let it happen. Zim was there, he was always there, he was just waiting for Dib. Waiting for Dib to find him and pull him out and...
Dead...Zim was…
Dib closed his eyes and nearly dropped the phone. Part of him felt that he should find a way to break the lockdown, at least he could save himself. Almost lazily, he scoured the computer's system. Surely there was some way to override everything. At this idea, Dib flicked faster through the net, maybe when he did, he'd have more time to find Zim.
Dib kept running into firewall after firewall. Each one demanding Zim's active PAK biosignature. No, it couldn't end like this. Not in such a stupid way. Not after all this time. It, it wasn't…
Dib dropped his phone, took off his glasses, and dragged them both across his face. He wondered if the explosion would hurt. How would the pain rank with all his history of some crazy ass agony? He wasn't too worried about it but it would be nice to go on to whatever awaited him without another unpleasant experience. Dib groaned, then moved to sit on the floor so he could rest.
He lay his head back, carefully against the edge of the table, next to one of Zim's hands. So close if Zim were to wake up, the alien could easily take a handful of Dib's hair in those claws and…
"Fuck, Zim." Dib said, surprised at yet more tears building. He picked up his phone and stared at the counting down clock. "Just...fuck, why didn't you come after me? Why didn't you follow me for once, you know? Come show me some badass new weapon? Just…" Dib croaked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry it was just, after Dad and…"
It hadn't been a quick break. He remembered Zim trying to come by, off and on, months later, after the Florpus, Dib had always ignored him or reacted badly. Gradually, Dib began to stop his worrying about Zim. Then, he'd started to avoid Zim all together. Not on purpose, not often just…
"Yeah, no. That's cool but me and Dad are going to the mountains!" Dib had said when Zim had tried to tell him about his newest scheme (turning all the air fresheners into something, Dib forgot) "He even said we might go on a Bigfeets tour!"
Dib stood, in the open garage, sorting through mountains of old paranormal evidence. Rejected paranormal evidence. He smelled something cheesy and foul. Probably remains of Zim's cheese dust plan. He looked down at the heavy duty garbage bag in his hands.
"You have a ton of junk." Zim stated.
Dib eyed Tak's ship. He was definitely going to keep that. And the Sleep Cuffs, just in case. And the mooing toy, the rubber piggy. Well, maybe the Chicken Foot costume could go…
"It's not junk." Dib said and glared at Zim. "It's evidence, of you."
"That skull with the horns, that has nothing to do with Zim." The alien sniffed. "And, if it's evidence, why are you putting stuff in the trash?"
"Would you go away, I'm trying to think." Dib had snapped, not at all gently.
Zim hissed. "Ah, I see, you finally accepted defeat!" He started cackling. "Of course, without your clown puppy, you are crippled! Vulnerable! Clearly, your disposal of all this eh, evidence means you are giving up!"
Dib tossed away an old lollipop from last year's Halloween romp. "No, I'm just going somewhere with my dad. He's...um, trying, so he asked if I could maybe try a little too. So I'm-" He had stopped and eyed Zim. "Look, can you just, not do anything evil for one week?"
Zim blinked. "What? Why? Why would I do that? Since you are defeated, I should move on to complete my conquering! The Tallest will be so proud, they'll have to respond to this, and-"
Dib groaned. "Yeah, you won, whatever, but just give me one week. Just, please don't mess with things on Earth for one week. Try not to do anything evil." Dib changed tact, raising an eyebrow. "I bet you can't."
Zim laughed wildly. "Of course Zim can! But why would I?
"Because, you owe me and my family." Dib said in a warning tone, serious and definite.
"Are you still upset about the whole almost destroying the Earth? Zim has done that plenty of times and-." Zim began.
"No, I'm upset that you took my dad, Zim. He almost died!" Dib snarled, dropping the trash bag. He turned on Zim then and the alien let out a shocked squeak. "So give me a week with my family and just don't mess up anything!"
"Ok." Zim had said, weak.
"Zim, come on, you crossed a line and even you have to admit it and-wait, what?" Dib responded, surprised. "You…?"
But Zim had turned his back to Dib. "Zim shall leave your pathetic Earth alone for a week. I'll...eh, watch some television with Gir." He was walking back to his base, posture absurdly straight.
"Thank you " Dib had said.
Zim stopped and turned a little. "You're...welcome Meat sack." He continued on, back to his teal home, and it seemed to Dib, there was a sort of slouch to the alien's usually perfect posture.
Dad taking an interest, however small, in his hobby seemed to satisfy whatever need Dib had. Plus that and Gaz's new respect and attention towards him.
Then, they moved away.
"Sorry man, I'm just, sorry Space Boy" he whispered to Zim.
Two minutes read the screens.
He donned his glasses to look down at his phone, Dib flicked back through Zim's PAK program, and stopped at the memory files. He tapped it and saw the enormous amount of footage. Fuck, well, he didn't have time to watch them all, did he?
Of course, he finally got all this Zim at the very end. Every secret, every detail, every fact about the alien at his fingertips and they were about to both die.
Dib scanned over the videos. They were all named weird strange and random things so there was really no way to tell what showed what. One was called 42848328, another "Kurz'd lunch laydee dumpz chicken fingerz on my plate", there was even one named "DiblovesbeanzNOTpudding!".
Dib hit "HapeeWurmz", having no idea of what his last sight before death would be but hoping it wasn't something worse.
Through Zim's eyes, he saw, through a window, his father, Gaz, and himself, eating together at a restaurant. It appeared to Dib, from all the bright painted decor, the black ceiling with it's tiny lights flickering like stars, and the huge water colored mural of a desert and a single, lone coyote howling at the moon, that this memory was from just a couple of months ago. Dad had told him that he had a surprise for Dib's birthday and insisted that they go out together for dinner.
"Son, I know I haven't been so... supportive of your paranormal research in the past but, I was talking to a few of my colleagues and, well, Dib, I just thought that-"
Dib's face twisted, his right eye twitched a little. "No, I don't want to work with you. I thought we were past this, I'm going to get through my classes and I'm still going to be a mythical-zoologist. We've found evidence and I really think-"
Zim ducks down underneath the window. Dib tried to remember, had he looked towards the alien?
Zim waits, then, eventually, risks poking his head back up."No son," Professor Membrane was saying, he glanced at Gaz then back at Dib, "I've noticed you've been...not happy. So I've arranged for you to help intern at…"
Dib remembered this part. He would never forget it.
"Mysterious Mysteries. They are changing things around for this...new field of study. And it looks like they'll need some help. They asked me and, well, " This, this was the day that his father, the scientist, had finally apologized.
"I said you were the only man for the job.I'm sorry son. Can you ever forgive me?"
Dib at the restaurant was stunned. He'd looked at Gaz. "Um, hey, did you just hear-"
Gaz took a sharp bite of her chicken enchilada, using a fork. Dib still remembered the sound of her teeth clicking against the metal. He winced as he watched with alien eyes. "Yeah, yeah, just take it Dib. It's real. So shut up and say yes."
Dib smiled and launched himself at his father as if he were eleven years old and Membrane was a vampire bunny. "Thank you! Thank you! Oh man, this is going to be so cool! I'm going to travel and discover so much. Hell, maybe I'll find a new species of cherry fairy!"
Professor Membrane let out a chuckle. "Yes, yes, perhaps you will." He paused then. "Now, this scientist and his fellows are back in our hometown, they're expecting you in two weeks. I think it would be a perfect opportunity to go see that...that green friend of yours, you know, that nice fellow that lived close by? The one that sometimes came over for video games?" Professor Membrane kept looking at Gaz.
Dib rolled his eyes. "What Zim? I don't think that's a good idea." He'd laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I'd rather stay away from that mess, thanks."
Zim looked away from the window, back over the parking lot, and towards a small patch of woods where his Voot was held. He walked back, climbed inside, and sat, staring down at his gloved claws. A drop of something fell from Zim's face. It looked as if Zim was shaking. More drops fell.
Dib fast forwarded the video, he only had a few seconds left.
Finally, he stopped as he saw a claw move."I don't need the Dib" Zim hissed to himself. "I'll repair Gir myself." The alien flicked on the Voot, rose into the sky, and-
Again, Dib fast forwarded.
Zim stood in his lab. The med bay to be exact. There was Gir, on the exam table. "Mary couldn't come, he's busy. Don't worry though, Zim will fix you. Silly unit, then you can help me. The debate is in a few days. You just had to malfunction at the worst time!" He was leaning down, a PAK leg out and probing the interior of Gir's head. "If I fail the class, you can expect to never touch tuna sandwiches again!" Zim stopped, twitching a attenene. "And that Dib!" He let out a chuckle. "Ah, such a brain dead Earthworm, who does he think he's fooling, the Dib will come back, in another week. I'll hold off one more, one more horrible, disgusting, unbearable week without destroying this sad little filth ball. He just needs another week."
Dib turned off the phone and tipped his head to the side so it just rested against Zim's dead claws.
He wondered if that was the first time Zim had come to visit. Dib knew, somehow, that it was definitely the last.
And yet, still, after Dib had treated Zim like he had done, as if Zim were some imaginary friend. Something to be cast off after he'd outgrown the alien. Even after Dib had bullied him, after he'd pushed him, after he'd just attacked him in the middle of a restaurant while he was trying to buy the broken Gir a tribute…
Zim wanted to be with Dib. Had wanted to protect him even. Why else would the alien have sought after him? Why else would the alien get in the way of a man with a shotgun?
"We could never get it right, could we? Fuck ups forever." He whispered and waited, now with Zim, for the end of everything.
3…
They could've been friends. They could've been more. But at least they were together now.
Dib closed his eyes and took Zim's claw.
2…
"Speak for yourself Dib-thing!" Said a voice, Zim's voice. It sounded strange, like it was coming from everywhere.
Dib snapped his eyes back open, looking to Zim's body. It hadn't moved, there was no miracle there. What's happening? A ghost? Was Zim a ghost? An alien ghost? Despite still mourning Zim on one level, Dib couldn't help but feel excited at the idea. And, of course, at least Zim would still be around.
"Zim is no fuck up!" Shouted Zim.
Dib stood and watched as the Irken Symbol and the countdown clock, stuck on 1, on each of the many, many screens in the med bay, faded, replaced by Zim's grinning face. "Did you miss me Dib?"
Dib blinked. "How? But, you were, I…"
Zim rolled his alien eyes, those red, beautiful eyes, "I knew my PAK and bio brain were too damaged by that insolent, primitive, and lucky, weapon. So, as soon as you managed to get me hooked up to the computer, I simply transferred my mind to the mainframe."
Dib frowned. A sudden and horrible thought inched itself up and bloomed forth. "Did you...was the self destruction thing...real or was that you?"
Zim laughed.
"I'm serious Zim, was that some fucked up trick to get me back for leaving?" Dib didn't know why but he was crying again. "I'm sorry, OK! I'm sorry, but if you really think-"
Zim's eyes, even as an uploaded personality, Dib could see, were...confused, giddy, what was the alien feeling? He wasn't sure, but Zim wasn't mocking him. "That would've been a good idea so of course you'd think it was me but no, Zim didn't start the Irken Suicide protocol, that was the computer. It took sometime to override everything. Almost didn't make it but you distracted the protocol with your clumsy attempts. So, eh, good work."
Dib breathed deep and fell to his backside, back against the operating table, suddenly so exhausted he felt as if he was going to be the one to die.
There was a silence between the two.
Zim cleared his non-existent throat. "Were, were you playing a trick?"
Dib raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"When you said all that mushy, weak, human stuff, that you were sorry." Zim's voice was odd, barely above normal speaking volume.
"Why didn't you come ask me for help?" Dib asked, ignoring the question. He couldn't answer him, not now. "With Gir, well, with anything? I mean, you've always done it before. Why didn't you...I don't know-"
"You left." Zim said. "I thought you wanted to stop me…and then you left, you stopped those annoying phone calls, and everything was just so..."
Again, silence.
"Why did you save my life, Zim?" Dib asked. "After everything, if I'm your enemy, why rescue me?"
Zim's eyes were watering and Dib wished he could hold Zim tightly. It was alarming to see and heart breaking all the same. He wasn't screaming, he wasn't angry, and he wasn't so...wild right now. Zim was showing a side Dib had never even believed existed. At least before the Florpus. It could be the relief of Zim being alive but Dib had the intense wish to hug him. He had a feeling that the Irken would accept it.
Unable to do anything else, he instead crawled to a monitor and rested a hand on the server. It was stupid, stupid as hell, not cool at all and Dib blushed a little, but it seemed to make them both feel better.
Zim spoke, voice a tiny cracked ragged rasp. "After...after the Tallest stopped responding, the Irken Fleet not sending supplies, Gir breaking down...after I sent Minimoose to find some way of fixing everything and then he never came back." Zim started sobbing, his voice getting more on the brink of a collapse. Was this because of being inside the house's system or was this actually Zim, Zim the proud, insane, Irken invader breaking down in front of Dib?
"Why does everyone leave Zim?" He cried, voice ragged and angry, filled with edge and animalistic rage. "I'm not defective, I'm not!" He took both claws and gripped his attentae. Lights began to flash in the base, it trembled and shook, he heard what had to be the thick power cables whipping and churning in the Earth.
Dib bent down over the keyboard and knocked on the screen. "Hey, hey!" He remembered that distant moment, oh so long ago, when both of them had lowered their fronts and had connected, Zim laying despondent on the floor, "The Tallest aren't coming!"
Dib had failed seconds later, only thinking of himself. But now, he wouldn't fail, not this time.
"I left because I thought it was for the best. I didn't see, I didn't see how much you needed me. I didn't see how much you'd changed too. Zim, the Florpus...it, it reset things. Yeah, I was upset for a couple of days about the risk you put everyone through but I wasn't entirely innocent. I took advantage of you the one time you opened up and..hell, you've done worse Zim and I-."
"I don't need you." Zim bristled, defenses back up. He hissed on the screen, baring his fangs, his tongue pulled back. "You saved me, so we're even, you can leave. An Irken solider doesn't need-" Zim began.
Dib wailed."Please Zim, you're a mess! You just basically said that losing everyone else has tore you up so stop lying! And you know the most batshit, messed up part is Zim? The truth is, I need you too!" Dib laughed. "I've been miserable for years without you to chase around. Fuck, you know, I just, I started drinking try to make things exciting like a dumbass." He laughed again, thinking about that beetle green, three month chip hanging from his car mirror. Dib had started going to meetings, finally, after he knew he'd be going back.
This was his reward. A chance to mend things. Help Zim.
Zim was silent, attenene back against his skull, eyes large and shining with tears. Dib was struck by how adorable and beautiful and damaged this lizard from space looked. He kneeled on the floor, hands on the keyboard, eyes inches from Zim's. Up this close, Dib could almost see the pixels that made up the alien.
"Lies." Whispered Zim. "Zim saw you and you were happy, even hugging Dib father. You said...you said that Zim was a mess and that you didn't need me."
Dib rolled his eyes. "Being happy one day doesn't mean I wasn't generally unhappy through most of them." He had dodged the other issue he realized so pressed on. "And...I was lying about that part, I was lying too. The "I didn't need you part'." He bit his bottom lip. "It turns out, I do. I really do. It's fucked up maybe, how many times have you nearly killed us all?"
Zim opened his mouth to speak.
"You don't have to answer that, please, actually, don't, but we're both wiser now. I think. At least, you saved my life for some reason. So, I mean, really, can we just at least, try? Make a truce?"
Zim was silent. Then he glared at Dib.
Shit, Dib thought, he's gonna start the count down again or-
"Fine." Zim fumed. "On one condition Earthworm, help me get out of this house, fix my PAK, and repair my body. Then I'll know to trust you."
Dib grinned, "Yeah, sure, sure."
Zim looked like he was blushing. Dib assumed that's what the faint burst to slightly purple shade just under both eyes were. Zim's gaze went down, "and...after that, I'd really appreciate it if you could, perhaps, assist me into fixing Gir and perhaps finding Mini. They are...very valuable..."
There was a tiny bit of the parinoia within that whispered, "As soon as Zim gets everything he wants, he'll betray you." But all Dib had to do was remember, carrying Zim's body, bringing the alien back to life, all just because Zim had taken a gunshot for his stupid life.
No, Gaz had been right. He was going to try being human for once and reach out to Zim, just as his dad had done for him. And maybe, maybe happy endings were possible. He loved Zim, had always done. It had just taken way too long to finally come to trust the fact. Now that he knew, in his own way, that Zim felt something for him, perhaps things would finally be good and maybe even worthwhile too. "Yeah, of course, I'll help with whatever you want, as long as you don't ask me murder someone or dance in a tutu."
Zim stared. "Never. First, you would be a terrible killer, you would leave too much evidence behind. Second, you could never hope to be worthy to dance ballet."
Dib held back a snicker. Fuck, Zim is a mess, but a different kind of mess, kinda fun. He thought as he stood and glanced back at Zim's still dead body. "Should we uh...put that in a fridge or..."
"Do not." Zim said flatly. More cords burst from the ceiling and picked up the body. The set that were still attached to the PAK sparked. With a snap, the PAK detached from the alien. "Zim will just place this Zim in a peserve chamber." The cables and mechanical arms seemingly carelessly shoved the irken into a fluid filled tank that suddenly sprung up from seemingly nowhere. Just as quickly, it vanished into the floor. "As soon as we repair my PAK, the healing will be quick after Zim is whole again. But first, we need to address my new mission."
Diba mirth faltered. Uh oh. "What...what...new mission?" Dib asked, thinking this over.
"Why, making sure you don't end up dead, meat sack." Zim hissed. "Since Zim needs you to keep me sharp, it's important to keep you alive, free to be smelly, your big head intact and-"
Dib tapped a screen."Yo, stop right there, or I'll go find your off button and end things after all."
Zim glared, crossed eyed staring at Dib's finger. "Ha, you wouldn't even get close to the power button."
Dib raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so there is a power button. Is it a big red one? That says OFF?"
"Yes, yes actually, nice guess. But I'm never going to tell you filthy Earth trout!" Zim mocked.
Dib snorted. "You just did." When Zim huffed and lights starting flashing again, Dib waved both hands. "Hey, hey, I'm kidding Space Boy."
"Well stop with your goat nonsense, my mission says you need to live and to live you fragile humans need to rest. So it's time for you to rest."
Dib realized how tired he actually was. All his energy was gone, he was covered from head to toe in sticky alien blood, and he really needed some food. He wondered what happened to Zim's order. Had Dib even ordered? Fuck, wasn't that the reason this whole thing had started in the first place?
"Yeah, I need to get this gunk off...a milkshake, and maybe nap." He winced, the sudden image of Dib washing himself in Zim's shower (did he have a shower?) streaking through him. Zim's shower, which, would technically be apart of Zim and-
"What's wrong with your face? Why are you turning red?" Zim asked.
But Dib rubbed his face and the thought away. His stuff, including his medicine, his clothes, and fuck, his paranormal gear, was still back in his hotel room and he had that meeting tomorrow.
Dib paled. He wasn't sure how this was going to go. "Zim." He looked up. "Um, don't freak out but, I...uh...gotta go."
The whole building seemed to stop. Dib was pretty sure he could hear the fridge upstairs loose power.
Zim had his attentae up and alert. "But you vowed-"
"Look, I know, but all my things are at the hotel, and there's this meeting…You want me to be healthy and happy, right?"
Zim squinted one eye while the other stared Dib down. "Zim said nothing about being happy…"
The whole base shifted and rumbled. Were they moving? Dib recalled Zim telling him about a time when Gir ended up as Zim was now, being a house.
Shit.
"What are you doing? Zim! No! You don't need to take me!" Dib groaned. "Zim, I promise I'll be back, I swear, on...on." He thought for a second.
"On your honor as a Paranormal Investigator?" Zim asked. " Do it, swear that you'll come back to break Zim free from being a house!'
It surprised Dib, but, of course, Zim, who knew him literally inside and out, would think of this. "Yeah." Dib said. "I swear on my honor as a Paranormal Investigator, I shall return to help you become um...uh," he chuckled, "house broken."
Zim either ignored the joke or simply didn't know that word, even after all these years. "Go then, really, to be honest, I don't know how long I could stand having your filthy human self inside Zim any longer, even covered in my superior alien life fluid."
With a screech, the steel doors went the way of the peservation chamber, into the floor. Dib moved to leave, slightly blushing again, slightly about to burst into laughter, but hesitated. At the risk of loosing his composure, he looked back at Zim.
"What is it, want to torture me with your foul smell some more?" Asked the alien.
"No, " Dib said. He left the lab and took a hover platform, not the weird elevator, back to the living room. There, he saw Gir's unmovable body, sitting in his couch while mechanical arms scrubbed at Zim's blood on the floor and inside the way Dib had come in.
"You could've at least tried not to get all my blood over everything." Zim hissed.
"I...I missed this." Dib said, scratching his head, looking away from Gir. They would fix the robot soon enough. "I mean." No more lies Dib thought. "I missed you."
The TV flickered on and there was Zim once more. He blinked. For a moment, it seemed he would tear up again, maybe at the sight of the motionless Gir, maybe from Dib's confession, Yet, the alien simply closed his eyes and waved his hand. "Yes yes, Zim too, now go, clean yourself, and do your stupid and dumb human stuff so you can come back and we can begin."
"Yeah." Dib said and he left Zim's base.
As the door shut behind him, Dib blinked at the sudden stab of sunlight and the taste of crisp morning air. All around, people went on about their outdoor chores or were leaving to go to work. No one seemed bothered by what had to have been some bad tremors.
No one even raised their eyes to look at him, he, this single figure, alone and just standing in this neighborhood, clothed in black, covered in alien blood, and entirely out of place.
As Dib turned on his car and readied to leave Zim, he made a promise, to himself this time. Dib didn't know one hundred percent that Zim wouldn't betray him down the line. To be honest, Dib wasn't even sure if Zim knew, but now, faced with all these people who couldn't even see Zim, let alone care about him, Dib knew that he wanted to try.
Dib drove away, this time looking back at Zim in the rearview, his emerald colored AA chip dangling from the mirror. "I'll be back Space Boy and I won't ever give up on you."
Like Zim had said, they could begin.
Again.
I really hope you enjoyed reading and I do hope that you'll let me know what you thought!