The Nightmare Continues
Rain.
The death from above.
It pattered against the metal hull of the vehicle as Zim held close to himself, clinging his arms rigidly to his body in an attempt to conserve heat. Occasionally he would stifle a shudder and peer around to see if anyone had seen his display of weakness. Invaders have no weaknesses he would reprimand himself, and continue to face forward. He wanted to keep his eyes shut as well but he could not; for there might be enemies about and he was compromised enough as it is. The lumbering transport came to a halt, and as another throng made its way down the corridor towards him, he muttered a prayer to be left alone. Just please let him have this peace so he may live to conquer another day...
"Is this seat taken?"
"B-be away with you pig creature…" Zim practically choked back "...if you still value your organ meats."
The child gave pause and stared back emptily, before placidly calling him "freak" and waddling away. Zim let out the breath he was holding and rested his head against the cold window sill.
Normally he wouldn't ride the bus along with the rest of the wretched human filthies, but he had no choice. He couldn't risk eroding his protective layer of paste before even getting to skool. It had been a long spell of this type of weather: cold, wet, and unforgiving to a foreign creature like himself. With every breath he took he could feel the toxic particulates intermix and occlude within his chest. Between the horrid weather and the company he's keeping, he could almost scream out from sheer anguish alone.
Not nearly soon enough, the bus eventually made its way to the front of the skool and opened its rusted doors to the pouring weather outside. As Zim watched the horde of bus gremlins throw themselves to the elements, he briefly contemplated making some excuse to remain on the vehicle. Something about getting his arm stuck in a hole in the seat cushion. But one evil glance from the decrepit bus driver told him he'd either walk out or get tossed out, so he chose the former.
Zim heard the compressor shut the doors behind him as rain began to pelt his tiny form. He could feel every bead of water slither down his face, and although it wasn't burning yet, it brought an uncomfortable tingling sensation that told him he was still at risk. With his arms straight and his head bent down, he began to march towards the skool entrance, trying his best to keep himself together. After no more than a few steps, a sudden wave of water came crashing from behind and soaked his entire being. A large car had just passed, sending whatever rainwater and street filth beneath it cascading over his head. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and shuddering in disgust, Zim wordlessly turned about to see the vehicle letting out two of its passengers.
A pair of black umbrellas emerged before revealing the Membrane siblings beneath them, looking dry and unperturbed by the weather around them. Dib-stink...of course, Zim thought to himself as he stared daggers at the boy. The human suddenly noticed his sworn enemy standing soaked across from him, and returned the gaze with equal amounts of hatred. "Spaceboy…" Dib muttered "What are you up to?" Unimpressed, Gaz strode past their little standoff and headed towards the entrance, not wanting to be outside any longer than she had to. Zim steeled his eyes and responded by spitting out the rainwater still in his mouth "...none of your filthy business, earthboy." He then turned around and angrily marched across the grass, not having the energy to bicker with his enemy this time. Dib expected a little more fight from the alien, but called this retreat a victory and followed intently behind him towards skool.
Zim took another paper towel from the dispenser and vigorously dried off any water left on his uniform. He stood on the bathroom sink, inspecting himself to make sure he hadn't missed any spots lest he risk suffering the horrible rash that comes with earth rain. So much for taking the bus; surely any paste he put on the night before had been eroded by the flood of water from the Membrane car. Once again, it was the human's fault: Dib, that rotten, big headed, disgusting little…! Zim impotently threw a balled paper towel a few feet before angrily huffing and jumping down to the floor. He regained his composure and reassured himself that his revenge will be best served cold, when he tosses Dib's icy corpse into a mass grave along with all the other humans following today's plan.
Despite the horrible morning he was having, Zim was still more bothered by the fact that it had been far too long since he'd made an earnest attempt at taking over this miserable planet. The time had been gnawing away at him like a xuugnid gnaws through helomold. What had become of him? Where was the Zim of pure destruction that used to level entire cities before him?...well they had been on his home planet, but still. He stared at his reflection in the puddle of unmentionable liquid on the floor, and gazed with slight despondency at the false human eyes staring back at him. He tilted the crooked wig atop him, then bent his head down with a sigh.
He just wanted to get it over with. He was tired of the earth, tired of grappling with humans, tired of toiling with little substance to report back to his leaders. He can't even remember how long he had been here, not that he ever thought he would need to keep track. Zim thought he would've conquered several planets by now on his way to becoming some sort of general or poobah in the galactic Irken Empire. So what if he's the Tallest's favorite soldier and best friend and all around coolest confidant? He knew deep down that those accolades meant nothing if he didn't deliver what he promised.
Zim lifted his eyes back to his reflection, and after another moment's pause furrowed his brow in determination. He began talking to himself: "No. You are everything they say about you and more. You're an Irken elite...an invader. You wear the uniform and pledge your loyalty to the almighty Irken race every day, and you SWORE to uphold the principles of superiority, tyranny, ruthlessness, and snack dignification. Hear me! You are ZIM, the greatest invader to ever LIVE! AND YOU WILL NOT BE STOPPED, UNTIL EVERY LAST HUMAN SKULL, LIES AT YOUR FEET IN A MOUND THAT REACHES INTO THE SKY, AND CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE! I AM ZIIIIIIM!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, thrusting his fists aloft in triumph over conquering his own self doubt.
"Uh Zim...what the heck are you talking about?" A voice came from one of the stalls.
Zim merely glanced askew towards the voice. "Nothing. Stop listening to me. I'm normal."
"Ok…"
Zim turned about to leave the bathroom. It was time for him to get this plan underway anyhow, and that was just the pep talk he needed to get the brain juices flowing for what surely was his greatest plan yet. This exact sort of thing had worked before in his life, so why not now? The humans couldn't possibly see this coming, and not even Dib can stop what he's about to unleash on the unsuspecting human populace. Right before Zim made his exit, he paused, then turned back one last time to stare at his reflection. "You're beautiful, and don't forget it." A pair of finger guns pointed at himself for luck, then he was out the door.
"...uhh...what?"
Zim opened the door to the classroom and slinked his way back to his desk. He stared at the clock in anticipation, hoping the moment had indeed come like he thought it would.
"Zim!" Ms. Bitters growled "You're two hours late to class. And you smell like dried paste and toilet. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Ms. Bitters, I -"
"Actually I don't care. Just shut up." She snapped, then turned back towards the class. "The skool has mandated that we educate you children on the proper way to avoid mixing dangerous chemicals that you are sure to inhale on a daily basis for the foreseeable future. So today is chemistry class, and you'll be partnered up with the student next to you. Follow the instructions at your own peril...or do the world a favor and don't."
Zim looked to his left and saw that he would be paired up with the blonde child Jessica, who stared back with contempt and disgust. A few stands of test tubes and chemicals were slammed on their desks somehow without being spilled, and the instructions were apparently written on the board. Zim never learned how to read earth-script so it was useless to him as anything else, but it mattered not because this was the exact moment he was waiting for. A little tweak of chemistry and he would unveil one of his most sinister creations. He couldn't help the slight grin spreading across his face.
He scooted his chair towards the test tubes, and Jessica scooted her chair back. "Don't get any closer you freak, I don't need you breathing your germs all over me and screaming all your weird junk. In fact, don't even speak to me at all." Zim hardly paid attention to her, instead staring intently at the chemicals to see which of them he would need. "Yes…" he muttered, not even looking at her. She merely folded her arms and sunk down in her seat, letting him take control of the assignment.
"Whatever Zim" she continued "just don't screw this up like you do everything else." Zim paused, and glanced sideways at Jessica who was trying her best to ignore him. He then turned back, picking up a boiling flask and placing it over the bunsen burner before setting it alight. This was all too familiar to him, as he often worked his own experiments at the base, and surprisingly the human setup was not too far off from what was expected in Vort research labs. A curious look came across Zim's face, and he began to speak as if to himself but directed towards Jessica.
"Y'know, I used to be somewhat of a scientist where I'm from...I was so excellent in my capabilities that they even sent me to do military research. I was simply the best there was…"
"I thought I told you not to speak to me."
He mixed the chemicals as he continued to talk. "My leaders had placed faith in me to elevate their weapons research, and at the time I thought it was a waste of my many great talents. But you know what? I actually started to like it after a while, even with all the ugly drones I was forced to work with. It's not unlike being here."
"I'm not listening to you Zim."
"Except I don't like anything here. You ugly, smelly, disgusting pig-things...you haven't grown on me at all." He stifled a laugh "Just when I think I couldn't hate you any more, you say and do things that...that I just can't even understand! You're horrible! All of you are horrible! So then why is it so hard to destroy you..."
"Ms. Bitters! Zim's acting all weird again!" Jessica called out.
"You'll live with it. We all do." She coldly remarked from behind her desk.
"But this" he gestured to the chemistry set "This takes me back to when I could just...make whatever I pleased, and the power of my inventions would speak for themselves. Sometimes they were too much to handle, even for my superiors. I loved it when I could just put them in their place like that…" He bit his lip for a moment, carefully pouring a miniscule amount of a liquid into the already boiling flask. "One time, I made a creature so powerful that it ended up eating my leader. She died...I didn't mean to do it, but things just turned out that way. And don't even get me started on the other guy."
He paused for a moment. "But what does that say about leaders? I mean, if you were to create something that not even your leader could stop, then who's really in charge? What does it say about me that I was able to make something so unstoppable that not even the tallest among us could be spared from its power? Me. I'm the one who made that power. Do you even know how hard it is to do something like that? To be that destructive?" He turned to Jessica. "Don't you think that makes me more worthy as a leader?"
"Zim, I swear, if you say one more stupid freaky thing to me…"
He sighed, she wasn't even listening. They never do. He reached into his pak and pulled out another tube, only this one looked a little...strange. "That's fine. You'll be calling me your leader soon enough. But maybe I'll start my rule by squeezing the life out of you and feeding you to my creation." Zim turned and poured the iridescent fluid into the bubbling flask, and stepped back from his chair as a wicked grin spread across his face. Soon the whole class couldn't help but turn towards the glowing concoction that emerged from the container, growing out until it consumed both their desks. Jessica stepped back as the glowing goo began to levitate and bellow like some unknowable creature.
"Zim!" Dib yelled out from the other side of the room "What is that thing?!"
Zim leapt onto the desk behind him, and gestured for everyone to see. "This chubby thing is my Infinite Energy Absorbing creature! Cute isn't he? Just a little thing from my past that has gotten rid of obstacles in front of me before, and I think I'll use him today to do the very same thing!" A glowing tentacle came out of the blob and reached for Jessica, and she screamed as it just barely missed grasping her leg. "Don't be shy!" Zim barked out "He just wants to be your friend!"
Dib stepped forward, pointing at Zim cackling over his deed. "You won't get away with this Zim! I'll stop you!"
"You will, will you?" Zim whistled, getting the attention of the blob creature, then snapped his fingers towards Dib. "The big headed kid has a lot of meat in his head. Go get it."
Without a second's thought, the creature lunged towards Dib and grabbed him by his outstretched hand. He screamed and fell backwards, pulling away with all his might to free his hand from the beast. Even Zim was in somewhat disbelief that the command actually worked, as it's not like he could control the thing before. "Yes...YES! Start with the Dib-stink, then you can have the rest of the human filth in this room before moving on to the rest of the skool! Then the city! Then whatever is bigger than a city! Then the whole WORLD! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Zim's laughter echoed in the room, and the creature slowly hovered closer and closer towards Dib looking to take the rest of him.
Dib scrambled to reach for anything to pelt the monster with: a book, a pencil, one of those scented markers that nobody uses because it smells horrible. All were simply absorbed into the creature without so much as slowing it down. An even greater panic began to envelop Dib's mind: this thing was actually going to kill him if he didn't do something miraculous to save himself and everyone around him. He turned his head around to see his book bag by his desk, and he just barely pulled it towards himself as the blob had consumed him up to his elbow. Dib reached inside and scrambled quickly through the paranormal gear within his pack to...throw more things at the creature. Silver snuffbox, monkey's paw, enchanted ladle, rabbit's foot, cursed shoelaces...he was already out of magical things to throw. Now he was really getting desperate. He threw his thermos full of chicken soup. Nothing. The orange with the brown soft spot on it. Nothing. Now the only thing left was his tuna sandwich. He gave a quick prayer over it, crossing it along his chest before tossing it within the ever absorbent matter of the creature.
Suddenly, the glowing form came to a halt and began to gurgle uncertainly: pulsating in midair with the class staring in awe of its shifting color hue. The creature gave a few jerking movements here and there before stopping completely still, then exploding and sending different colored goop spewing over the classroom. All the children including Zim were blown back by the blast and coated in the thick, sticky substance from head to toe. They groaned along the floor with aches emanating in all the worst places, and Zim alone stood up shakily in disbelief as to what just happened.
"What...What was that!? What did you throw into my chubby absorby blob?!"
Dib stood up too, wiping the goop from his glasses. "That was a blessed Tuna sandwich!"
"Tuna? Tuna cannot stop a creature of pure energy!"
"...well it did."
Zim made an indescribable face, and drooped his arms to his side in confusion. Once again he was thwarted by the most unfair and random of occurrences, and all at the hands of a filthy human. He felt like he was going to be sick, and not just because some of the blob goo got in his mouth, although that certainly didn't help.
"Zim!" Ms. Bitters growled from behind her desk, somehow not having a single drop of goop on her. "That was the worst display of baking soda chemistry I've ever seen. Not only did you fail the assignment, but you somehow made this classroom even more disgusting than before. Clean this mess up and don't leave until you do." She turned and pointed at Dib. "And you! Write me a ten thousand word essay on why you don't interrupt chemical meltdowns mid disaster."
"But I didn't do anything wrong!" Dib cried. "And Zim's an alien!"
Ms. Bitters stared unflinchingly back at Dib. "I don't care. Make it twenty thousand words. Due tomorrow. Anything else?"
"I-" Dib started.
"Good" she cut him off "I'm going to get the skool nurse, and the stomach pumps just in case. Keep lying there and try not to stop breathing until I get back."
Ms. Bitters began walking to the door, and stopped momentarily to hand Zim a tiny sponge for him to use. He stared blankly at all the damage and goo surrounding him, and gave the sponge a timid squeeze. This was going to take some time...
It was nightfall by the time Zim finished scrubbing the floors of the classroom. Never before had his back ached so much from the labor of a long day, and he didn't care to experience it again. He dragged his feet through the empty hallways of the skool, having been the only one left behind while most of his classmates were carried off to the emergency room. He stepped outside and stared up at the night sky, seeing clouds slowly pass over the dimly lit crescent moon. There was a chill present in the air, but at least the rain had stopped. Slowly he began his trek back home.
Zim kicked the occasional pebble that found its way in front of him, and hung his head low in fatigue and contemplation. Continually he racked his brain for reasons as to why his plan failed, why he had failed in the face of such underwhelming resistance. Humans wouldn't know planetary conquest if it came up and shot them in the back of the head with a ray gun before harvesting their organs for posterity. Yet once again they found a way to elude total annihilation without so much as making the traffic slow. Zim couldn't even point the blame squarely at Dib for this failure, as it seemed like a total fluke that a creature of infinite absorption couldn't handle the molecular structure of a processed mackerel.
He glanced up at the few stars visible in the sky, and wondered if any other invader had experienced a string of rotten luck similar to his own. One of the stars seemed to slowly move with him as he walked, and Zim thought of his home planet with their far off sun converted into a dyson sized popcorn machine. To be stuck on this primitive planet was punishment enough, but to be thwarted day in and day out all while being interminably separated from your home was just cruel. He couldn't think of a single thing he had done to deserve such harsh circumstances, but he supposed the most difficult cases were reserved for only the best soldiers. And he had indeed proved his worth in that regard.
Turning the corner of his human cul-de-sac, Zim spotted his faintly glowing base nestled at the end of the street. He reached his arms high above his head, and stretched out until he heard a sickening pop that relieved him of his sorest spot. A brief period of rest during the upcoming human weekend should serve him well, and it would give him an opportunity to work out the details of his next master plan. Perhaps he'll shift focus to creatures of microscopic size instead of the ones you can actually see, although he hoped he wouldn't end up contracting another parasitic illness in the process.
As Zim entered the astroturfed yard, he could hear faint squeaky voices emanate from the other side of his front door. Through the window, he saw the antenna of his little minion bob up and down in dim satisfaction over what was surely brain rotting material. Zim didn't care how much reconnaissance you could do from watching human broadcasts; those monkeys were creepy. He stepped atop his stoop, and took a calming breath before reaching over for the door handle.
But he suddenly stopped in mid grasp, and felt his whole body become rigid with an icy stillness that sent chills down his spine. Despite his best effort, he couldn't move a single muscle, and this curious affliction caused a wave of panic to race through his mind. What's going on, he thought, my body isn't listening to me. Grab the handle. Grab it! I am your master and you will do as I command! I am Zim! He could barely move his eyes to look down at his statue-like posture, but soon enough something even stranger began to happen. He started to float off the ground.
Before he even had a chance to contemplate what was happening, he slowly rose past his slated roof and rotated in mid air to face the empty sky above him. His heart was racing, his breathing ragged despite his pursed lips; he wondered if he had managed to dream while still being awake. He didn't think he was that tired to begin hallucinating while out on a nightly stroll, but it had been a long time since he allowed himself the comfort of a good nap. He wanted so badly to squeeze his eyes shut and force himself to awaken, praying that this was some sort of dream: but even if that were an option, he didn't have the bodily control to do so.
Higher and higher he rose through the night sky, and were he to be released at that very moment he would surely plunge to his doom. It wasn't exactly the way he expected to die, as he always thought he would end up being poisoned by one of his many subordinates during an inevitable royal snack famine. All of a sudden, there was a shimmering above him which broke to unveil an alien ship was lifting his body via tractor beam. He stared on helplessly, with more questions than ever as to why this was happening to him. The hull below opened to reveal a blinding white light which enveloped his whole vision, and soon ended up swallowing the Irken whole before closing once again.
Just as quickly as it appeared, the ship vanished behind the veil of its cloaking system, and the light bent to conform to the odd shape of the craft. Faintly, the morphed cloak of the invisible ship could be seen taking off into the vast expanse of the sky, leaving the cul-de-sac quiet and empty as it had been before. A scattering of dead leaves lifted across the windy sidewalk, and the night remained silent without an indication that anyone had been there at all.