ZaDR! Let's see where this goes. Btw, there is magic IZ science in this chapter. I suppose this moves kinda fast, but there's a planet to be conquered; it makes sense that both of them would want to jump in and get to work.

This chapter is much shorter than the last, because I had it done about to the point I'm posting it at, which gave further content while still allowing for a cruel cliffhanger.

(-)

I woke up in my bed, eager to go to Hi Skool, for once. After I got my casts off and did some exercises to see how my reflexes were, I found they had improved. Thanks to Zim's serum, that was the best hospitalizing beating I'd ever had. And you know what? Some lucky people have lives that don't require sentences like that.

I definitely hoped I'd run into Torque sometime early in the day. I doubted Zim would be unimpressed with what I had planned. Although, it was a fairly simple plan.

I got showered, dressed, ate breakfast, and ran out the door to Hi Skool. One of Torque's cronies spotted me on my way in, and I grinned at him and his dumbfounded look. I had yet to regret my decision to join Zim. So far, life was just getting better.

I sat down next to Zim's usual seat in 1st Hour, and he came in not long after. We were both pretty early, and he looked me over. "The Dib is in very good condition today. Any new symptoms or side-effects to report?"

"Well, I have better reflexes now. And I'm not sure, but I might have gotten stronger too."

Zim stared at me. "You really are astounding, Diblet. I'm still running tests on your cells, but I'm quite eager to find out why you seem to be so exceptional."

Shrugging, I leaned on my hand with my elbow planted on my desk. "I might not be the 'Amazing Invader Zim' but you have to admit that at least mentally I'm superior to a lot of people in my race. I mean, in this city, Gaz and I are the only ones who can see you for what you are. I even had trouble convincing the Swollen Eyeball Network about you. They never really believed me."

"I suppose that's of benefit to both of us now. Will it arouse suspicion if you suddenly stop trying to make them believe?"

I considered that. "Maybe. Probably not, but I'll sever ties from them anyway. I'll just make up some proof and when they shrug it off I'll say I'm sick of them ignoring my evidence, and I'm better off on my own," I said.

"Not a bad plan. I'm having my computer inventory my various plans since I've arrived on Earth, as you suggested. The list will be ready after school, and we could examine your test results then too, if they're finished. Would you care to come to my base after school?" Zim asked.

I was taken aback at such an offer so soon. Sure, I'd been in his base plenty of times and even had a rough idea of the overall layout, but the only time he'd let me in his lab to cooperate had been when Tak's plan was going on. And, of course, I'd planted that spy bug, so I wouldn't think that letting me in would be his first move. Unless he wanted to see what I'd do. In which case, I was fine, because I had no ulterior motives.

"Sure, I'd love to," I said, and I felt an actual pleased smile growing on my face, which seemed to surprise Zim as much as it did me.

"Good. I'm sure we can get a lot accomplished by working together."

(-)

Torque was almost suspiciously absent from my day. Walking home with Zim to his base had my heart pounding in nervous excitement. I didn't examine too closely why my heart was pounding or why Zim made my stomach behave strangely lately. And I determinedly ignored any similar episodes in the past.

"So, you made a list of all your plans? I'm not sure if this will be a fond trip down memory lane or spark some reflexive arguing," I said.

Zim glanced at me. "Perhaps a bit of both. But I discarded the ones that can no longer be attempted or were foolish due to my lack of understanding this planet."

"Which ones are those?" I was curious as to what his hindsight had made of some of his schemes.

"I got rid of working at McMeaty's. Also, since Mars is gone, that's out. The horrible disaster that was the brain parasite isn't worth giving another try. No mutant hampsters, mutant vermin, hypnotic pimples, candy sales, Santa suits, school elections, giant flesh-eating demon squids, or cows full of human sewage," Zim said.

I was taken aback by the last one, and then wondered what was left to try. "So...what's still on the list?"

Zim didn't look at me when he said, "Just the happiness brain probes."

He looked so dejected that I wanted to say something to cheer him up. This impulse was counter-intuitive to me, but it was in line with our new partnership. "Well, with us working together, I'm sure we can make some new additions to that list."

That drew a small half-smile from him, and we reached the cul-de-sac where he lived. "I've instructed the gnomes and computers not to see you as a threat...for today. I'm afraid I can't do a long-term security clearance; this is still new and..."

"I get it," I said. "I'm a little wary that you've got a happiness probe waiting for me." And that was suddenly innuendo to my brain. I didn't know how Irkens reproduced, or even if they had traditional sexual organs. And I did not need to be contemplating that right now. I knew I was blushing, and I hoped he'd take it at me being ashamed for mistrusting him.

Zim was watching me closely, and it only made me more self-conscious and flustered. "The Dib is feeling embarrassment?"

'Embarrassment and shame,' I thought dully. But I said, "I just feel bad that I can't trust you, especially since this was my idea."

Zim shrugged and seemed to let the matter go. "It will just take time, I suppose. We've been adversaries for so many years that suddenly switching to allies isn't easy."

Good God, it was much harder than he knew. It was easy to repress my xenophilia when Zim and I were enemies and always hurting each other. With this truce and partnership, all the things I'd been holding back were leaking to the front of my mind. I'd been dimly aware when I proposed this alliance that this could happen, but I thought some part of me hoped that if it did come out, Zim and I would be getting along well enough that he could tolerate it, if not accept it. I was mentally flogging that part of myself for such monumental stupidity.

We walked up to his front door, and I kept an eye on the lawn gnomes, just in case. Before Zim could open the door, it opened from inside, and Gir came flying at me. Surprisingly, I side-stepped quickly enough that he hit the sidewalk behind me. It was a demonstration of the superior reflexes I had noticed yesterday.

Gir started wailing as he hit the ground, screaming about how I didn't love him. Zim picked up the crazy thing by the scruff of his costume and took him inside, indicating that I should follow. Once inside, Zim dropped the robot, who wailed for a few more moments before turning on the TV and going to sit on the couch, apparently content.

Zim had normalized his house over the years, and it was almost able to pass as a human dwelling rather than an alien base. He took me into a door off his kitchen that led to a pantry, but a large part of a corner was bare, and this was the elevator we took to his labs. Being in such a tight space with Zim was a little unnerving, and not for the reasons he would likely think.

"Master, analysis on Dib cells complete. Anomalies indicate that more detailed research is required," Zim's computer suddenly said.

That distracted me from Zim's proximity. "What anomalies?" I asked.

"Authorization to share results with Dib-creature?" the computer asked.

"Access granted. Share all but Top Secret information with Dib today," Zim said.

I looked at him as we arrived at one of his labs and stepped out of the elevator. "Will you answer if I ask what kind of things are Top Secret? Or is it too classified?" I asked Zim. There were some things I wasn't going to share with Zim, even with our alliance. They were mostly personal secrets. Like xenophilia.

Zim looked a little nervous. "Things that would get me deactivated and destroyed if I shared them with you."

I stared at Zim, unaware he had such high stakes info to guard. I was glad I never stumbled into those while snooping on him, since I could only imagine that failure to protect the information would bring the same consequences. "Definitely something I don't want to delve into then."

"Test results inconclusive due to unusual chemical compounds in Dib cells. Further tests required to determine cause. Do you want to run tests, Master?" the computer asked.

"Yes. Inform me when tests are complete. Don't bother me until you have results; authorization for any and all tests needed to obtain results," Zim said.

And robot arms grabbed my wrists and lifted me up. "Vivisection on Dib-creature confirmed," the computer said, and my stomach squirmed in sudden nausea and fear.

It started to lift me away, and Zim said, "No! Permission not granted!" The arms dropped me, and I lay on the cool metal floor for a few moments, trying not to tremble.

"The tests that are authorized are limited to the sample I have given you; the Dib is not to be harmed!" Zim said, still looking rather angry. "If further samples are needed, authorization is needed. Now stop wasting time being stupid and run the tests!"

"Yes, Master," the computer said, and it sounded kind of sullen.

I climbed to my feet, still breathing a bit faster than normal. "Thanks. That was actually something I was still worried about, coming down here."

Zim gave me an assessing look. "The Dib does not trust Zim, even after Zim gives him extensive information access?"

And, yeah, I felt a bit ashamed at his question. "It's like you said, Zim. We've been enemies for so long that wariness is natural. I trust you...but my brain's instincts are still catching up."

Zim nodded, satisfied with my answer. "Indeed. Come, Dib-creature. We have plotting to do."

I still felt a little guilty as I followed Zim, despite having chosen this path. I was betraying my species, my planet. But they had disowned me. And, if I was honest, humanity was just being humanity: selfish, cruel, hostile to anything different, and so ignorant it made me sick.

And, putting humanity in such a light, my decision to join Zim couldn't be all that different than the rest of humanity. It was in my own interests: neutralizing or destroying my persecutors, giving me an ally (and perhaps friend) who understood me and could match my intelligence, and making a place where I could maybe belong. I wasn't naiive enough to think that it would all be so simple. There were details to work out, like what happened after we conquered Earth. I doubted Zim's Tallest would welcome humans in their midst. But I trusted Zim to work something out in advance, with my help.

Yeah, guilt was natural, given how long I had defended humanity. But then, so was the slight thrill of vindication at the thought of humanity finally seeing the truth they had been persecuting me for trying to show them. So, this was still me trying to expose the existence of aliens. Only now, I would do it after it was too late for humanity to try and make up for their ignorance and hate.

(-)

"Dib-creature, I suggest we call it a night and try to develop some of these plans independently. We can compare notes at skool tomorrow."

I looked at Zim and reached into my backpack, thinking that now was as good a time as any to implement my plan. I pulled out the stapled papers and handed them to Zim. "I actually brought some homework for you...sort of."

Zim examined the top of the front page. "'Top 100 Things I'd Do if I Became an Evil Overlord'? There's a list?"

I smiled a little. "I've noticed over the years that there are a few things on that list you could learn from. I put a line through the ones that don't really apply to you, and there's some addendum items to the list. You can always call me if you don't really understand something," I said.

Zim looked between me and the pages, then set them down on the console of his computer to open a cabinet of gadgets nearby. I'd been trying not to oggle and drool over them. He pulled out a watch that looked a lot like the communicator watches Gaz and I used to wear (at our father's insistence, despite him never having interest in contacting us) and a sort of tablet screen. Zim took a stylus out from the frame and scribbled on it. The scribble popped up on his computer and his Pak quietly beeped. He put the stylus away and handed me the tablet. "This will let you share information with Zim. It works far beyond just scribbles, and you can send me almost anything on it. The watch will let you communicate with me while you're out and about. Zim wants no filty human cellphone." He handed me the watch.

I thought I was going to burst with how happy I felt. I slid the tablet into my backpack and strapped the watch around my wrist. I looked up and him, and he was watching me carefully. I grinned at him and said, "Thanks, Zim. I'm really glad I decided to work with you. The not-being-vivisected was especially fun."

A look crossed Zim's face that I couldn't readily interpret. Something like unease. "You okay, Zim?"

He blinked, then smiled. "Of course. Just wondering about your tests."

I had completely forgotten about the tests, so absorbed with spending time with Zim. I suddenly wasn't worried about them as much as I had been. Whatever was up, I was sure that Zim and I could deal with it. "Well, I can see myself out, I guess. See you tomorrow, Zim," I said, waving as I walked to the elevator. Zim nodded.

On the way up, my heart was fluttering, and I felt ready to burst with glee. Is this what having a schoolgirl crush was like? I had it pretty bad. The voices that cautioned me to keep it to myself attempted to speak over my giddiness but found it difficult.

(-)

The next morning, I stepped out of my front door to come face to face with Zim. "Diblet, we need to talk." The urgency in his tone was not reassuring.

"Okay. We can talk on the way to school together."

Zim looked uncertain. "I'm not sure that our time wouldn't be better spent in the lab today, as opposed to school."

I tensed, not liking how this sounded. "Were the test results that bad?"

Giving me a quick once-over, Zim said, "Not necessarily bad, but strange enough to warrant some concern and further examination."

I shouted over my shoulder into the house, "Gaz! I'm skipping school today; I have some things to take care of. See ya tonight!"

And I promptly took Zim's hand and tugged him at a half-jog towards his house. When we were out of sight of my house, I slowed my pace. "Sorry, didn't want Gaz to see me running off with you. It'd be hard to explain."

"I suppose it would." Zim was looking at me curiously. The inquisitive look made me realize I was still holding his hand, which I promptly dropped.

"So, can you tell me what about my cells is so alarming?"

Zim frowned thoughtfully. "I really think this would be best done in my labs, where I can show you what I found. Also, it has more privacy." He looked at the various humans out and about that day.

Privacy. That was quickly stirring me up with all kinds of thoughts. I worked hard to keep a lid on that until we got to Zim's base. We got through the yard without incident. "Did you extend my security clearance with the gnomes?"

Zim looked over his shoulder at me as he opened his front door. "I extended all your clearances indefinitely. You are my partner, yes?"

I grinned at him. "Yes."

This time instead of dodging Gir, I caught the insane little thing, holding him by his torso as he wiggled and tried to escape. It was actually kind of cute. Until the top of his suit and his head opened and splattered what looked and smelled like melted vanilla ice cream on me. I dropped the robot, and he landed with a heavy thunk.

Zim watched me, some interest in my predicament. "Come inside, Diblet. We can get you cleaned up before we begin."

Most of it was on my shirt, though it also covered my pants up to my crotch. The cold was a strange sensation that made me shiver a little, and not from the temperature. My nipples were visibly hard, and I wondered why Gir hated me so much as I watched the crazed thing follow us in. This was so awkward.

"Um, experience has taught me to have spare clothes on hand, so I can change."

Still looking intrigued, Zim nodded. "Feel free."

When he just kept watching me, I said, "Got anywhere a bit more private for me to change?"

Zim shook his head like he was trying to clear it. "Of course. On the main level there's the bathroom or my room. No one should ever enter Gir's room."

"Given the mess, I guess I should pick the bathroom." It was a little disappointing, because I wanted to see Zim's room. And I reminded myself that while I had always been a creep, especially about Zim, that did not make it okay to escalate my creeping.

I slipped into the door Zim indicated in the hallway and was surprised how normal Zim's bathroom looked. Shower stall, a rather large bathtub, toilet, counter with a sink. Nothing here screamed "alien" although I was willing to bet that the shower could use paste as well as/instead of water.

Reminding myself about creeping, I swiftly stripped off my clothes and piled them on the counter. I pulled out the t-shirt and pants I had stashed in my backpack and pulled them on. My coat was among the soiled articles, and while I could feel that Zim's house was, as always, cold, it didn't cause me any discomfort, though in the past I had always needed to keep it on to keep from shivering.

I stuck my head out of the bathroom and called, "What do you want me to do with my creamed clothes?"

My face blossomed red, and all sorts of inappropriate thoughts assaulted my mind. "Ice-creamed. Ice-creamed clothes."

Zim's face appeared at the end of the hall. "Just leave them there. Computer, clean and enhance Dib's garments."

"Enhance?" I picked up my backpack and headed over to him.

"Improvements. Make it more like Zim's clothes."

I blinked at him. "Thanks. We won't be like, wearing matching outfits, right?"

Zim rolled his eyes. "It will make it more durable, self-cleaning, and regenerative."

That sounded pretty wild. "That's awesome. Now, there was some ominous news about my tests?"

Zim sobered. "Let's talk in the lab."

We took the elevator in the pantry, and Zim had my DNA analysis up on the big screen when we entered his lab. Several odd-looking portions were highlighted in red. It was strange, because I'd examined my own DNA before, and those bits had never looked like that.

"What's up, Zim?"

"Diblet, your DNA is no longer strictly human. There were some sleeper genes blended in with the regular ones, and my serum activated them. They've overridden your normal human genes to the point where you are no longer classified as such." Zim spoke swiftly, watching me carefully.

White noise filled my head as my thoughts went out of control. I wasn't human. My genes had been blended. That thought briefly quieted my head as anger filled me. Dad. He'd fucked around with my DNA, probably in-vitro. It shouldn't surprise me, and it wasn't like I had idolized him, but I felt betrayed. I was supposed to be his son, not some experiment! "Professor Membrane strikes again. Bastard."

(-)

Great place to stop, right? I wanted to post what I had instead of making you wait until it was the length of the previous chapter. Let me know what you think of these developments; hopefully they entertain you at least as much as they have me.