Chapter Two: Alien Universe
It was an uneventful journey for Mel, but she knew that while Tallest Miyuki was away, he had a couple assassins after him, and she was the only one that knew. As her ship approached the planet known as Earth, she began to speculate on how to make her entrance.
"Let's see...last time I crash-landed, a sort of science fiction/mystery style...this time I'm going more for horror.... Zim was pretty easily scared back in the old days, but I think I'm going to frighten Dib. His expressions are always more ridiculous!"
"Just how exactly do you plan your big entrance this time, Mel?"
"Oh, I'm not exactly sure. I think maybe I'll land on Dib's roof. That ought to shake him up a bit."
"Then it is set." The Irken landed it with incredible ease and precision onto the earthling's home, and within the minute he could be seen peering out the window. Mel hopped out and onto the roof, then assisted Zal in getting out.
"Zal, meet my good friend Dib. Dib, meet my good friend Zal." She bent over down to the window, and beckoned Zal. "Get out of the way, Dib, I'm coming in!" Mel did a flip and landed inside the window. Sitting on the sill and kicking her legs back and forth, she started to whistle a tune.
"Wait - isn't that the Oscar Buyer Weiner song?"
"What can I say? It's the only Earth song I know. But the news I have to deliver is much more important than being an Oscar Buyer Weiner. Tallest Miyuki is in danger."
"Invader Mel, sit down. I don't want to tell you this. But I have to, don't I?"
"I don't know the answer to that question, for I don't know what it is you feel must be said to me."
"Tallest Miyuki came to visit here, but...Zim was in his Voot Cruiser, and it...crashed. I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say..."
"Dib, get out of here."
"Huh?"
"Dib, take everything valuable to you and go. You must leave, or you'll end up coming with me to Irk. You'll die there. Zim will too."
"Invader Mel, I don't understand."
"I come from a parallel universe where you and Zim came with me to Irk. You died there. I was able to come into a reality where Tallest Miyuki didn't die, but now that I've come here to change things for me, they're turning the same. Don't you see?! With Tallest Miyuki gone, it will be yours and Zim's turns soon."
"What do I do?"
"I wish I knew the answer to that, Dib. I've been at your grave, seen you suffocate right before my eyes and not being able to do anything about it, and felt the burning rain eat through my skin until I'm just a pile of bones and nothing more. I've felt the last few remnants of life in Zim's hands as he looked longingly into the sunset, hoping for another day to pass with him still in existence. I've seen hundreds die for no reason but a slight expansion on the empire...so much death...so much pointless death...and I've always been helpless, so very helpless and alone."
"Do you want to call Zim?"
"Sure. But not now. For your own good. Tell me, does Zim have a secret crush on me? That would lead to his death. If he does, I need you to talk him out of it. I need to be able to count on you. This could determine whether the two of you live or die. Be absolutely honest."
"I don't think so."
"Good. Zal, could you bring me my portable transmitter? I need to talk to Zim." Zal jumped in through the window and handed her a small device that looked similar to a cell phone. Mel snatched it and dialed a code.
"Hello? Oh, hi, Invader Mel."
"Greetings, Zim. I have some important business to discuss with you."
"As in...."
"As in Mission Hidden Realm."
"I'll be right there. Wait, where are you?"
"Dib's house."
"I'll see you Mel. Goodbye." The screen image died away, and Zim arrived shortly, by means of Voot Cruiser. He also jumped in through the window. The three - Zim, Zal, and Mel - began to talk in a hissing language, of which Dib could not understand. At first it seemed lighthearted enough, but then Zim and Mel began to yell at each other. She turned to Dib, and shouted something at him in the language.
"Sorry, I mean, what do you think we should do?"
"I don't even know what the problem is. Could you speak in English, please?"
"Oh, yes. Pardon, I'm so embarrassed. We're in a bit of a predicament, I'm afraid. We're going to be caught in the middle of a space battle. But no! I can't let either of you die! I'd rather die myself."
"Don't say that!" They screamed at her. "I'd die for you at any time," Zal stated faithfully.
"You're very important to this universe," Dib put in.
"I wouldn't think of you giving yourself up for me," Zim announced to them.
"Oh, thank you, guys, you're the best. But I don't deserve such compliments. I am to die. That is my only purpose. You three all have lives, futures. Zal, an Irken officer, Dib, a paranormal investigator, Zim, an invader. We all have a purpose, and mine is to die so you three can fulfill your purposes."
"No, that's not it..." Zim tried to persuade Mel, but she wouldn't budge. She fainted, and Zal caught her just in time before she reached the ground.
"Oh no, not again...Zim, are we going to have to do this charade again?"
"Maybe. But I think she has a condition. We have to get her to a hospital. We have to go to Irk."
"But...she told us not to...no matter what."
"Dib-monkey, if we don't do something, she'll probably die." Dib shuddered, and then helped pick her up.
"Zal, unless you want to stay here on Earth for some reason, I suggest you get back into your Voot Cruiser."
"I-it's not mine, Dib. It's Mel's."
"Then get into Mel's. Zim, help me get her into yours." Zim ordered GIR to bring the Cruiser down to window level, where he helped carry Mel into. After they were in, he closed the glass top and they took off. The two enemies said nothing on the journey there. Most of the time they spent looking at her.
"Well? What are you staring at, stinkbeast human?"
"Nothing. It's just that, well, it feels like this has happened before."
"Oh." They went back to staring out the glass on opposite sides, and when Zim glanced back at Dib, he saw the expression he had. A sort of...curiosity...amazement. "What on Irk are you so happy about?"
"I've...I've never been in space before. Well, there was that one time when you were trying to squish the Earth with Mars, but -"
"Oh, yes, I remember that. And I would've succeeded if it weren't for your stupid interfering." Dib chuckled to himself, in reminiscence of his victory. He then began to remove the glove off Mel's hand. "What are you doing, Dib-human?! You never remove an invader's glove!"
"I just wanted to check her pulse." Zim eyed the human with suspicion as he lifted her hand and examined it.
"Is that how you humans check pulses?"
"No...it's just that...she's so...full of life. Unmoving, but so alive."
"You humans are strange."
"Maybe strange to you. But you're strange to me. Your whole planet, the concept of leaders being chosen by height...every little thing normal to you is strange."
"It is a little odd, now that you mention it. I guess it's an alien universe. All kinds of repulsive little species like you out there." This intrigued Dib. He hadn't heard his enemy use the terminology 'alien' at anytime except when denying his true origin after accusations had been made. "I'm going to sleep. Don't mess around with anything, because without me, you'll never get her to a hospital in time. Is that clear?"
"Yes." As Zim leaned back and snored, he closed his eyes too. After all, the thing was on autopilot and would alert them if there were any danger. Exhausted from the day's events, he laid back and fell asleep. It was amazing how easily this all came to him. He probably would have fallen asleep sooner, for it had been late at night when he'd been summoned to go and get Mel to safety. Just before his slumber, a thought crossed his mind once more - what was Mission Hidden Realm, and how did it put them in danger? Despite the relevancy to this, he nodded off all the same.
It was an uneventful journey for Mel, but she knew that while Tallest Miyuki was away, he had a couple assassins after him, and she was the only one that knew. As her ship approached the planet known as Earth, she began to speculate on how to make her entrance.
"Let's see...last time I crash-landed, a sort of science fiction/mystery style...this time I'm going more for horror.... Zim was pretty easily scared back in the old days, but I think I'm going to frighten Dib. His expressions are always more ridiculous!"
"Just how exactly do you plan your big entrance this time, Mel?"
"Oh, I'm not exactly sure. I think maybe I'll land on Dib's roof. That ought to shake him up a bit."
"Then it is set." The Irken landed it with incredible ease and precision onto the earthling's home, and within the minute he could be seen peering out the window. Mel hopped out and onto the roof, then assisted Zal in getting out.
"Zal, meet my good friend Dib. Dib, meet my good friend Zal." She bent over down to the window, and beckoned Zal. "Get out of the way, Dib, I'm coming in!" Mel did a flip and landed inside the window. Sitting on the sill and kicking her legs back and forth, she started to whistle a tune.
"Wait - isn't that the Oscar Buyer Weiner song?"
"What can I say? It's the only Earth song I know. But the news I have to deliver is much more important than being an Oscar Buyer Weiner. Tallest Miyuki is in danger."
"Invader Mel, sit down. I don't want to tell you this. But I have to, don't I?"
"I don't know the answer to that question, for I don't know what it is you feel must be said to me."
"Tallest Miyuki came to visit here, but...Zim was in his Voot Cruiser, and it...crashed. I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say..."
"Dib, get out of here."
"Huh?"
"Dib, take everything valuable to you and go. You must leave, or you'll end up coming with me to Irk. You'll die there. Zim will too."
"Invader Mel, I don't understand."
"I come from a parallel universe where you and Zim came with me to Irk. You died there. I was able to come into a reality where Tallest Miyuki didn't die, but now that I've come here to change things for me, they're turning the same. Don't you see?! With Tallest Miyuki gone, it will be yours and Zim's turns soon."
"What do I do?"
"I wish I knew the answer to that, Dib. I've been at your grave, seen you suffocate right before my eyes and not being able to do anything about it, and felt the burning rain eat through my skin until I'm just a pile of bones and nothing more. I've felt the last few remnants of life in Zim's hands as he looked longingly into the sunset, hoping for another day to pass with him still in existence. I've seen hundreds die for no reason but a slight expansion on the empire...so much death...so much pointless death...and I've always been helpless, so very helpless and alone."
"Do you want to call Zim?"
"Sure. But not now. For your own good. Tell me, does Zim have a secret crush on me? That would lead to his death. If he does, I need you to talk him out of it. I need to be able to count on you. This could determine whether the two of you live or die. Be absolutely honest."
"I don't think so."
"Good. Zal, could you bring me my portable transmitter? I need to talk to Zim." Zal jumped in through the window and handed her a small device that looked similar to a cell phone. Mel snatched it and dialed a code.
"Hello? Oh, hi, Invader Mel."
"Greetings, Zim. I have some important business to discuss with you."
"As in...."
"As in Mission Hidden Realm."
"I'll be right there. Wait, where are you?"
"Dib's house."
"I'll see you Mel. Goodbye." The screen image died away, and Zim arrived shortly, by means of Voot Cruiser. He also jumped in through the window. The three - Zim, Zal, and Mel - began to talk in a hissing language, of which Dib could not understand. At first it seemed lighthearted enough, but then Zim and Mel began to yell at each other. She turned to Dib, and shouted something at him in the language.
"Sorry, I mean, what do you think we should do?"
"I don't even know what the problem is. Could you speak in English, please?"
"Oh, yes. Pardon, I'm so embarrassed. We're in a bit of a predicament, I'm afraid. We're going to be caught in the middle of a space battle. But no! I can't let either of you die! I'd rather die myself."
"Don't say that!" They screamed at her. "I'd die for you at any time," Zal stated faithfully.
"You're very important to this universe," Dib put in.
"I wouldn't think of you giving yourself up for me," Zim announced to them.
"Oh, thank you, guys, you're the best. But I don't deserve such compliments. I am to die. That is my only purpose. You three all have lives, futures. Zal, an Irken officer, Dib, a paranormal investigator, Zim, an invader. We all have a purpose, and mine is to die so you three can fulfill your purposes."
"No, that's not it..." Zim tried to persuade Mel, but she wouldn't budge. She fainted, and Zal caught her just in time before she reached the ground.
"Oh no, not again...Zim, are we going to have to do this charade again?"
"Maybe. But I think she has a condition. We have to get her to a hospital. We have to go to Irk."
"But...she told us not to...no matter what."
"Dib-monkey, if we don't do something, she'll probably die." Dib shuddered, and then helped pick her up.
"Zal, unless you want to stay here on Earth for some reason, I suggest you get back into your Voot Cruiser."
"I-it's not mine, Dib. It's Mel's."
"Then get into Mel's. Zim, help me get her into yours." Zim ordered GIR to bring the Cruiser down to window level, where he helped carry Mel into. After they were in, he closed the glass top and they took off. The two enemies said nothing on the journey there. Most of the time they spent looking at her.
"Well? What are you staring at, stinkbeast human?"
"Nothing. It's just that, well, it feels like this has happened before."
"Oh." They went back to staring out the glass on opposite sides, and when Zim glanced back at Dib, he saw the expression he had. A sort of...curiosity...amazement. "What on Irk are you so happy about?"
"I've...I've never been in space before. Well, there was that one time when you were trying to squish the Earth with Mars, but -"
"Oh, yes, I remember that. And I would've succeeded if it weren't for your stupid interfering." Dib chuckled to himself, in reminiscence of his victory. He then began to remove the glove off Mel's hand. "What are you doing, Dib-human?! You never remove an invader's glove!"
"I just wanted to check her pulse." Zim eyed the human with suspicion as he lifted her hand and examined it.
"Is that how you humans check pulses?"
"No...it's just that...she's so...full of life. Unmoving, but so alive."
"You humans are strange."
"Maybe strange to you. But you're strange to me. Your whole planet, the concept of leaders being chosen by height...every little thing normal to you is strange."
"It is a little odd, now that you mention it. I guess it's an alien universe. All kinds of repulsive little species like you out there." This intrigued Dib. He hadn't heard his enemy use the terminology 'alien' at anytime except when denying his true origin after accusations had been made. "I'm going to sleep. Don't mess around with anything, because without me, you'll never get her to a hospital in time. Is that clear?"
"Yes." As Zim leaned back and snored, he closed his eyes too. After all, the thing was on autopilot and would alert them if there were any danger. Exhausted from the day's events, he laid back and fell asleep. It was amazing how easily this all came to him. He probably would have fallen asleep sooner, for it had been late at night when he'd been summoned to go and get Mel to safety. Just before his slumber, a thought crossed his mind once more - what was Mission Hidden Realm, and how did it put them in danger? Despite the relevancy to this, he nodded off all the same.