Chapter Three: A Lesson in Trust
Morning. Or rather, the time Zim woke Dib up. "Dib, what in the name of Irk did you do to her?!"
"What?" he asked drowsily.
"Look at her!" Dib saw Mel with a horrible rash on her face, and gazed in horror. It looked something like a reaction to meat. His face met Zim's, whose expression was now enraged. "Her pulse is dangerously low, Dib- monkey! If we don't get her to the hospital soon, she'll die! With you tagging along she won't live to see another day! You must be eliminated, now!"
Zim drew a long sword out of a sheath that had been concealed previously, and pointed it to Dib's head, right in between the eyes. "Sh- she said you'd die if I were to die," he stated. The Irken hesitantly put the weapon away.
"All right, for now you get away. But I swear, get near her one more time, and I'll drive this down your throat! The Cruiser's on autopilot, and programmed to land in front of the hospital, and they are aware of our arrival. So, even if we're dead, she'll be saved."
"I didn't do anything to her..."
"Stop lying...that filthy acting innocent won't fool me."
"I'm not pretending. I'd never harm her. Why would you say that? I'd never harm her. You know that."
"You're the only other person here!"
"How do I know you didn't hurt her when I was asleep?!"
"I'd never hurt her!"
"Neither would I. But what happened?"
"I don't know." Dib extended his hand for Mel's, but before he could comprehend what was happening, Zim came down with the sword. A steady trickle of blood made its way down his arm as he screamed out in pain. "Stay away from her!"
"I was just checking her pulse!"
"I'll be doing that from now on! I can't trust you!"
"I can't trust you either!"
"Never...get...near...her...again. Do you understand?"
"You can't ask me to do that!"
"You're so pitiful! If you really cared about her, you'd do anything to keep her alive!"
"Zim, I challenge you to a fight. To the death."
"I accept. Wait, we can't fight here. It's too small, and Mel is here. Computer, make a detour to that planet over there." He pointed to a small one off to the right. "Earth-monkey, you'll get a laser as will I. There will be one hour of practice, and then the actual battle. No one wins or loses until someone dies. If you surrender, your life will not be spared. You'll be killed. No other rules. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ZIM."
"Good." They neared the planet, and when they landed, dawned gear to make sure they could breathe. They stepped outside the Cruiser, and Zim tossed Dib a laser. After receiving it, the human scrutinized it carefully. "You can try it out, if you think I've tampered with it."
"Maybe I'll try it out on you."
"No, that wouldn't be a good idea, because for the time being, I have a force field surrounding myself. You do too. Until the actual battle begins, it will be that way."
"How do you work it?"
"Just push this button and a laser comes out." He pushed it, and it looked a lot like a lightsaver.
"Practice well, filthy human. You'll need it."
"I don't need your 'advice,' alien!"
"Practice begins now." A timer activated, and Zim tried some tricks he'd learned. Without much confidence, he too, prepared himself for the battle yet to come. Nothing in the universe could prepare either of the two nemeses for the events about to take place.
Morning. Or rather, the time Zim woke Dib up. "Dib, what in the name of Irk did you do to her?!"
"What?" he asked drowsily.
"Look at her!" Dib saw Mel with a horrible rash on her face, and gazed in horror. It looked something like a reaction to meat. His face met Zim's, whose expression was now enraged. "Her pulse is dangerously low, Dib- monkey! If we don't get her to the hospital soon, she'll die! With you tagging along she won't live to see another day! You must be eliminated, now!"
Zim drew a long sword out of a sheath that had been concealed previously, and pointed it to Dib's head, right in between the eyes. "Sh- she said you'd die if I were to die," he stated. The Irken hesitantly put the weapon away.
"All right, for now you get away. But I swear, get near her one more time, and I'll drive this down your throat! The Cruiser's on autopilot, and programmed to land in front of the hospital, and they are aware of our arrival. So, even if we're dead, she'll be saved."
"I didn't do anything to her..."
"Stop lying...that filthy acting innocent won't fool me."
"I'm not pretending. I'd never harm her. Why would you say that? I'd never harm her. You know that."
"You're the only other person here!"
"How do I know you didn't hurt her when I was asleep?!"
"I'd never hurt her!"
"Neither would I. But what happened?"
"I don't know." Dib extended his hand for Mel's, but before he could comprehend what was happening, Zim came down with the sword. A steady trickle of blood made its way down his arm as he screamed out in pain. "Stay away from her!"
"I was just checking her pulse!"
"I'll be doing that from now on! I can't trust you!"
"I can't trust you either!"
"Never...get...near...her...again. Do you understand?"
"You can't ask me to do that!"
"You're so pitiful! If you really cared about her, you'd do anything to keep her alive!"
"Zim, I challenge you to a fight. To the death."
"I accept. Wait, we can't fight here. It's too small, and Mel is here. Computer, make a detour to that planet over there." He pointed to a small one off to the right. "Earth-monkey, you'll get a laser as will I. There will be one hour of practice, and then the actual battle. No one wins or loses until someone dies. If you surrender, your life will not be spared. You'll be killed. No other rules. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ZIM."
"Good." They neared the planet, and when they landed, dawned gear to make sure they could breathe. They stepped outside the Cruiser, and Zim tossed Dib a laser. After receiving it, the human scrutinized it carefully. "You can try it out, if you think I've tampered with it."
"Maybe I'll try it out on you."
"No, that wouldn't be a good idea, because for the time being, I have a force field surrounding myself. You do too. Until the actual battle begins, it will be that way."
"How do you work it?"
"Just push this button and a laser comes out." He pushed it, and it looked a lot like a lightsaver.
"Practice well, filthy human. You'll need it."
"I don't need your 'advice,' alien!"
"Practice begins now." A timer activated, and Zim tried some tricks he'd learned. Without much confidence, he too, prepared himself for the battle yet to come. Nothing in the universe could prepare either of the two nemeses for the events about to take place.