Chapter Three-Day of the Alien Autopsy
A pounding was heard on the door of Dib's house the following morning. "Is your name 'Dib'?"
"Yes, why?" Dib opened the door a bit wider so as to gesture for him to enter.
"Can you bring 'Syntillia' here?"
"Sure. Syntillia! Syntillia, come here!" She approached the door where Dib stood and smiled sweetly.
"Yes?"
"You're coming with us!" the man at the door shouted, "Now!" A swarm of people flooded into the house and caught Syntillia, restraining her with handcuffs.
"What are you doing to me?!" she shrieked in surprise and anger.
"Your friend here told us about you. Your autopsy is scheduled for five o'clock this afternoon."
"Dib?! How could you? We were friends! You betrayed me!"
"I didn't...I swear...."
"How could you?" Syntillia cried as the two men dragged her off.
"Let go of her!" Dib yelled as he pushed his way to Syntillia, "You're not going to dissect my friend!"
"There's nothing you can say that will make us change our minds."
"If you're going to dissect her, you have to take me too! I'm not going to live my life alone! Not anymore! If my friend dies, I die too!"
"The kid's crazy. Get him out of here." Several people went to detain him and began to drag him the opposite direction. In desperation and fear, he broke free of their grasp.
"NO!" Dib ran to Syntillia and gripped her hand. "If they take you, they take me too."
"Thank you," Syntillia uttered through tears. By the frightened look in her eyes, Dib could see that she needed someone to comfort her.
"I'm glad I can help you." They were shoved into a truck that was, apparently, being sent to a secret government base where the autopsy would be held. When the truck at last came to a halt, Dib was instructed to wait for questioning while it took place.
"Can't I at least say goodbye?" Syntillia requested in a kindly voice.
"Okay, but make it quick."
"Thank you." Dib and Syntillia sat on the floor together, a silence blanketing their emotions like dismal storm clouds over a vibrant valley.
"I don't know what to say..."
"I understand. Some things don't need words."
"Syntillia?"
"Yes?"
"I don't think I can do this."
"You must. If not by words, then by another way."
"Okay. I don't have words for what I'm about to say." Dib put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. She gripped his hand with hers and let her tears dry. It wasn't long before she was crying again, though.
"I know exactly what you're saying, and I agree with you. It's either both of us, or none of us. We're going to stay a team. Through life and through death."
"You. Come with us." The man motioned for Dib to leave Syntillia.
"I need to be with Syntillia. Let me be with her. If you must kill her, kill me too. I won't let you kill her!" Dib put himself in front of Syntillia.
"Stop this foolishness, kid. You called her in, you can't change your mind now."
"I didn't call in! I didn't say anything about her, I promise!"
"Whoever did it, you're not stopping us. If you want, you can witness the first alien autopsy. You always wanted to turn in an alien, right?"
"Wait! If I bring in another alien, will you let her go?"
"Sure, why not? I don't think you'll find one, though."
"I know exactly where to find one."
"You've got until five o'clock to bring us another alien subject, or we'll cut into her. Even one second more and you're too late."
"Don't worry. I won't be. Before I begin, may I say goodbye to Syntillia?"
"Make it quick." Dib walked into the room that Syntillia was being strapped to a table. He could see her quivering uncontrollably at the thought of being dissected alive. She looked about to pass out.
"Syntillia, don't worry. All I have to do is capture Zim by five o'clock and you'll be set loose. I'll get you to safety. Even if it's the last thing I do."
"I.I can't.even tell you.how much I.I appreciate.this."
"I understand."
"Goodbye." Dib ran down the corridors and got a ride back into town. He knew that time was of the essence and that every second counted. Stealthily he made his way to Zim's house, and, without thinking, opened the door. There he stood face to face with his enemy. For a few brief moments that seemed an eternity, they remained standing, transfixed, stunned at what they saw before them. Timorously Dib made his first steps toward Zim; then clenched his fist.
"Oh, so you want a fight?" Zim got up with a forbidding look in his eyes and advanced forth near the door.
"No. I don't want a fight. I'm going to end this." Dib charged ahead to assail him, and grabbed Zim by the neck. Strangling him, Dib noticed that Zim was beginning to look faint. He was killing him. "I can't kill you. They want you alive," he kicked Zim in the forehead, knocking him out.
Back at the government base, Syntillia was shivering even more, as the scientists were beginning to clean their dissection tools to commence the autopsy. "The kid's got three minutes. You think he'll get back with someone else in three minutes?"
"I trust him."
"Look, I'd hate to disappoint you, but the facts are plain: You're an alien, we're about to do an alien autopsy, and your friend's never coming back."
"That's not true! He is so coming back! He'd never leave me to die!"
"Oh yeah? Well then, if you're so smart, explain why he called in on you."
"Maybe you're right! Maybe he just wanted to turn me in all along! Maybe I just let him fool me! But how? How could anyone want to hurt an innocent person so much?"
"It's because you're not a person."
"I am so a person! I may not be human, but I AM a person! I deserve fair treatment just like everybody else!"
"That's not how he thinks. He just wants you to get dissected and for him to be famous. That's all he wants. I've known him for a long time. He'll do anything to have a chance at fame."
"That's not true! That's a big fat lie and you know it!"
"Two minutes left. If Dib doesn't burst in through that door within the next one-hundred twenty seconds, you're as good as dead."
"Please come in, please!"
"Well, we have the tools all ready here. You may begin at any time."
A pounding was heard on the door of Dib's house the following morning. "Is your name 'Dib'?"
"Yes, why?" Dib opened the door a bit wider so as to gesture for him to enter.
"Can you bring 'Syntillia' here?"
"Sure. Syntillia! Syntillia, come here!" She approached the door where Dib stood and smiled sweetly.
"Yes?"
"You're coming with us!" the man at the door shouted, "Now!" A swarm of people flooded into the house and caught Syntillia, restraining her with handcuffs.
"What are you doing to me?!" she shrieked in surprise and anger.
"Your friend here told us about you. Your autopsy is scheduled for five o'clock this afternoon."
"Dib?! How could you? We were friends! You betrayed me!"
"I didn't...I swear...."
"How could you?" Syntillia cried as the two men dragged her off.
"Let go of her!" Dib yelled as he pushed his way to Syntillia, "You're not going to dissect my friend!"
"There's nothing you can say that will make us change our minds."
"If you're going to dissect her, you have to take me too! I'm not going to live my life alone! Not anymore! If my friend dies, I die too!"
"The kid's crazy. Get him out of here." Several people went to detain him and began to drag him the opposite direction. In desperation and fear, he broke free of their grasp.
"NO!" Dib ran to Syntillia and gripped her hand. "If they take you, they take me too."
"Thank you," Syntillia uttered through tears. By the frightened look in her eyes, Dib could see that she needed someone to comfort her.
"I'm glad I can help you." They were shoved into a truck that was, apparently, being sent to a secret government base where the autopsy would be held. When the truck at last came to a halt, Dib was instructed to wait for questioning while it took place.
"Can't I at least say goodbye?" Syntillia requested in a kindly voice.
"Okay, but make it quick."
"Thank you." Dib and Syntillia sat on the floor together, a silence blanketing their emotions like dismal storm clouds over a vibrant valley.
"I don't know what to say..."
"I understand. Some things don't need words."
"Syntillia?"
"Yes?"
"I don't think I can do this."
"You must. If not by words, then by another way."
"Okay. I don't have words for what I'm about to say." Dib put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. She gripped his hand with hers and let her tears dry. It wasn't long before she was crying again, though.
"I know exactly what you're saying, and I agree with you. It's either both of us, or none of us. We're going to stay a team. Through life and through death."
"You. Come with us." The man motioned for Dib to leave Syntillia.
"I need to be with Syntillia. Let me be with her. If you must kill her, kill me too. I won't let you kill her!" Dib put himself in front of Syntillia.
"Stop this foolishness, kid. You called her in, you can't change your mind now."
"I didn't call in! I didn't say anything about her, I promise!"
"Whoever did it, you're not stopping us. If you want, you can witness the first alien autopsy. You always wanted to turn in an alien, right?"
"Wait! If I bring in another alien, will you let her go?"
"Sure, why not? I don't think you'll find one, though."
"I know exactly where to find one."
"You've got until five o'clock to bring us another alien subject, or we'll cut into her. Even one second more and you're too late."
"Don't worry. I won't be. Before I begin, may I say goodbye to Syntillia?"
"Make it quick." Dib walked into the room that Syntillia was being strapped to a table. He could see her quivering uncontrollably at the thought of being dissected alive. She looked about to pass out.
"Syntillia, don't worry. All I have to do is capture Zim by five o'clock and you'll be set loose. I'll get you to safety. Even if it's the last thing I do."
"I.I can't.even tell you.how much I.I appreciate.this."
"I understand."
"Goodbye." Dib ran down the corridors and got a ride back into town. He knew that time was of the essence and that every second counted. Stealthily he made his way to Zim's house, and, without thinking, opened the door. There he stood face to face with his enemy. For a few brief moments that seemed an eternity, they remained standing, transfixed, stunned at what they saw before them. Timorously Dib made his first steps toward Zim; then clenched his fist.
"Oh, so you want a fight?" Zim got up with a forbidding look in his eyes and advanced forth near the door.
"No. I don't want a fight. I'm going to end this." Dib charged ahead to assail him, and grabbed Zim by the neck. Strangling him, Dib noticed that Zim was beginning to look faint. He was killing him. "I can't kill you. They want you alive," he kicked Zim in the forehead, knocking him out.
Back at the government base, Syntillia was shivering even more, as the scientists were beginning to clean their dissection tools to commence the autopsy. "The kid's got three minutes. You think he'll get back with someone else in three minutes?"
"I trust him."
"Look, I'd hate to disappoint you, but the facts are plain: You're an alien, we're about to do an alien autopsy, and your friend's never coming back."
"That's not true! He is so coming back! He'd never leave me to die!"
"Oh yeah? Well then, if you're so smart, explain why he called in on you."
"Maybe you're right! Maybe he just wanted to turn me in all along! Maybe I just let him fool me! But how? How could anyone want to hurt an innocent person so much?"
"It's because you're not a person."
"I am so a person! I may not be human, but I AM a person! I deserve fair treatment just like everybody else!"
"That's not how he thinks. He just wants you to get dissected and for him to be famous. That's all he wants. I've known him for a long time. He'll do anything to have a chance at fame."
"That's not true! That's a big fat lie and you know it!"
"Two minutes left. If Dib doesn't burst in through that door within the next one-hundred twenty seconds, you're as good as dead."
"Please come in, please!"
"Well, we have the tools all ready here. You may begin at any time."