Chapter Four - Autopsy
One doctor raised the knife into the air as the first commented, "Well, I suppose your friend couldn't make it."
"He tried his best. That's all that counts."
"How do you know? He's probably at home watching television and popping potato chips in his mouth."
"NO! He's not! I know Dib, he wouldn't do something like that!"
"Are you sure you really know him?"
"Yes. I do know him. And if I know him, which I do, he'll be coming in through that door at any time now." The door swung open as Dib dragged Zim into the room. At the exact moment the timer for him rang zero. Dib made it by the very last half-second.
"Syntillia, did I make it?"
"Yes! Yes, you did! Please, remove these restraints."
"Why would I do something like that?" the scientist asked.
"Dib made it in time!"
"So? Now we've got two subjects."
"No." Syntillia whispered as tears streamed down her face, "At least you tried." Dib leapt in between the doctors and Syntillia.
"You can't kill her without killing me first!"
"Thank you." Syntillia gratefully articulated.
"Get out of the way, kid! We don't want to hurt you!"
"Never! I'll never move!"
"Get out of the way!"
"NO, I WON'T!"
"If we have to, we will cut through you!"
"My dad won't like it! He works with the government as a scientist! He won't allow it!"
"We'll just tell him that you had a little accident. No one will know the difference."
"Then fine! I'm not letting you kill Syntillia! Just because she's an alien doesn't mean she's evil!" The doctors pulled him away and tossed him to the side. He got up and tackled some of them. With their guard down, he released Syntillia and took her by the hand. Halfway to the door, she tripped. The fall incapacitated her, leaving her unable to get up.
"Syntillia! Don't!"
"I'm...so...sorry...."
"As long as we're going to die, I have to tell you something. Syntillia, I did call in. I did! This is all my fault! I don't want you to die! Kill me! I deserve it!"
"I understand. No one ever believed you. I know that you just wanted to prove yourself."
"I'm so sorry! I love you, Syntillia. I love you. I want to die for you. Right here and now." Syntillia weakly embraced Dib, and he kissed her. "I love you. I'll love you until I die, and even then, I'll still love you. Don't ever leave me."
"Oh, but Dib, they're going to get me."
"No they won't. I love you too much. Nothing will harm you. I promise. I'll protect you with my life. I deserve to die."
"Please, don't die!"
"How could you still like me after what I did?!"
"I know you made a mistake, and I know you're sincere. Don't worry about it."
"Syntillia, I have to save you. I promise I'll save you, if it's the last thing I do." The men caught up with them and grabbed Syntillia. Dib jumped up and attempted to get her out of their grip, and a knife got jabbed near his eye. A steady trickle of blood dripped from the side of his face, but he continued to pull on Syntillia's arm. He fell back, hitting his head harder on the linoleum floor, causing him to black out. Meanwhile, Zim escaped.
A week later he awoke in a hospital. News reporters were clambering to get in, but the doctor inside the room made sure the door was shut and locked. "Wha-what happened? Who are all those people?"
"They're reporters. You're one famous kid. After all, you turned in the alien for the very first alien autopsy."
"Y-y-you mean Z-Zim, right? Please, tell me you mean Zim."
"No, the other one. Sylvia, or something. Unfortunately, the other got away. Well, congratulations on your fame." Dib was terror-stricken.
"Her name was Syntillia."
"What?"
"Syntillia. Her name was Syntillia, and I loved her. I still do. The last thing I said to her was that I promised I'd save her, but I didn't. I deserve to die."
"Nonsense! You're a hero!"
"If a hero is someone who turns in their best friend for no crime but being born on another planet and lets the one they love die when they could've saved her, then I'm it. If this world is sick enough to recognize me as a hero for promoting the murder of someone just because she's an alien, then let this world go ahead and do it! I'm not putting up with it. I'm going to punish myself, whether you people will learn or not! I want to go back to the past and see Syntillia smiling at me. I want to go back to the past so I can hold her hand and kiss her cheek. And hear her soft voice reach my ears, telling me that she liked me. My world has been torn apart, and my promise broken. I want so much to see her again."
"I've got autopsy photos. Here. This is just before they cut into her. She was still alive at that time." Dib trembled as he took the picture. Syntillia looked so sad. Her tears running down her cheek, but in her eyes he could see the emotions he had seen just before he had passed out. Faith. Hope. Love. The things about her that he admired. He put the photograph to his heart and began to cry.
"The audio. Do you want to hear it?"
"No."
"Come on, you're the one who caught her."
"I regret it more every second." Regardless of his request, the doctor played the audio. The only words Dib heard were Syntillia's, before she died:
"Tell Dib I love him. Tell him how much I love him."
"How could she still love me? She's dead now! How can she still love me?! I put her through the torture of an autopsy, and she still loves me! How?!"
"You can go at any time, now. Would you like to go?"
"Yes. Just don't ask me any more about her. I love her too much for that." Dib got up and left the hospital, pushing past the multitude of people, all wanting the story. The very same 'story' that was his sad and miserable self. He had a specific destination in mind. Zim's house.
One doctor raised the knife into the air as the first commented, "Well, I suppose your friend couldn't make it."
"He tried his best. That's all that counts."
"How do you know? He's probably at home watching television and popping potato chips in his mouth."
"NO! He's not! I know Dib, he wouldn't do something like that!"
"Are you sure you really know him?"
"Yes. I do know him. And if I know him, which I do, he'll be coming in through that door at any time now." The door swung open as Dib dragged Zim into the room. At the exact moment the timer for him rang zero. Dib made it by the very last half-second.
"Syntillia, did I make it?"
"Yes! Yes, you did! Please, remove these restraints."
"Why would I do something like that?" the scientist asked.
"Dib made it in time!"
"So? Now we've got two subjects."
"No." Syntillia whispered as tears streamed down her face, "At least you tried." Dib leapt in between the doctors and Syntillia.
"You can't kill her without killing me first!"
"Thank you." Syntillia gratefully articulated.
"Get out of the way, kid! We don't want to hurt you!"
"Never! I'll never move!"
"Get out of the way!"
"NO, I WON'T!"
"If we have to, we will cut through you!"
"My dad won't like it! He works with the government as a scientist! He won't allow it!"
"We'll just tell him that you had a little accident. No one will know the difference."
"Then fine! I'm not letting you kill Syntillia! Just because she's an alien doesn't mean she's evil!" The doctors pulled him away and tossed him to the side. He got up and tackled some of them. With their guard down, he released Syntillia and took her by the hand. Halfway to the door, she tripped. The fall incapacitated her, leaving her unable to get up.
"Syntillia! Don't!"
"I'm...so...sorry...."
"As long as we're going to die, I have to tell you something. Syntillia, I did call in. I did! This is all my fault! I don't want you to die! Kill me! I deserve it!"
"I understand. No one ever believed you. I know that you just wanted to prove yourself."
"I'm so sorry! I love you, Syntillia. I love you. I want to die for you. Right here and now." Syntillia weakly embraced Dib, and he kissed her. "I love you. I'll love you until I die, and even then, I'll still love you. Don't ever leave me."
"Oh, but Dib, they're going to get me."
"No they won't. I love you too much. Nothing will harm you. I promise. I'll protect you with my life. I deserve to die."
"Please, don't die!"
"How could you still like me after what I did?!"
"I know you made a mistake, and I know you're sincere. Don't worry about it."
"Syntillia, I have to save you. I promise I'll save you, if it's the last thing I do." The men caught up with them and grabbed Syntillia. Dib jumped up and attempted to get her out of their grip, and a knife got jabbed near his eye. A steady trickle of blood dripped from the side of his face, but he continued to pull on Syntillia's arm. He fell back, hitting his head harder on the linoleum floor, causing him to black out. Meanwhile, Zim escaped.
A week later he awoke in a hospital. News reporters were clambering to get in, but the doctor inside the room made sure the door was shut and locked. "Wha-what happened? Who are all those people?"
"They're reporters. You're one famous kid. After all, you turned in the alien for the very first alien autopsy."
"Y-y-you mean Z-Zim, right? Please, tell me you mean Zim."
"No, the other one. Sylvia, or something. Unfortunately, the other got away. Well, congratulations on your fame." Dib was terror-stricken.
"Her name was Syntillia."
"What?"
"Syntillia. Her name was Syntillia, and I loved her. I still do. The last thing I said to her was that I promised I'd save her, but I didn't. I deserve to die."
"Nonsense! You're a hero!"
"If a hero is someone who turns in their best friend for no crime but being born on another planet and lets the one they love die when they could've saved her, then I'm it. If this world is sick enough to recognize me as a hero for promoting the murder of someone just because she's an alien, then let this world go ahead and do it! I'm not putting up with it. I'm going to punish myself, whether you people will learn or not! I want to go back to the past and see Syntillia smiling at me. I want to go back to the past so I can hold her hand and kiss her cheek. And hear her soft voice reach my ears, telling me that she liked me. My world has been torn apart, and my promise broken. I want so much to see her again."
"I've got autopsy photos. Here. This is just before they cut into her. She was still alive at that time." Dib trembled as he took the picture. Syntillia looked so sad. Her tears running down her cheek, but in her eyes he could see the emotions he had seen just before he had passed out. Faith. Hope. Love. The things about her that he admired. He put the photograph to his heart and began to cry.
"The audio. Do you want to hear it?"
"No."
"Come on, you're the one who caught her."
"I regret it more every second." Regardless of his request, the doctor played the audio. The only words Dib heard were Syntillia's, before she died:
"Tell Dib I love him. Tell him how much I love him."
"How could she still love me? She's dead now! How can she still love me?! I put her through the torture of an autopsy, and she still loves me! How?!"
"You can go at any time, now. Would you like to go?"
"Yes. Just don't ask me any more about her. I love her too much for that." Dib got up and left the hospital, pushing past the multitude of people, all wanting the story. The very same 'story' that was his sad and miserable self. He had a specific destination in mind. Zim's house.