Disclaimer: I don't own Zim dammit! I own nothing!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
"What do you mean, 'They're coming'?" Asked Dib as Zim forced his way in.
Dib protested as Zim dropped his soaked jacket onto the floor and sat down in a chair. Zim glared up at him. "I said that they're coming. The Irkins', they're coming to exploit the Earth and destroy all who inhabit it. We don't have much time, we have to do something."
Dib took a minute to gather himself. He put his hands on his hips, then, thrusting one of them at Zim: "YOU'RE an Irkin!"
Zim became frustrated. "There's no time, man! I'm trying to help you and your kind avoid total inihalation. If you don't listen to me, and we don't do something fast the entire planet is going up in smoke! For God's sake we have to put our petty squabbles behind us and act NOW."
Dib's eyes went wide. "Petty squabbles? Have you forgotten that you're trying to TAKE OVER THE WORLD! You call that a petty dispute?!"
Zim sprang up from the chair and got in Dib's face. "Compared to what's going to happen? Our feuding looks like a fight over the remote." Zim backed off and used his hands for emphasis, much like Purple Tallest.
"What I'm talking about here is the destiny of the universe."
"No." said Dib firmly. "I won't fall for it. You're just waiting for me to let my guard down and then kill me in my sleep or something. You're a plague upon this Earth Zim, and now you want me help you destroy it."
Zim became enraged, was going to hit Dib, but then stopped. He realized that striking him wouldn't accomplish anything. Zim lowered his hand and sat back down.
"Dib," He said, and ran a hand through his false hair. "I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone before in my life."
Dib was a bit taken a back. "What?"
"I said, so that you will believe me, I will tell you something I've never told anyone." Zim motioned with his hand. "Sit." Dib obeyed.
Zim sighed, and whipped his hands over his face. "What I'm going to tell you is very personal. It is also the truth. I hope you will take me seriously, and I hope your perspective of me will change enough so that trust can be established."
He leaned back. "This might take a while, so if you have to go to the bathroom, go now."
Dib shook his head. Zim nodded, and took a deep breath as if preparing to submerge for a lengthy period of time.
"OK." He said.
"It all began on the home planet of Irk, where Irkin babies are born without parents and into their professions. I was born this way into the military, and until seven years ago, had never lived outside the strict regulations that govern the Irkin military life. I was raised from birth to be an efficient, cold, killing machine that could conquer worlds from the inside, and bring them to their knees before the empire. And for a while that is exactly what I did. I wasn't just good, I was great. I brought hundreds of worlds to their doom – and I worked alone." Zim relished the memory as he brought it to the surface.
"I was revered as one of the great conquerors, despite my height. Oh, on Irk, height equals respect and leadership. Despite the fact that I was shorter than average I was promoted above officers that dwarfed my size. I was just several steps away from the tallest themselves… But then I got cocky," He grimaced at this memory.
"I was put in charge of Operation: Impending Doom. My head of course, ballooned at this, and my arrogance blinded me from what I was doing. Somehow the coordinates of the target planet got confused, and I ended up decimating half my own home world. I was banished immediately – to the inane food supply planet of Food Courtia. Exiled to a life of making and shipping food to conquerors not fit to do my laundry." Zim paused, as though it was very hard for him to say.
"I lived like this for several years, until Operation: Impending Doom II was announced and the great assigning was scheduled. I had to escape the vacuous living situations on Food Courtia – so I snuck aboard a supply ship destined for Conventia. Once there, I hid in food crates that were to be sent to the luncheon after the great assigning. They arrived, and I made my way to tallest by means of force. They – and just about everyone else in the convention hall – were shocked to see me. How had I escaped exile? The tallest were furious, but knew that to deny an invader of my former caliber would cause civil unrest, and possibly another revolution, them having just won the last. So they tricked me – they sent me to an unheard of planet, somewhere in sector 4579. They explained the lack of info on the planet, as the mission being secret. I, blinded by my own ego, believed them and took off for this mystery planet – which turned out to be Earth. They sent me to die, but I survived. I'm sure they were enraged by the fact that I had defied them once again," Zim gaze Dib a look, "-So they must have been THRILLED when my base erupted seven years ago. It was an accident caused by a nuclear weapon I designed myself, on the surface of your moon. But thanks to some faulty insulation, it went off and destroyed the base. I was stranded! I had managed to save GIR and what was in my backpack, but other than that it had all been destroyed."
Zim looked at Dib, who was intensely listening to everything he had to say. He was utterly fascinated. Zim continued.
"That was seven years ago. Since then, I have changed my appearance, my way of life and opinion of Earth. I eventually figured out I was considered a joke by the Irkin government, and gave up all hope of them coming to save me. I stole and tricked my way into everything I own. I have managed to avert authorities and route YOUR efforts to flush me out. So far, my life here on Earth has been simple and almost completely trouble free. GIR and me have managed quite nicely and everything was going fine – until he called me after the game today. He was in pain. I got home to discover a component in his CPU was acting up. I removed it, and found it to conceal a message from the Tallest. In the message, the tallest express how Operation: Impending Doom II was a complete success, and how they are the unchallenged rulers of the galaxy. They command every active Invader to report for reassigning, so that they can proceed to pillage the universe. This sector – 4579 – has been marked for exploitation of natural resources. In not very long, the killer squads will arrive, to kill anything alive on the planet. After everything is dead, they will rape this planet of its water, minerals, natural gas, coal, uranium, and anything else of use to them. Then they will sell the Earth's empty shell to the planet jackers so it can be burned as kindling in their dying sun."
Zim took a deep breath; let what he said sink in, and then looked at Dib. Dib was covering his face with his hands. He moved his hands down, so that they just covered his mouth, and stared into space with disbelief.
"Oh my God…" he said so softly it was barely audible. He got up and began to pace around the room. "Oh my God." He said more firmly, one hand still over his mouth.
Zim sighed and leaned back. Dib would not stop pacing, and it was making him nervous. Zim decided he had better speak up if they ever wanted to save the world.
"That's why I need you," said Zim, trying to draw Dib back into reality. "That's why I need support on this because there is no way I can do it alone. You are the only person on the planet with the resources and knowledge to be of any assistance. I doubt we have no other choice than to work together."
Dib finally sat down. He was about to say something when a voice interrupted.
"I'll help." It said. They both turned towards it.
Rolling out from behind a doorway was Gaz. She looked at Zim like she was on the brink of tears. "I heard the whole thing. About your life, about the end of the world; everything. And I want to say, that I'm behind you one hundred percent."
Zim was stunned. "Gaz, I…" He trailed off. He dropped his arms at his sides and gave her a look of defeat.
"Gaz, I'm sorry didn't tell you sooner. You're…you're my best friend and it was difficult to tell you that my life was a lie."
She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"How could you have told me? And even if you did I probably wouldn't have believed you. Zim, don't worry about it. We have bigger fish to fry."
She let her hand drop and they both looked at Dib.
"Dib?" said Zim, "What do you say? Do you believe me?"
Dib clenched his fists at his sides and stared out the window at the harsh rain. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "I hate all thoughs things you just told me." He began, "You conquering worlds, killing entire populations. It the worst I ever imagined. I still think you're alien scum…" he slowly turned around. Suddenly, he thrust a hand at Zim. "But I believe you, and I'll help you defeat the Irkin Empire."
Zim smiled a relieved smile, took Dib's hand and a truce was proclaimed. Gaz clapped sarcastically, an expert at breaking tension. She clapped a hand on each of their shoulders while their hands were still joined. "Well," she asked. "What now?"
Zim looked firmly at both of them. "We prepare."
Dib pointed a finger down the hall.
"To the Lab!"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All three trekked down into Membrane's home lab. His main one was at work (no one really knows where that is) but even so, his one at the house was magnificent. Zim and Gaz sat in swivel chairs and Dib pulled down a projection screen. He crossed the room and turned on a projector, which hummed to life and displayed a chart filled with bullets of information. Dib grabbed a pointer and stood next to the projected image. He waited for them to pay attention before he began.
"OK," he started. "This is what I know so far about the Irkins. Stop me if I get ahead of myself."
Zim, his hand under his chin, nodded.
"Alright. Computer; magnify."
Zim had a fleeting sense of De Javoo. He ignored it. He watched as Dib pointed at certain parts of the screen, magnified, and explained his theories behind them.
After about five minutes, Dib took a deep breath. "Any questions?" he asked, finishing.
Zim raised his hand slowly, then took it down when Dib nodded at him. He paused a moment, then said:
"What the Hell were you thinking?"
Dib stuttered for words, then realizing he had nothing to say, closed his mouth in defeat.
"Seriously!" said Zim, not sure to be angry or amused.
"I mean COME-ON!" he got up and started prodding the screen. The screen was a 'smart screen', and Zim could manipulate it by touch. He did so as he hastily explained.
"I mean look – this laser death ray? How could it possibly get that much fire power and still be accurate," Zim continued, dragging icons and graphics along the screen with his index finger. Dib occasionally tried to protest, but never got anything out.
"- And this entire 'reverse vampire' thing just came out of left field." Zim said, make the final adjustments to the screen. He slowly put his hands on his hips, examining the work, then went back to his seat. Dib walked over, and stared in astonishment at the new picture Zim had made.
"THAT'S a laser death ray." Said Zim. Dib stood in awe.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" he said. "It's geometrically perfect in every way. Even the cooling system is spectacular," Dib turned to mean Zim's tired gaze.
"I've underestimated you." Zim just nodded.
"So…" said Dib, not quite knowing were to begin. "What do we do Zim? I mean, you obviously know a lot more than me, so why don't you lead the discussion?" Dib motioned for Zim to take the floor, but he shook his head.
"What I have to say is important, and I'm going to say in only once; This is the plan: Dib, find anything with firepower and take inventory. Then I want you to find us materials for making a spaceship-"
"Spaceship!-"
"Yes, spaceship. Mine was destroyed and our efforts will be for nothing if we can't approach them. Gaz, I want you talk your dad into helping us with construction. I can design it, but I don't have the engineering or manual skills necessary to actually MAKE it. And also ask him if he has any anti- ion cells."
Dib stopped him now.
"Anti-ion? That's antimatter!"
Zim just stared in aggravated confusion. "So?"
Dib stumbled before he found the right words to convey the concept of 'antimatter'.
"Antimatter will annihilate any matter it comes into contact with. And since we, and everything else around us is matter, won't the anti-ions' kill us and destroy the surroundings?"
Zim narrowed his eyes in frustration.
"They do come in a special containment CELL. That's what I said. And anti- matter will only destroy matter that comes close enough to aggravate it," Zim put his hands on his hips.
"It's really very simple, don't talk about things you don't understand."
Zim began to walk back upstairs. Dib stopped him.
"What are YOU doing?"
"I'm going back to what remains of my base to scavenge any piece of Irkin technology still usable. You two try to get those things I mentioned and contact your father." With that he hiked up the stairs and grabbed his coat off the floor.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Zim arrived, again, and immediately went back into the sewer. It wasn't pleasant, but he knew where he was going to it took less time.
He wedged the door open, and slammed it once he was inside. Leaning against it, he pondered what was still good. He panned the room: decimated. All decimated. It was hard to believe that something had actually survived the blast. But nonetheless he had to find something. Anything that might help.
Slowly, he began to carefully step around the debris. He went farther back into the base, through the labs and corridors. Even though the doors were supposed to be welded shut, some of them had been blown open, ripped away like tin foil. The curled and razor sharp edges of the doors still jut into the passage, making clearing them quite a task. But Zim managed to get around them with minimum cuts and bruises.
He passed more doors leading to various other sects of the subterranean enclosure. More were still welded shut; which was a disappointment when Zim found the arms where house sealed. He swore softly under his breath and continued walking.
The scenery didn't change much until he neared where the plastic explosives and other combustibles were held. He began to notice the floor and walls to become less conform and more like crumpled paper that had been opened again. A few feet down the laminate of the floor had been burned off. Zim's footsteps now made loud clapping sounds as they hit. The hallway became more and more wrecked until finally Zim spotted the source.
The Explosive hold had been completely destroyed. The place where the door had been wasn't even recognizable, as the doorway had been blown away and impaled through the hallway wall. It was plastered so deep into the stainless steel wall that one could not decide where it started and the wall began. The explosive where house had collapsed in on itself. The roof had caved in, and everything was black from the intense heat. Everything must have gone off, thought Zim, every explosive down to the smallest grenade.
He got around the decimation, and finally the hall became normal (well, as normal as can be after a nuclear explosion). He searched more, and was set on giving up when he passed the disposal room. He was several paces past it, before he stopped, and turned to look at it.
Nothing was in there, he knew it. Just stuff he hadn't needed and threw away. But still, it couldn't hurt.
He entered the room, nothing out of the ordinary catching his eye. There was the incinerator in the corner, and a pile of garbage next to it, waiting to be burned. He began the thankless task of picking through the pile, thinking hard about each piece of trash to consider its value. Surprisingly, he did find something.
There were several power cells – all damaged – but possibly usable if modified. He spread his jacket on the floor and placed anything useful in it, ready to haul back up to the surface.
He had picked out several power cell, some special spark plugs for a Vootcruiser, and an old blueprint for a prototype he had been working on. None of them had any immediate worth, but with a little creativity – and a little luck – they could help in the effort. He was about to pack up, when he came across something.
It was oddly shaped, like a dome. Its bottom was mostly flat, with several holes. Zim turned it over in his hands, not knowing what it was, until he scratched away some soot with his claw. He froze when he realized what it was.
A pink streak shown through like a fire through a dark night. It was his backpack, still in one piece.
He had thrown it down after the explosion, down a venting hole. It must have landed and accumulated soot from the other trash. He could use this, oh yes. This would be very useful indeed. But it would only work with a host. It needed the constant energy a host body supplied, and without it, it would just be another piece of trash in the pile.
Zim reached behind him with one hand, and felt the scares it had left on his back. There were three, in a triangle. One between his shoulders and two down an equal distance from his vertebra. They were puckered scares; evident from a deep wound. Zim remembered the pain he had felt as the probes had pulled out from his body. The pain was excruciating. It felt like his insides were being tossed in a blender, then ripped out. He didn't want to go through that again.
Zim suddenly gasped as his thumb ran over a hole in the back of it. The end of a probe had been partially sticking out, and had pricked his finger. He looked at the dark blood begin to pool on his finger before sticking his thumb in his mouth. He had only just tasted his own blood when the machine began to move.
The backpack had sensed Zim's energy when he had been cut. It began to shake on the small table where Zim had set it. The soot fell off as it shook, active after so many years. Then, the spider legs extended outward.
Most Irkin military technology is installed with artificial intelligence. Like living things, they seek out 'food' and have a natural will to survive. The backpack, having sensed that a host was near, used what little energy it had stored coupled with what it got from when it cut his skin. In shaky but defiant strides, and backpack approached Zim.
To stunned to move, Zim stared in horror as it leapt at him, landing and grappling onto him. He hardly had time to react when it positioned itself on his back, and shot out its probes.
The probes broke Zim's skin and began to channel through his body. A blood- curdling scream escaped Zim as he collapsed to his knees.
He screamed as the backpack dug its way through his rib cage, up his spine and through his intestines, seeking energy, and becoming more forceful as it gained it. Zim could feel his own warm blood spill out of him and onto the ground, in some instances, such a quantity fell at one time that a sickening splatter could be heard.
Finally, the pack grafted tight against his skin and the blood loss stopped. As he stood, the back of his shirt and shorts clung to his body, saturated with deep red. He clenched his jaw tight from screaming again.
As he straitened, the pain stopped. The pack had provided him with endorphins that numbed it. He felt, somehow, whole. Pain aside, the adrenaline that had been released sharpened his senses and made him feel lighter. The pain and anger he felt towards the tallest increased ten fold, and he clenched his fists. He could hear the skin tighten as he did.
Nothing mattered, then. All that was there were THEM. They're faces hovered over his subconscious like an ominous cloud. He despised them with every fiber of his being. All of him was now focused on they're banishment – from existence.
The top of his head suddenly felt hot and itchy. He ripped the blonde wig from his head, and looked at it.
After a moment, he glanced over his should, cracking his neck. His antennae were suddenly alive, sensing the air frantically, as if awakening from a long sleep. He clenched his teeth and felt himself become reborn.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Dib stood in the middle of an underground where house, used by his father to store bizarre, and almost always-dangerous equipment. He held a clipboard in his left arm and used the other hand to jot down inventory. He had just wrote down 'high powered explosives' when the P.A. system activated and Gaz's voice came out over the speakers.
"Dib," she said, sounding a little worried, "Come up here, Zim's back."
Dib clutched the clipboard in his hand and ran up.
After a lengthy elevator ride, Dib opened the door to the living room. Instead of Zim, he just saw Gaz, hugging herself and staring out the window. She turned, and answered his question before it was asked.
"He's outside."
Dib opened the patio door onto a roofed deck. Out at its edge, standing just under the canopy and next to the banister, was Zim. His wig was off, and his antennae stood slightly on end. He held his hands behind his back and stared out over the yard out into the city. Dib slowly approached as the rain hit the roof rhythmically.
"I know what you're thinking," said Zim, before Dib could speak. Zim turned his head to glance over his shoulder at Dib.
"You're thinking: What have I found? Well a few things of interest."
Zim turned back. Dib glanced at the patio table and saw Zim jacket bundled up on top. It most likely contained what little he could salvage.
"And I realized something," Zim continued, staring out, not looking at Dib. "I realized that I'm nothing in the grand scheme of things…" He bowed his head slightly.
"That when it comes down to it; I've really had no impact on the destiny of the universe. But here I have a chance," he straitened.
"I have a chance to defy an empire, and liberate thousands of worlds under oppression. Dib, if we can pull this off…" he paused for a moment, thinking, "Then we will go down in history as the universal saviors."
Dib stood completely still, not sure how to take what Zim was saying. He was acting very strange – he was outside without a wig. If someone were to see him then his cover would be blown… but somehow that didn't seem to matter anymore.
"I've had an epiphany, Dib," He said, turning to face him. It was then that Dib noticed that his contacts weren't in either. Zim gazed at him with a level, yet determined glance. Dib suddenly had more respect for him than he ever had.
"I've seen the prophetic light, and know what I must do."
He narrowed his eyes and looked out at the sky.
"I must kill the tallest."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
"What do you mean, 'They're coming'?" Asked Dib as Zim forced his way in.
Dib protested as Zim dropped his soaked jacket onto the floor and sat down in a chair. Zim glared up at him. "I said that they're coming. The Irkins', they're coming to exploit the Earth and destroy all who inhabit it. We don't have much time, we have to do something."
Dib took a minute to gather himself. He put his hands on his hips, then, thrusting one of them at Zim: "YOU'RE an Irkin!"
Zim became frustrated. "There's no time, man! I'm trying to help you and your kind avoid total inihalation. If you don't listen to me, and we don't do something fast the entire planet is going up in smoke! For God's sake we have to put our petty squabbles behind us and act NOW."
Dib's eyes went wide. "Petty squabbles? Have you forgotten that you're trying to TAKE OVER THE WORLD! You call that a petty dispute?!"
Zim sprang up from the chair and got in Dib's face. "Compared to what's going to happen? Our feuding looks like a fight over the remote." Zim backed off and used his hands for emphasis, much like Purple Tallest.
"What I'm talking about here is the destiny of the universe."
"No." said Dib firmly. "I won't fall for it. You're just waiting for me to let my guard down and then kill me in my sleep or something. You're a plague upon this Earth Zim, and now you want me help you destroy it."
Zim became enraged, was going to hit Dib, but then stopped. He realized that striking him wouldn't accomplish anything. Zim lowered his hand and sat back down.
"Dib," He said, and ran a hand through his false hair. "I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone before in my life."
Dib was a bit taken a back. "What?"
"I said, so that you will believe me, I will tell you something I've never told anyone." Zim motioned with his hand. "Sit." Dib obeyed.
Zim sighed, and whipped his hands over his face. "What I'm going to tell you is very personal. It is also the truth. I hope you will take me seriously, and I hope your perspective of me will change enough so that trust can be established."
He leaned back. "This might take a while, so if you have to go to the bathroom, go now."
Dib shook his head. Zim nodded, and took a deep breath as if preparing to submerge for a lengthy period of time.
"OK." He said.
"It all began on the home planet of Irk, where Irkin babies are born without parents and into their professions. I was born this way into the military, and until seven years ago, had never lived outside the strict regulations that govern the Irkin military life. I was raised from birth to be an efficient, cold, killing machine that could conquer worlds from the inside, and bring them to their knees before the empire. And for a while that is exactly what I did. I wasn't just good, I was great. I brought hundreds of worlds to their doom – and I worked alone." Zim relished the memory as he brought it to the surface.
"I was revered as one of the great conquerors, despite my height. Oh, on Irk, height equals respect and leadership. Despite the fact that I was shorter than average I was promoted above officers that dwarfed my size. I was just several steps away from the tallest themselves… But then I got cocky," He grimaced at this memory.
"I was put in charge of Operation: Impending Doom. My head of course, ballooned at this, and my arrogance blinded me from what I was doing. Somehow the coordinates of the target planet got confused, and I ended up decimating half my own home world. I was banished immediately – to the inane food supply planet of Food Courtia. Exiled to a life of making and shipping food to conquerors not fit to do my laundry." Zim paused, as though it was very hard for him to say.
"I lived like this for several years, until Operation: Impending Doom II was announced and the great assigning was scheduled. I had to escape the vacuous living situations on Food Courtia – so I snuck aboard a supply ship destined for Conventia. Once there, I hid in food crates that were to be sent to the luncheon after the great assigning. They arrived, and I made my way to tallest by means of force. They – and just about everyone else in the convention hall – were shocked to see me. How had I escaped exile? The tallest were furious, but knew that to deny an invader of my former caliber would cause civil unrest, and possibly another revolution, them having just won the last. So they tricked me – they sent me to an unheard of planet, somewhere in sector 4579. They explained the lack of info on the planet, as the mission being secret. I, blinded by my own ego, believed them and took off for this mystery planet – which turned out to be Earth. They sent me to die, but I survived. I'm sure they were enraged by the fact that I had defied them once again," Zim gaze Dib a look, "-So they must have been THRILLED when my base erupted seven years ago. It was an accident caused by a nuclear weapon I designed myself, on the surface of your moon. But thanks to some faulty insulation, it went off and destroyed the base. I was stranded! I had managed to save GIR and what was in my backpack, but other than that it had all been destroyed."
Zim looked at Dib, who was intensely listening to everything he had to say. He was utterly fascinated. Zim continued.
"That was seven years ago. Since then, I have changed my appearance, my way of life and opinion of Earth. I eventually figured out I was considered a joke by the Irkin government, and gave up all hope of them coming to save me. I stole and tricked my way into everything I own. I have managed to avert authorities and route YOUR efforts to flush me out. So far, my life here on Earth has been simple and almost completely trouble free. GIR and me have managed quite nicely and everything was going fine – until he called me after the game today. He was in pain. I got home to discover a component in his CPU was acting up. I removed it, and found it to conceal a message from the Tallest. In the message, the tallest express how Operation: Impending Doom II was a complete success, and how they are the unchallenged rulers of the galaxy. They command every active Invader to report for reassigning, so that they can proceed to pillage the universe. This sector – 4579 – has been marked for exploitation of natural resources. In not very long, the killer squads will arrive, to kill anything alive on the planet. After everything is dead, they will rape this planet of its water, minerals, natural gas, coal, uranium, and anything else of use to them. Then they will sell the Earth's empty shell to the planet jackers so it can be burned as kindling in their dying sun."
Zim took a deep breath; let what he said sink in, and then looked at Dib. Dib was covering his face with his hands. He moved his hands down, so that they just covered his mouth, and stared into space with disbelief.
"Oh my God…" he said so softly it was barely audible. He got up and began to pace around the room. "Oh my God." He said more firmly, one hand still over his mouth.
Zim sighed and leaned back. Dib would not stop pacing, and it was making him nervous. Zim decided he had better speak up if they ever wanted to save the world.
"That's why I need you," said Zim, trying to draw Dib back into reality. "That's why I need support on this because there is no way I can do it alone. You are the only person on the planet with the resources and knowledge to be of any assistance. I doubt we have no other choice than to work together."
Dib finally sat down. He was about to say something when a voice interrupted.
"I'll help." It said. They both turned towards it.
Rolling out from behind a doorway was Gaz. She looked at Zim like she was on the brink of tears. "I heard the whole thing. About your life, about the end of the world; everything. And I want to say, that I'm behind you one hundred percent."
Zim was stunned. "Gaz, I…" He trailed off. He dropped his arms at his sides and gave her a look of defeat.
"Gaz, I'm sorry didn't tell you sooner. You're…you're my best friend and it was difficult to tell you that my life was a lie."
She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"How could you have told me? And even if you did I probably wouldn't have believed you. Zim, don't worry about it. We have bigger fish to fry."
She let her hand drop and they both looked at Dib.
"Dib?" said Zim, "What do you say? Do you believe me?"
Dib clenched his fists at his sides and stared out the window at the harsh rain. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "I hate all thoughs things you just told me." He began, "You conquering worlds, killing entire populations. It the worst I ever imagined. I still think you're alien scum…" he slowly turned around. Suddenly, he thrust a hand at Zim. "But I believe you, and I'll help you defeat the Irkin Empire."
Zim smiled a relieved smile, took Dib's hand and a truce was proclaimed. Gaz clapped sarcastically, an expert at breaking tension. She clapped a hand on each of their shoulders while their hands were still joined. "Well," she asked. "What now?"
Zim looked firmly at both of them. "We prepare."
Dib pointed a finger down the hall.
"To the Lab!"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All three trekked down into Membrane's home lab. His main one was at work (no one really knows where that is) but even so, his one at the house was magnificent. Zim and Gaz sat in swivel chairs and Dib pulled down a projection screen. He crossed the room and turned on a projector, which hummed to life and displayed a chart filled with bullets of information. Dib grabbed a pointer and stood next to the projected image. He waited for them to pay attention before he began.
"OK," he started. "This is what I know so far about the Irkins. Stop me if I get ahead of myself."
Zim, his hand under his chin, nodded.
"Alright. Computer; magnify."
Zim had a fleeting sense of De Javoo. He ignored it. He watched as Dib pointed at certain parts of the screen, magnified, and explained his theories behind them.
After about five minutes, Dib took a deep breath. "Any questions?" he asked, finishing.
Zim raised his hand slowly, then took it down when Dib nodded at him. He paused a moment, then said:
"What the Hell were you thinking?"
Dib stuttered for words, then realizing he had nothing to say, closed his mouth in defeat.
"Seriously!" said Zim, not sure to be angry or amused.
"I mean COME-ON!" he got up and started prodding the screen. The screen was a 'smart screen', and Zim could manipulate it by touch. He did so as he hastily explained.
"I mean look – this laser death ray? How could it possibly get that much fire power and still be accurate," Zim continued, dragging icons and graphics along the screen with his index finger. Dib occasionally tried to protest, but never got anything out.
"- And this entire 'reverse vampire' thing just came out of left field." Zim said, make the final adjustments to the screen. He slowly put his hands on his hips, examining the work, then went back to his seat. Dib walked over, and stared in astonishment at the new picture Zim had made.
"THAT'S a laser death ray." Said Zim. Dib stood in awe.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" he said. "It's geometrically perfect in every way. Even the cooling system is spectacular," Dib turned to mean Zim's tired gaze.
"I've underestimated you." Zim just nodded.
"So…" said Dib, not quite knowing were to begin. "What do we do Zim? I mean, you obviously know a lot more than me, so why don't you lead the discussion?" Dib motioned for Zim to take the floor, but he shook his head.
"What I have to say is important, and I'm going to say in only once; This is the plan: Dib, find anything with firepower and take inventory. Then I want you to find us materials for making a spaceship-"
"Spaceship!-"
"Yes, spaceship. Mine was destroyed and our efforts will be for nothing if we can't approach them. Gaz, I want you talk your dad into helping us with construction. I can design it, but I don't have the engineering or manual skills necessary to actually MAKE it. And also ask him if he has any anti- ion cells."
Dib stopped him now.
"Anti-ion? That's antimatter!"
Zim just stared in aggravated confusion. "So?"
Dib stumbled before he found the right words to convey the concept of 'antimatter'.
"Antimatter will annihilate any matter it comes into contact with. And since we, and everything else around us is matter, won't the anti-ions' kill us and destroy the surroundings?"
Zim narrowed his eyes in frustration.
"They do come in a special containment CELL. That's what I said. And anti- matter will only destroy matter that comes close enough to aggravate it," Zim put his hands on his hips.
"It's really very simple, don't talk about things you don't understand."
Zim began to walk back upstairs. Dib stopped him.
"What are YOU doing?"
"I'm going back to what remains of my base to scavenge any piece of Irkin technology still usable. You two try to get those things I mentioned and contact your father." With that he hiked up the stairs and grabbed his coat off the floor.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Zim arrived, again, and immediately went back into the sewer. It wasn't pleasant, but he knew where he was going to it took less time.
He wedged the door open, and slammed it once he was inside. Leaning against it, he pondered what was still good. He panned the room: decimated. All decimated. It was hard to believe that something had actually survived the blast. But nonetheless he had to find something. Anything that might help.
Slowly, he began to carefully step around the debris. He went farther back into the base, through the labs and corridors. Even though the doors were supposed to be welded shut, some of them had been blown open, ripped away like tin foil. The curled and razor sharp edges of the doors still jut into the passage, making clearing them quite a task. But Zim managed to get around them with minimum cuts and bruises.
He passed more doors leading to various other sects of the subterranean enclosure. More were still welded shut; which was a disappointment when Zim found the arms where house sealed. He swore softly under his breath and continued walking.
The scenery didn't change much until he neared where the plastic explosives and other combustibles were held. He began to notice the floor and walls to become less conform and more like crumpled paper that had been opened again. A few feet down the laminate of the floor had been burned off. Zim's footsteps now made loud clapping sounds as they hit. The hallway became more and more wrecked until finally Zim spotted the source.
The Explosive hold had been completely destroyed. The place where the door had been wasn't even recognizable, as the doorway had been blown away and impaled through the hallway wall. It was plastered so deep into the stainless steel wall that one could not decide where it started and the wall began. The explosive where house had collapsed in on itself. The roof had caved in, and everything was black from the intense heat. Everything must have gone off, thought Zim, every explosive down to the smallest grenade.
He got around the decimation, and finally the hall became normal (well, as normal as can be after a nuclear explosion). He searched more, and was set on giving up when he passed the disposal room. He was several paces past it, before he stopped, and turned to look at it.
Nothing was in there, he knew it. Just stuff he hadn't needed and threw away. But still, it couldn't hurt.
He entered the room, nothing out of the ordinary catching his eye. There was the incinerator in the corner, and a pile of garbage next to it, waiting to be burned. He began the thankless task of picking through the pile, thinking hard about each piece of trash to consider its value. Surprisingly, he did find something.
There were several power cells – all damaged – but possibly usable if modified. He spread his jacket on the floor and placed anything useful in it, ready to haul back up to the surface.
He had picked out several power cell, some special spark plugs for a Vootcruiser, and an old blueprint for a prototype he had been working on. None of them had any immediate worth, but with a little creativity – and a little luck – they could help in the effort. He was about to pack up, when he came across something.
It was oddly shaped, like a dome. Its bottom was mostly flat, with several holes. Zim turned it over in his hands, not knowing what it was, until he scratched away some soot with his claw. He froze when he realized what it was.
A pink streak shown through like a fire through a dark night. It was his backpack, still in one piece.
He had thrown it down after the explosion, down a venting hole. It must have landed and accumulated soot from the other trash. He could use this, oh yes. This would be very useful indeed. But it would only work with a host. It needed the constant energy a host body supplied, and without it, it would just be another piece of trash in the pile.
Zim reached behind him with one hand, and felt the scares it had left on his back. There were three, in a triangle. One between his shoulders and two down an equal distance from his vertebra. They were puckered scares; evident from a deep wound. Zim remembered the pain he had felt as the probes had pulled out from his body. The pain was excruciating. It felt like his insides were being tossed in a blender, then ripped out. He didn't want to go through that again.
Zim suddenly gasped as his thumb ran over a hole in the back of it. The end of a probe had been partially sticking out, and had pricked his finger. He looked at the dark blood begin to pool on his finger before sticking his thumb in his mouth. He had only just tasted his own blood when the machine began to move.
The backpack had sensed Zim's energy when he had been cut. It began to shake on the small table where Zim had set it. The soot fell off as it shook, active after so many years. Then, the spider legs extended outward.
Most Irkin military technology is installed with artificial intelligence. Like living things, they seek out 'food' and have a natural will to survive. The backpack, having sensed that a host was near, used what little energy it had stored coupled with what it got from when it cut his skin. In shaky but defiant strides, and backpack approached Zim.
To stunned to move, Zim stared in horror as it leapt at him, landing and grappling onto him. He hardly had time to react when it positioned itself on his back, and shot out its probes.
The probes broke Zim's skin and began to channel through his body. A blood- curdling scream escaped Zim as he collapsed to his knees.
He screamed as the backpack dug its way through his rib cage, up his spine and through his intestines, seeking energy, and becoming more forceful as it gained it. Zim could feel his own warm blood spill out of him and onto the ground, in some instances, such a quantity fell at one time that a sickening splatter could be heard.
Finally, the pack grafted tight against his skin and the blood loss stopped. As he stood, the back of his shirt and shorts clung to his body, saturated with deep red. He clenched his jaw tight from screaming again.
As he straitened, the pain stopped. The pack had provided him with endorphins that numbed it. He felt, somehow, whole. Pain aside, the adrenaline that had been released sharpened his senses and made him feel lighter. The pain and anger he felt towards the tallest increased ten fold, and he clenched his fists. He could hear the skin tighten as he did.
Nothing mattered, then. All that was there were THEM. They're faces hovered over his subconscious like an ominous cloud. He despised them with every fiber of his being. All of him was now focused on they're banishment – from existence.
The top of his head suddenly felt hot and itchy. He ripped the blonde wig from his head, and looked at it.
After a moment, he glanced over his should, cracking his neck. His antennae were suddenly alive, sensing the air frantically, as if awakening from a long sleep. He clenched his teeth and felt himself become reborn.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Dib stood in the middle of an underground where house, used by his father to store bizarre, and almost always-dangerous equipment. He held a clipboard in his left arm and used the other hand to jot down inventory. He had just wrote down 'high powered explosives' when the P.A. system activated and Gaz's voice came out over the speakers.
"Dib," she said, sounding a little worried, "Come up here, Zim's back."
Dib clutched the clipboard in his hand and ran up.
After a lengthy elevator ride, Dib opened the door to the living room. Instead of Zim, he just saw Gaz, hugging herself and staring out the window. She turned, and answered his question before it was asked.
"He's outside."
Dib opened the patio door onto a roofed deck. Out at its edge, standing just under the canopy and next to the banister, was Zim. His wig was off, and his antennae stood slightly on end. He held his hands behind his back and stared out over the yard out into the city. Dib slowly approached as the rain hit the roof rhythmically.
"I know what you're thinking," said Zim, before Dib could speak. Zim turned his head to glance over his shoulder at Dib.
"You're thinking: What have I found? Well a few things of interest."
Zim turned back. Dib glanced at the patio table and saw Zim jacket bundled up on top. It most likely contained what little he could salvage.
"And I realized something," Zim continued, staring out, not looking at Dib. "I realized that I'm nothing in the grand scheme of things…" He bowed his head slightly.
"That when it comes down to it; I've really had no impact on the destiny of the universe. But here I have a chance," he straitened.
"I have a chance to defy an empire, and liberate thousands of worlds under oppression. Dib, if we can pull this off…" he paused for a moment, thinking, "Then we will go down in history as the universal saviors."
Dib stood completely still, not sure how to take what Zim was saying. He was acting very strange – he was outside without a wig. If someone were to see him then his cover would be blown… but somehow that didn't seem to matter anymore.
"I've had an epiphany, Dib," He said, turning to face him. It was then that Dib noticed that his contacts weren't in either. Zim gazed at him with a level, yet determined glance. Dib suddenly had more respect for him than he ever had.
"I've seen the prophetic light, and know what I must do."
He narrowed his eyes and looked out at the sky.
"I must kill the tallest."