Lost
Dib picked up his ration for dinner. They ate modestly well. Some factions were worse off with barely bread and water. Not that there was much that his faction could do about that. They were bogged down in the eastern side of what had once been America.
He sat down beside Cal.
The younger man grinned at him. He was younger than dib by three years, only twenty, but Dib trusted him enough.
"So, what's our HR leader up to on this fine night?" Cal asked before taking a bite of his 'On the Road' stew. It was literally anything that had been found on the road.
"Not much Cal. How Mic? He good?" Dib asked.
"Mic's fine. He's eternally grateful that you pulled him out but he's in the Peace tent for Tally." He shook his head. "Poor guy, his funeral is tomorrow night you know."
Dib nodded. "I tried to get them both."
"We know that." A girl said. Her name was Eela. She had been with Dibs' HR faction from the beginning. They had almost been something once.
Almost.
"You do more for everyone than any three people on this base put together." She went on saying.
Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if they had stayed together.
His heart twinged at the memory of another girl.
"Hey you okay?" Cal asked.
Dib shook himself out of it. "Yeah, I'm fine." He waited till they had turned back to their meals before actually eating any of his own. He'd gotten past his disgust of what was in it a long time ago. Nowadays food was food.
He started to listen to the new conversation. It was about a Human Irken couple that had come up in the base. It was a sticky situation the girl might even be pregnant. That in its self was a strange problem.
"I don't know, it's very 'Romeo and Juliet'." Eela said as she finished her food.
"It's unnatural." A man named Bik said. "And she might be carrying his kid." He glanced around the small circle. "I didn't even know they could have kids like that anymore."
"They can actually." Dib said suddenly. He instantly drew everyones attention. "A few years ago they tried a breeding program for half-bloods." He trailed off and stared off into the distance. He squinted trying to see better. "What the hell is that?"
The others turned too.
"I don't know, looks almost like a, oh Mother of Earth." Cal said jumping up.
"Voot Runners!"
The scream of alarms filled the air.
Food was dropped as rebels scrambled for weapons or to hide children away.
Stupid was hauled up by Doc and his back hatch opened. A few wires crossed in the right spots and the SIR units eyes glowed a steady red. Lasers bristled out of his little form.
Dib lifted his laser rifle and fell back to a truck with a few others.
A full squad of G2-class Fighter style Voot Runners advanced from the West. They swept over the base camp then split up into three small groups heading back. One to the left, to the right and group pulled a loop high in the air to come straight back.
Heavy fire came down on them. Anyone out in the open was shot down.
Stupid was out in the middle of the fray firing wildly at the passing Voot Runners. He was giggling at the whole thing seemingly unaware of the potential doom.
Dib took aim trying to get at least one of the Runners wounded. He had to at least try.
A steady flow of laser fire pounded into the ground and raced towards the truck Dib and a few others had hidden behind.
He grabbed a hold of someone and threw the both of them away from the truck. It was Eela.
"Shit this is heavy!" She said before they got up. "Lucky if we die!"
"We never get lucky!" He said back as he brought up his rifle. "Die." He whispered to no one.
A random explosion rocked him. Cal ran up screaming at Dib, but he could hear the other man. All he heard was a ringing. He cupped a hand over his hear and tried to get Cal to understand.
Cal finally nodded and pointed in a direction.
Dib followed his hand and his heart fell into his stomach. The main weapons truck was on fire.
"Looks like we got lucky." He said even though he couldn't hear himself.
The truck blew up.
* * *
Dib opened his eyes slowly. He hurt all over.
"Holy Mother of Earth." He muttered as he tried to sit up. He glanced around and realized he was nowhere near his tent back at the base. Not that he could have even been in his tent, it had burned in the fires.
He touched bandages that were over his arms and soon found them on his legs and upper body.
He found that he could at least hobble over to a wash station. He started the water and splashed some on his face. Once his eyes could stay open for more than a few seconds at a time he studied the room.
It was mostly white with a bed, the wash station a chair and table. Unfortunately a blaringly red Irken symbol was on the door and one wall.
He pulled at the gray clothes he had been put in finding yet another red Irken symbol on the front.
Great, he was in his own personal hell. Goody.
The door suddenly came open and two Irkens stood there. One held restraints.
"Don't fight us Human." One of them said.
They were both fairly short and didnt' look too strong. But Dib was injured and very sore so he didn't fight. He made many a sarcastic comment but didn't put up a visible struggle.
He was lead down a hall to a vaulted room. A short figure paced and turned when he entered.
"Ah, Dib." Zim hissed. He still wore his uniform but had a few black circles arranged a lot like medals on the front. "You're here."
"Zim." Dib said standing as straight as his wounds would allow. "I see you're still a short little bug."
Zim scowled. "You have no room to talk 'Dib'." The very fact that Zim used Dibs' name and didn't call him 'Stink Beast' told Dib the Irken held some respect for him. Even if he didn't want to show it.
"So you have me. Big deal, I'll never tell you anything about the other factions." Dib said glaring at Zim as he came closer.
"Oh I won't be the one to question you. The one who will do that is not here yet." Zim stood a good five feet away. He glared up at his rival. They just stared at each other for a long time.
"I hate you." Dib finally said.
Zim only nodded. "So you didn't change. Good."
A door opened across the room. Zim turned to it.
"Ah, she arrives." He said giving a Dib a knowing look.
Dib saw her come. At first he couldn't tell a thing about her. She wore a black uniform with the Irken symbol on it. A slick black cap held her hair back.
Then he realized who she was.
She stopped by Zim and smiled at him that way he had remembered from so long ago. Before he had left her behind.
Zim gave him an evil look. He seemed to be enjoying his rivals extreme discomfort.
"Hello Dib." She said.
Dibs' heart twisted as he fought to stay standing. "Hi Gaz." He choked.
Dib picked up his ration for dinner. They ate modestly well. Some factions were worse off with barely bread and water. Not that there was much that his faction could do about that. They were bogged down in the eastern side of what had once been America.
He sat down beside Cal.
The younger man grinned at him. He was younger than dib by three years, only twenty, but Dib trusted him enough.
"So, what's our HR leader up to on this fine night?" Cal asked before taking a bite of his 'On the Road' stew. It was literally anything that had been found on the road.
"Not much Cal. How Mic? He good?" Dib asked.
"Mic's fine. He's eternally grateful that you pulled him out but he's in the Peace tent for Tally." He shook his head. "Poor guy, his funeral is tomorrow night you know."
Dib nodded. "I tried to get them both."
"We know that." A girl said. Her name was Eela. She had been with Dibs' HR faction from the beginning. They had almost been something once.
Almost.
"You do more for everyone than any three people on this base put together." She went on saying.
Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if they had stayed together.
His heart twinged at the memory of another girl.
"Hey you okay?" Cal asked.
Dib shook himself out of it. "Yeah, I'm fine." He waited till they had turned back to their meals before actually eating any of his own. He'd gotten past his disgust of what was in it a long time ago. Nowadays food was food.
He started to listen to the new conversation. It was about a Human Irken couple that had come up in the base. It was a sticky situation the girl might even be pregnant. That in its self was a strange problem.
"I don't know, it's very 'Romeo and Juliet'." Eela said as she finished her food.
"It's unnatural." A man named Bik said. "And she might be carrying his kid." He glanced around the small circle. "I didn't even know they could have kids like that anymore."
"They can actually." Dib said suddenly. He instantly drew everyones attention. "A few years ago they tried a breeding program for half-bloods." He trailed off and stared off into the distance. He squinted trying to see better. "What the hell is that?"
The others turned too.
"I don't know, looks almost like a, oh Mother of Earth." Cal said jumping up.
"Voot Runners!"
The scream of alarms filled the air.
Food was dropped as rebels scrambled for weapons or to hide children away.
Stupid was hauled up by Doc and his back hatch opened. A few wires crossed in the right spots and the SIR units eyes glowed a steady red. Lasers bristled out of his little form.
Dib lifted his laser rifle and fell back to a truck with a few others.
A full squad of G2-class Fighter style Voot Runners advanced from the West. They swept over the base camp then split up into three small groups heading back. One to the left, to the right and group pulled a loop high in the air to come straight back.
Heavy fire came down on them. Anyone out in the open was shot down.
Stupid was out in the middle of the fray firing wildly at the passing Voot Runners. He was giggling at the whole thing seemingly unaware of the potential doom.
Dib took aim trying to get at least one of the Runners wounded. He had to at least try.
A steady flow of laser fire pounded into the ground and raced towards the truck Dib and a few others had hidden behind.
He grabbed a hold of someone and threw the both of them away from the truck. It was Eela.
"Shit this is heavy!" She said before they got up. "Lucky if we die!"
"We never get lucky!" He said back as he brought up his rifle. "Die." He whispered to no one.
A random explosion rocked him. Cal ran up screaming at Dib, but he could hear the other man. All he heard was a ringing. He cupped a hand over his hear and tried to get Cal to understand.
Cal finally nodded and pointed in a direction.
Dib followed his hand and his heart fell into his stomach. The main weapons truck was on fire.
"Looks like we got lucky." He said even though he couldn't hear himself.
The truck blew up.
* * *
Dib opened his eyes slowly. He hurt all over.
"Holy Mother of Earth." He muttered as he tried to sit up. He glanced around and realized he was nowhere near his tent back at the base. Not that he could have even been in his tent, it had burned in the fires.
He touched bandages that were over his arms and soon found them on his legs and upper body.
He found that he could at least hobble over to a wash station. He started the water and splashed some on his face. Once his eyes could stay open for more than a few seconds at a time he studied the room.
It was mostly white with a bed, the wash station a chair and table. Unfortunately a blaringly red Irken symbol was on the door and one wall.
He pulled at the gray clothes he had been put in finding yet another red Irken symbol on the front.
Great, he was in his own personal hell. Goody.
The door suddenly came open and two Irkens stood there. One held restraints.
"Don't fight us Human." One of them said.
They were both fairly short and didnt' look too strong. But Dib was injured and very sore so he didn't fight. He made many a sarcastic comment but didn't put up a visible struggle.
He was lead down a hall to a vaulted room. A short figure paced and turned when he entered.
"Ah, Dib." Zim hissed. He still wore his uniform but had a few black circles arranged a lot like medals on the front. "You're here."
"Zim." Dib said standing as straight as his wounds would allow. "I see you're still a short little bug."
Zim scowled. "You have no room to talk 'Dib'." The very fact that Zim used Dibs' name and didn't call him 'Stink Beast' told Dib the Irken held some respect for him. Even if he didn't want to show it.
"So you have me. Big deal, I'll never tell you anything about the other factions." Dib said glaring at Zim as he came closer.
"Oh I won't be the one to question you. The one who will do that is not here yet." Zim stood a good five feet away. He glared up at his rival. They just stared at each other for a long time.
"I hate you." Dib finally said.
Zim only nodded. "So you didn't change. Good."
A door opened across the room. Zim turned to it.
"Ah, she arrives." He said giving a Dib a knowing look.
Dib saw her come. At first he couldn't tell a thing about her. She wore a black uniform with the Irken symbol on it. A slick black cap held her hair back.
Then he realized who she was.
She stopped by Zim and smiled at him that way he had remembered from so long ago. Before he had left her behind.
Zim gave him an evil look. He seemed to be enjoying his rivals extreme discomfort.
"Hello Dib." She said.
Dibs' heart twisted as he fought to stay standing. "Hi Gaz." He choked.