NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
Part 4
By Vixen
Notes: Ta-Da! *takes a final bow* I am done! *passes out and falls asleep*
Dib and Zim sat in a subway car; they didn't have any idea where they were going. They only knew they were looking for Mal. Most likely this search was unwarranted because Mal would find them faster.
"What did you say in the hospital?" Dib asked, breaking the silence.
"What?"
"You said Mal was an alien."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you?" Zim knew he was in trouble for not sharing information. "I always forget that your inferior human brains can't mind read."
Dib gave him a quick glance, did that mean Irkens were telepathic. Whatever. It didn't matter now.
"When I ran into Mal and Gaz last night I took some of his DNA." Zim looked over at his colleague. "My highly advanced Irken technology confirmed that Mal is indeed an alien. From the planet Golrich," His eyes darkened, "An old enemy of the Irk."
"So? What are their weaknesses? What about strengths? Habits? Fighting Tactics? Technology?" Dib had a million and one questions, none of which Zim knew the answer of. The alien never involved himself with the Golrich tribes; they were too plebeian to require much study.
"I don't know why he's here, but whatever his VILE reasons for disrupting my conquering of this repulsive planet..."
Dib was staring at him.
Zim gave him an equally cold stare back, "I may be in love with your sister, but I'm still an Irken Invader. That won't change."
"Fine. Then I'll still continue to try to expose the truth about you to the world."
"Agreed, Earth-Slug."
Dib shook his head, "I can't believe you like my sister. It's just..." He shuddered.
Suddenly, the subway car stopped short. People were jostled out of their chairs; packages and bags went flying. Dib stood up, grabbing a handrail. His eyes darted from the back of the car, to the front and to the back again.
"What now?" Dib muttered. He looked over to where Zim was standing. Obviously, the green kid didn't know either.
"Attention people of Earth, Attention people of Earth." Came a voice over the loud speaker, somehow Dib knew it wasn't the driver speaking. The driver was probably dead by now. "I am looking for a green alien and a rather pale earthling wearing a trenchcoat. If you give these two up, I will allow the rest of you to leave and go about you ordinary dim lives. If you do not I will kill each and every human being on this train. I'll let you decide."
The crowd was scared by now, frightened and willing to do anything to save their own lives.
Zim started running towards the exit, assuming that Dib would follow.
But the earthling couldn't. Well, that was partly because the crowd was gathering in around the two of them by this point, also partly because of his protective instincts. "I can't do it Zim."
"Are you crazy, Earth-beast? You can't fight him yet. You'll die trying."
"I'm still going." The crowd separated for him, allowing him to go forward towards the engine car.
Zim sighed as he watched Dib go. After a moment's thought he decided to join the fight. "Let me pass, Earth-creeps!" They parted like the Red Sea for him. Hey, he thought, maybe I'll at least get to see Mal pummel Dib.
People were starting to file out the doors of the subway onto the tracks, getting off before something happened. Mal had allowed the doors to open once he saw in the surveillance cameras that the two were coming to him. What did he care about the other earthlings for, after a few weeks they would be Golrich fodder anyway.
"Do you have a plan?" Zim asked, catching up with Dib.
"No... I'm making this up as I go along."
"And what will you do when he kills you, oh Plan-less One?"
"Hey, you're the Irken Invader, you come up with a plan!"
"How about we throw you at him, hope he gets distracted while I escape?" Zim asked hopefully with a smirk.
Dib glared at him for a second before the engine room doors blew up in an explosion. "Holy shit," Dib screamed at the force of the explosion sent him flying into the walls. "And may I just add: Ouch."
"I always did love dramatic entrances." Mal stood before them.
"Big entrance for such a small INSIGNIFICANT actor," Zim spat back, picking himself up from the floor.
Mal smiled at him, "By the way, how's Gaz? Oh, how I miss that little strumpet. She told me everything, you know? She gave you up, Zim." He snapped his fingers, "Like that."
"She doesn't know enough to bother with," Zim shot out.
"Yeah," Dib added, "There was no reason to brainwash her, turn her into a perky little cheerleader. So, the only thing I can assume is that you did it just to PISS ME OFF. You really don't want to be around me when I'm pissed off, Mal."
Mal laughed, "But you-- you're just a human."
Zim narrowed his eyes, "Some alien-to-alien advice: Trust him, Golrich-WORM. He may be a human but he's a formidable one. He's kept me on my toes all these years."
Dib was surprised by Zim's words. Did he really mean that? "Yeah, and you're not only taking on an earthling, you're taking on an Irken Invader too." The earthling grinned maliciously, "Zim'll kick your ass."
"I can't believe this! I can't believe this! I'm taking threats from an earthling and an Irken reject. Oh, please, the only way you could possibly kill me is if I fall on my own gun."
Dib smiled. So, that was the way. One of the things that could kill the alien menace. Only problem was that it was holstered on Mal's hip. Wonderful, just peachy. This was never going to work. Dib only hoped they picked out a good epitaph for him: 'Dib, he saved the world. A lot.'
"So, what are you going to do? Kill us?"
"Well, you I'll kill," Mal drew his gun and pointed it at Dib, then waved it at Zim, "But they want the little green one alive, don't ask me why... something about tests and experiments. We'll conquer the Irk next; we need to find their weaknesses. Hmm... should be fun, I would love to watch but I've got a whole planet to rule."
Zim barreled into the other alien, knocking Mal to the floor, "Earth belong to THE IRK, Golrich-Slug!"
Dib quickly moved and maneuvered his way over to the gun that Mal had dropped in the fight. Zim was pummeling the alien with punches that weren't doing much but keeping Mal distracted.
"Take that, and that," Zim threw his ineffective punches. He wasn't much for hand to hand combat, he would have much rather have waited and used his wits to solve this situation. But it was too late for that now.
"Zim, get off him." Dib said as he held the gun up. "I'll finish this."
The green one stopped and stood up. Mal stayed where he was, slightly dazed from Zim's assault, and slightly worried that the earthling now held the only thing that could kill him, a Tontonium ray. "You won't use that."
Dib aimed. "I won't?"
"You lower races don't know a thing about ray guns, why don't you just hand it back to the nice homicidal maniac before you get hurt, huh?" Mal had a smile like Hannibal Lector.
A bitter laugh escaped Dib's mouth, "You destroyed my little sister, you son of a bitch. I really don't think I'm going to let you walk."
"Good, because I'm not going anywhere. This planet is ours. Our armies will be coming. Earth will be no more." Mal grinned, "Even if you do kill me."
There were a bunch of buttons and levers on the ray gun; each one Dib was fiddling with, trying to activate the damn thing when the magic button was finally pressed. Dib flew across the small cabin as the ray gun shot out a deadly bolt. It was too powerful to control, as it sliced through the walls and left the subway car looking like Swiss cheese.
Zim grabbed on to the gun and helped guide it towards where Mal was hiding in the corner. It hit the alien so hard that liquid spurted everywhere. Blood. Alien blood.
Then as quickly as the gun had started, it shut down. Dib chucked it down on the ground as it cooled off. Then he wiped the alien goop from off his glasses. Ewww, he thought as he turned towards Zim.
"We did it?" Zim looked about ready to pass out. "We did it!"
"Yeah, Zim, we did." Dib held out a hand.
Zim shook it tentatively. "Irken Invaders never lose!" He paused, "They're coming back for more, the Golrich armies..."
"We'll be ready for them." Dib sat in silence for a moment, letting some of the stress of the past few weeks pass away. "We'll be ready."
A nurse let them into Gaz's room, visiting hours would soon be over.
Dib had been hopeful that there would be some change in his sister when they returned from destroying Mal. There wasn't any. At least she was awake now, or maybe that wasn't really a good thing. The nurses had to restrain her when she woke up; Gaz had been very aggressively going on about needing to be with Mal.
Zim sat by her side while Dib just stood in the corner. What now?
"Gaz?" Zim looked at her.
"Don't speak to me, green boy. You killed him, didn't you? You did it. You did it! You killed my love. I hate you. I HATE YOU! Why won't they let me out of here? Why won't they let me go? I want out of here, do you hear me?!" Gaz grimaced at her brother, and started to cry, "Dib, they won't let me go. I can't stay here, I hate it here... You have to make them... you have to make them let me go, please Dib."
Her brother just crossed his arms, trying not to let the state she was in get to him. "I can't do that, Gaz."
"I hate you! I hate you all! You did this to me... you tricked me, and trapped me..." Gaz closed her eyes, trying to block everyone out.
"Did Mal give this to you, Gaz?" Zim noticed the stone she wore around her neck.
Gaz's eyes shot open as she frantically began to yell, "Touch that and you die, Zim!"
Zim ignored her incessant screams of curses, grabbed the necklace and yanked it off. The stone began to burn in his hand, so he hastily threw it into the metal wastebasket on the side of the room.
"What was that?" Dib was shocked, and just a bit more hopeful.
"Alternity Crystal. A brainwashing mechanism from the Golrich sector." Zim held his burnt hand, trying to cool it off. "Hey, Gaz, are you all right?"
Gaz gasped, "Where is he? Where is that little mind-twisting twerp?" The memories of her possession were flooding back into her head. "He made me wear pink!" She shuddered.
"Mal's dead, Gaz," Dib told her in a deadpan voice, sparing her the details that another army was coming to Earth.
Zim was busy taking off her restraints.
Her blond-dyed hair fell across her face, a remnant of her possession. She sighed, "Fine. Then... just take me home."
"Oh, uh, right," Dib left the room to go find a nurse and fill out the paperwork. "Be right back."
And then there were two.
The memories of what Gaz had done to Zim were filling her thoughts at the moment. They were supposed to have had their first semi-date-like-thing right before her possession interrupted things. "Zim... I'm sorry."
The alien didn't know what to say. Gaz? Apologizing? This was unprecedented!
The teenage girl sat in the bed, trying to come up with some way to make up for everything. And then it hit her.
She grabbed Zim and kissed him.
It was amazing. Gaz thought she could see stars, and futures, and destinies. Then she mentally smacked herself for being so mushy. And yet a part of her didn't care.
Zim also was experiencing total bliss, it washed over him and made all the part few weeks of effort meaningless and meaningful at the same time. It was a heck of a battle getting to this point, where Gaz was safe in his arms, but it was so worth it.
At that moment Dib walked into the room, "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick."
Gaz and Zim didn't even stop, just waved him away.
Dib was staring at the ceiling, trying not to see his nemesis and sister making out, "I filled out the paperwork, so if you want to leave now would be a good time."
The two lovers broke away. Gaz climbed out of the bed and grabbed Zim's hand as they walked out together.
As the trio walked back home, stopping first at a convenience store to get some Manic Panic purple hair dye for Gaz, Dib continually make mock-gagging noises at the two of them.
"Dib?" Gaz stopped and smiled at him.
"Yeah."
"Quit it." She stomped on his foot and walked away while Zim laughed.
Dib couldn't be happier as he caught up to them, "See, there's the Gaz that I know and love."
"You actually worked together?" Gaz turned to the two guys, "Like not trying to mutilate each other, or anything?"
Zim and Dib glanced at each other, new but still uneasy allies. They would never be friends but this came as close as possible.
"Weird." Gaz laughed.
Everything was back to semi-normal
... for now at least.
THE END
Part 4
By Vixen
Notes: Ta-Da! *takes a final bow* I am done! *passes out and falls asleep*
Dib and Zim sat in a subway car; they didn't have any idea where they were going. They only knew they were looking for Mal. Most likely this search was unwarranted because Mal would find them faster.
"What did you say in the hospital?" Dib asked, breaking the silence.
"What?"
"You said Mal was an alien."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you?" Zim knew he was in trouble for not sharing information. "I always forget that your inferior human brains can't mind read."
Dib gave him a quick glance, did that mean Irkens were telepathic. Whatever. It didn't matter now.
"When I ran into Mal and Gaz last night I took some of his DNA." Zim looked over at his colleague. "My highly advanced Irken technology confirmed that Mal is indeed an alien. From the planet Golrich," His eyes darkened, "An old enemy of the Irk."
"So? What are their weaknesses? What about strengths? Habits? Fighting Tactics? Technology?" Dib had a million and one questions, none of which Zim knew the answer of. The alien never involved himself with the Golrich tribes; they were too plebeian to require much study.
"I don't know why he's here, but whatever his VILE reasons for disrupting my conquering of this repulsive planet..."
Dib was staring at him.
Zim gave him an equally cold stare back, "I may be in love with your sister, but I'm still an Irken Invader. That won't change."
"Fine. Then I'll still continue to try to expose the truth about you to the world."
"Agreed, Earth-Slug."
Dib shook his head, "I can't believe you like my sister. It's just..." He shuddered.
Suddenly, the subway car stopped short. People were jostled out of their chairs; packages and bags went flying. Dib stood up, grabbing a handrail. His eyes darted from the back of the car, to the front and to the back again.
"What now?" Dib muttered. He looked over to where Zim was standing. Obviously, the green kid didn't know either.
"Attention people of Earth, Attention people of Earth." Came a voice over the loud speaker, somehow Dib knew it wasn't the driver speaking. The driver was probably dead by now. "I am looking for a green alien and a rather pale earthling wearing a trenchcoat. If you give these two up, I will allow the rest of you to leave and go about you ordinary dim lives. If you do not I will kill each and every human being on this train. I'll let you decide."
The crowd was scared by now, frightened and willing to do anything to save their own lives.
Zim started running towards the exit, assuming that Dib would follow.
But the earthling couldn't. Well, that was partly because the crowd was gathering in around the two of them by this point, also partly because of his protective instincts. "I can't do it Zim."
"Are you crazy, Earth-beast? You can't fight him yet. You'll die trying."
"I'm still going." The crowd separated for him, allowing him to go forward towards the engine car.
Zim sighed as he watched Dib go. After a moment's thought he decided to join the fight. "Let me pass, Earth-creeps!" They parted like the Red Sea for him. Hey, he thought, maybe I'll at least get to see Mal pummel Dib.
People were starting to file out the doors of the subway onto the tracks, getting off before something happened. Mal had allowed the doors to open once he saw in the surveillance cameras that the two were coming to him. What did he care about the other earthlings for, after a few weeks they would be Golrich fodder anyway.
"Do you have a plan?" Zim asked, catching up with Dib.
"No... I'm making this up as I go along."
"And what will you do when he kills you, oh Plan-less One?"
"Hey, you're the Irken Invader, you come up with a plan!"
"How about we throw you at him, hope he gets distracted while I escape?" Zim asked hopefully with a smirk.
Dib glared at him for a second before the engine room doors blew up in an explosion. "Holy shit," Dib screamed at the force of the explosion sent him flying into the walls. "And may I just add: Ouch."
"I always did love dramatic entrances." Mal stood before them.
"Big entrance for such a small INSIGNIFICANT actor," Zim spat back, picking himself up from the floor.
Mal smiled at him, "By the way, how's Gaz? Oh, how I miss that little strumpet. She told me everything, you know? She gave you up, Zim." He snapped his fingers, "Like that."
"She doesn't know enough to bother with," Zim shot out.
"Yeah," Dib added, "There was no reason to brainwash her, turn her into a perky little cheerleader. So, the only thing I can assume is that you did it just to PISS ME OFF. You really don't want to be around me when I'm pissed off, Mal."
Mal laughed, "But you-- you're just a human."
Zim narrowed his eyes, "Some alien-to-alien advice: Trust him, Golrich-WORM. He may be a human but he's a formidable one. He's kept me on my toes all these years."
Dib was surprised by Zim's words. Did he really mean that? "Yeah, and you're not only taking on an earthling, you're taking on an Irken Invader too." The earthling grinned maliciously, "Zim'll kick your ass."
"I can't believe this! I can't believe this! I'm taking threats from an earthling and an Irken reject. Oh, please, the only way you could possibly kill me is if I fall on my own gun."
Dib smiled. So, that was the way. One of the things that could kill the alien menace. Only problem was that it was holstered on Mal's hip. Wonderful, just peachy. This was never going to work. Dib only hoped they picked out a good epitaph for him: 'Dib, he saved the world. A lot.'
"So, what are you going to do? Kill us?"
"Well, you I'll kill," Mal drew his gun and pointed it at Dib, then waved it at Zim, "But they want the little green one alive, don't ask me why... something about tests and experiments. We'll conquer the Irk next; we need to find their weaknesses. Hmm... should be fun, I would love to watch but I've got a whole planet to rule."
Zim barreled into the other alien, knocking Mal to the floor, "Earth belong to THE IRK, Golrich-Slug!"
Dib quickly moved and maneuvered his way over to the gun that Mal had dropped in the fight. Zim was pummeling the alien with punches that weren't doing much but keeping Mal distracted.
"Take that, and that," Zim threw his ineffective punches. He wasn't much for hand to hand combat, he would have much rather have waited and used his wits to solve this situation. But it was too late for that now.
"Zim, get off him." Dib said as he held the gun up. "I'll finish this."
The green one stopped and stood up. Mal stayed where he was, slightly dazed from Zim's assault, and slightly worried that the earthling now held the only thing that could kill him, a Tontonium ray. "You won't use that."
Dib aimed. "I won't?"
"You lower races don't know a thing about ray guns, why don't you just hand it back to the nice homicidal maniac before you get hurt, huh?" Mal had a smile like Hannibal Lector.
A bitter laugh escaped Dib's mouth, "You destroyed my little sister, you son of a bitch. I really don't think I'm going to let you walk."
"Good, because I'm not going anywhere. This planet is ours. Our armies will be coming. Earth will be no more." Mal grinned, "Even if you do kill me."
There were a bunch of buttons and levers on the ray gun; each one Dib was fiddling with, trying to activate the damn thing when the magic button was finally pressed. Dib flew across the small cabin as the ray gun shot out a deadly bolt. It was too powerful to control, as it sliced through the walls and left the subway car looking like Swiss cheese.
Zim grabbed on to the gun and helped guide it towards where Mal was hiding in the corner. It hit the alien so hard that liquid spurted everywhere. Blood. Alien blood.
Then as quickly as the gun had started, it shut down. Dib chucked it down on the ground as it cooled off. Then he wiped the alien goop from off his glasses. Ewww, he thought as he turned towards Zim.
"We did it?" Zim looked about ready to pass out. "We did it!"
"Yeah, Zim, we did." Dib held out a hand.
Zim shook it tentatively. "Irken Invaders never lose!" He paused, "They're coming back for more, the Golrich armies..."
"We'll be ready for them." Dib sat in silence for a moment, letting some of the stress of the past few weeks pass away. "We'll be ready."
A nurse let them into Gaz's room, visiting hours would soon be over.
Dib had been hopeful that there would be some change in his sister when they returned from destroying Mal. There wasn't any. At least she was awake now, or maybe that wasn't really a good thing. The nurses had to restrain her when she woke up; Gaz had been very aggressively going on about needing to be with Mal.
Zim sat by her side while Dib just stood in the corner. What now?
"Gaz?" Zim looked at her.
"Don't speak to me, green boy. You killed him, didn't you? You did it. You did it! You killed my love. I hate you. I HATE YOU! Why won't they let me out of here? Why won't they let me go? I want out of here, do you hear me?!" Gaz grimaced at her brother, and started to cry, "Dib, they won't let me go. I can't stay here, I hate it here... You have to make them... you have to make them let me go, please Dib."
Her brother just crossed his arms, trying not to let the state she was in get to him. "I can't do that, Gaz."
"I hate you! I hate you all! You did this to me... you tricked me, and trapped me..." Gaz closed her eyes, trying to block everyone out.
"Did Mal give this to you, Gaz?" Zim noticed the stone she wore around her neck.
Gaz's eyes shot open as she frantically began to yell, "Touch that and you die, Zim!"
Zim ignored her incessant screams of curses, grabbed the necklace and yanked it off. The stone began to burn in his hand, so he hastily threw it into the metal wastebasket on the side of the room.
"What was that?" Dib was shocked, and just a bit more hopeful.
"Alternity Crystal. A brainwashing mechanism from the Golrich sector." Zim held his burnt hand, trying to cool it off. "Hey, Gaz, are you all right?"
Gaz gasped, "Where is he? Where is that little mind-twisting twerp?" The memories of her possession were flooding back into her head. "He made me wear pink!" She shuddered.
"Mal's dead, Gaz," Dib told her in a deadpan voice, sparing her the details that another army was coming to Earth.
Zim was busy taking off her restraints.
Her blond-dyed hair fell across her face, a remnant of her possession. She sighed, "Fine. Then... just take me home."
"Oh, uh, right," Dib left the room to go find a nurse and fill out the paperwork. "Be right back."
And then there were two.
The memories of what Gaz had done to Zim were filling her thoughts at the moment. They were supposed to have had their first semi-date-like-thing right before her possession interrupted things. "Zim... I'm sorry."
The alien didn't know what to say. Gaz? Apologizing? This was unprecedented!
The teenage girl sat in the bed, trying to come up with some way to make up for everything. And then it hit her.
She grabbed Zim and kissed him.
It was amazing. Gaz thought she could see stars, and futures, and destinies. Then she mentally smacked herself for being so mushy. And yet a part of her didn't care.
Zim also was experiencing total bliss, it washed over him and made all the part few weeks of effort meaningless and meaningful at the same time. It was a heck of a battle getting to this point, where Gaz was safe in his arms, but it was so worth it.
At that moment Dib walked into the room, "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick."
Gaz and Zim didn't even stop, just waved him away.
Dib was staring at the ceiling, trying not to see his nemesis and sister making out, "I filled out the paperwork, so if you want to leave now would be a good time."
The two lovers broke away. Gaz climbed out of the bed and grabbed Zim's hand as they walked out together.
As the trio walked back home, stopping first at a convenience store to get some Manic Panic purple hair dye for Gaz, Dib continually make mock-gagging noises at the two of them.
"Dib?" Gaz stopped and smiled at him.
"Yeah."
"Quit it." She stomped on his foot and walked away while Zim laughed.
Dib couldn't be happier as he caught up to them, "See, there's the Gaz that I know and love."
"You actually worked together?" Gaz turned to the two guys, "Like not trying to mutilate each other, or anything?"
Zim and Dib glanced at each other, new but still uneasy allies. They would never be friends but this came as close as possible.
"Weird." Gaz laughed.
Everything was back to semi-normal
... for now at least.
THE END