Five Years Later
"Zeeg! Where are you?" Dib called. "Little monkey." He muttered to himself. A high pitched giggle brought his attention to a scattering of boulders.
"No catch me Uncle!" The child said before scrambling from his hiding place.
"Hey! Get back here!" Dib said chasing Zeeg. "I'm gonna catch you!"
Zeeg squealed as he ran. "No catch! No catch!" He veered off course and reversed tactics and tackled Dib. "I got'chew!"
"Hey! Aren't I supposed to catch you?" Dib asked carrying Zeeg back to the camp.
Zeeg blinked. "No I catch you!" He said hugging his 'Uncle' tighter.
Dib had decided that being called Uncle would be easier on him than being called Daddy. When Zeeg was old enough to understand about Zim Dib would tell him about his other father.
"Oh okay." Dib said setting Zeeg on a flat rock that served as a chair. "Sit tight kiddo."
Zeeg kicked his legs and watched his Uncle rummage through his latest sewing work.
Dib picked out a small shirt and brought it over to Zeeg. "Okay arms up."
Zeeg lifted his hands to the air and let Dib put the shirt on him. He had been without one since he had fallen off a pile of rocks breaking the seams on his last one.
"I warm now."
"Good." Dib said patting him on the head.
Zeeg never developed anything beyond a peach-fuzz of hair. He was about five and was of average human height.
Dib tested the size of the shirt. Finally satisfied he smiled at Zeeg. "How you feel now?"
"Syger." (Good.) Zeeg said in typical preschooler fashion. He reached out to touch Dibs' hand. Then he looked at his own. "Uncle?"
"Yeah?"
"Why I green and you not?" Zeeg asked.
"Well, your father was green." Dib said.
"Father?"
Dib sighed inwardly. He had hoped he'd have more time before he had to explain all of this. "Yes. You have a father just like I have a father. I'm not green because neither of my parents were green."
"Parents?"
This was going to be harder than he thought.
"Parents are two people who come together and make a child. My father was a scientist and so was my mother." Dib said hoping against hope that Zeeg wouldn't ask about who his father and 'mother' were.
Zeeg fidgeted with his fingers. "I have parents?" He asked in his high pitched but scratchy voice.
Dib sat on the floor in front of Zeeg. "You have two parents. One was an Irkan. The other is a Human."
Zeeg still looked puzzled.
"Look Zeeg, what's say we wait a little while before I explain this all to you. Okay?" Dib asked.
Zeeg looked disappointed. "Okay Uncle." He said.
Dib nodded. "Okay, come on." He picked Zeeg up. "It's time for you to sleep anyway."
* * *
"Like this?" Zeeg asked after he made a few black marks on a rock with a dead coal from the fire.
"Yes, just like that. Now what does it say?" Dib asked.
"That's my name!" Zeeg cried. "It says 'Zeeg'."
"That' s right." Dib said. "Now, can you spell my name?"
Zeeg set to work making more marks on the rock. "U, n, c, l, e, D, i, b." He said as he worked.
"That's right!" Dib said. "Good job. Can you spell Big Bug?"
Zeeg nodded sharply and once again. "Big Bugs are silly aren't they Uncle?"
"Yep, they are silly." He looked up worriedly wondering if anyone was on their way down. Coming down to take Zeeg from him. But truth be told he missed it up there. Missed skool, his house, he even missed Gaz and the sounds of her Game Slave.
"Is that it?"
Zeeg snapped him back to reality. Big Bug was scrawled on the rock in black. "That's right." He rubbed his head affectionately. "Want to go feed Agee?"
The tamed Rock Eel, a variation of the worm that had attacked Zim so long ago, squealed at the sound of its name.
"Agee!" Zeeg got up and picked the Rock Eel up petting it. "Good Agee." He fed the Eel pieces from their last meal.
Dib rubbed the black marks off the rock with a scrap of cloth that was left from his old Trench coat. He picked up the charcoal piece and wrote down a 'Z', then wrote down an 'I'. After a slight pause he wrote an 'M'. He looked at the word a moment then rubbed it out.
* * *
Four Years Later
Zeeg stared off while he chewed on some dried Larva.
Dib wasn't exactly worried about him. The half Irkan was bound to be different, but lately things had become odd. It was almost like living with Zim again.
"Who were they?" The smaller being asked.
Dib stopped chewing on his own Larva. "What?"
Zeeg put down his food. "My parents. You said you'd tell me later. It's later." He was beyond preschooler speech patterns. Some times Dib wondered if Irkans had inherited memory because Zeeg would use word patterns exactly like Zim.
Dib stood up. "If I have to explain it to you, I might as well do it right." He motioned for Zeeg to follow him.
They stopped at Zims' grave. Dib put a hand on Zeegs' shoulder.
"Your Irkan father was Zim. He came to Earth to invade. We were trapped here alone. He died the day you were." He paused. "Born."
Zeeg was silent for a long time. "And my mother? The one who was Human."
"You don't have a real mother. But." He swallowed hard. "But I am your Human parent."
Zeeg looked up at him. "But you told me how children come to be. How can I exist without a mother? You said you were not female."
Dib nodded. "I know what I told you. But Zeeg, you were created in a special way." He motioned to the old replicator that stood beside Zims' grave. "That machine took samples of my blood and combined it with Zims'."
"I don't understand. You're my parent?"
Dib kneeled down. "Zeeg, when you were born I was eleven. I didn't know what else to do. Do you understand that? I did what I could. I promised Zim and you that I'd keep you safe."
"Safe from what?"
Before Dib could answer a small rock fell from the ceiling and bounced on the ground with a 'clack' sound.
Zeegs' antennae perked up from their normal forwards position. "I hear something."
"What?"
"Voices."
"Oh no, not now. Not now!" Dib grabbed Zeegs' arm and ran to the camp.
"What? What is it Uncle?" Zeeg asked as Dib wrapped him in blankets.
More rocks fell from the ceiling on the opposite side of the cave. Voices became clearer. Irkan speaking voices.
"Scree ne voin ferha." (The signal is getting stronger.)
"Jein Zim no telan blor kian." (Zim may very well be dead already.)
Dibs' heart felt like it was about to explode. "Oh no, Irkans."
"Aren't Irkans my family?" Zeeg asked. "Maybe they're here to help us."
"No, Zeeg, you don't understand."
A hole appeared in the ceiling. Rather tall Irkans slung ropes down and descended.
"Uncle?"
"Stay quiet." Dib hissed as he shoved Zeeg into a cave made of stacked rocks. He rushed away.
Three Irkans landed on the ground and began to look around. They found the grave first.
"Chelen." (It's here.)
"Seglak, ichnin grink." (Someone buried him.)
"Verton Human dien's ikvar." (Smells like a Human's down here.)
The Irkans made their way across the cave and picked at the camp.
"Icher lon grin." (It's still used.)
Suddenly one of the Irkans fell over with a grunt. Green liquid leaked out of his head wound.
Dib leapt from his hiding spot and hit a second Irkan with his spear.
He turned to attack the third one but found himself facing down a gun. The blast threw him several feet away.
"Uncle!" Zeeg shrieked a he ran to Dib.
The Irkan that had been attacked with the spear jerked the half blood up. "Fer kon Irkein lein?" (What kind of Irkan is this?)
"Let me go!" Zeeg yelled trying to squirm free.
"Iskan te Human. Ve cha Teil Vounder finer." (It speaks Human. Let's take it to the Almighty Tallest.)
"Being vein?" (What about him?) The other Irkan asked motioning to Dib who was either dead or unconscious.
"Geiter. Dein bin Human, ig poner k Human." (Leave him. The only good Human is a dead Human.)
The two surviving Irkans left their fellow where he was and climbed out of the cave.
After the Irkan vessel left a small human figure slid down the abandoned ropes.
Apparently female she crept around the cave cautiously. She stopped by the grave and touched the words on the shell.
She then went to the camp and inspected Dib. She moved violet hair out of her eyes then stood and whistled sharply.
More Human figures climbed down and carried Dibs' limp form out of the cave.
"Zeeg! Where are you?" Dib called. "Little monkey." He muttered to himself. A high pitched giggle brought his attention to a scattering of boulders.
"No catch me Uncle!" The child said before scrambling from his hiding place.
"Hey! Get back here!" Dib said chasing Zeeg. "I'm gonna catch you!"
Zeeg squealed as he ran. "No catch! No catch!" He veered off course and reversed tactics and tackled Dib. "I got'chew!"
"Hey! Aren't I supposed to catch you?" Dib asked carrying Zeeg back to the camp.
Zeeg blinked. "No I catch you!" He said hugging his 'Uncle' tighter.
Dib had decided that being called Uncle would be easier on him than being called Daddy. When Zeeg was old enough to understand about Zim Dib would tell him about his other father.
"Oh okay." Dib said setting Zeeg on a flat rock that served as a chair. "Sit tight kiddo."
Zeeg kicked his legs and watched his Uncle rummage through his latest sewing work.
Dib picked out a small shirt and brought it over to Zeeg. "Okay arms up."
Zeeg lifted his hands to the air and let Dib put the shirt on him. He had been without one since he had fallen off a pile of rocks breaking the seams on his last one.
"I warm now."
"Good." Dib said patting him on the head.
Zeeg never developed anything beyond a peach-fuzz of hair. He was about five and was of average human height.
Dib tested the size of the shirt. Finally satisfied he smiled at Zeeg. "How you feel now?"
"Syger." (Good.) Zeeg said in typical preschooler fashion. He reached out to touch Dibs' hand. Then he looked at his own. "Uncle?"
"Yeah?"
"Why I green and you not?" Zeeg asked.
"Well, your father was green." Dib said.
"Father?"
Dib sighed inwardly. He had hoped he'd have more time before he had to explain all of this. "Yes. You have a father just like I have a father. I'm not green because neither of my parents were green."
"Parents?"
This was going to be harder than he thought.
"Parents are two people who come together and make a child. My father was a scientist and so was my mother." Dib said hoping against hope that Zeeg wouldn't ask about who his father and 'mother' were.
Zeeg fidgeted with his fingers. "I have parents?" He asked in his high pitched but scratchy voice.
Dib sat on the floor in front of Zeeg. "You have two parents. One was an Irkan. The other is a Human."
Zeeg still looked puzzled.
"Look Zeeg, what's say we wait a little while before I explain this all to you. Okay?" Dib asked.
Zeeg looked disappointed. "Okay Uncle." He said.
Dib nodded. "Okay, come on." He picked Zeeg up. "It's time for you to sleep anyway."
* * *
"Like this?" Zeeg asked after he made a few black marks on a rock with a dead coal from the fire.
"Yes, just like that. Now what does it say?" Dib asked.
"That's my name!" Zeeg cried. "It says 'Zeeg'."
"That' s right." Dib said. "Now, can you spell my name?"
Zeeg set to work making more marks on the rock. "U, n, c, l, e, D, i, b." He said as he worked.
"That's right!" Dib said. "Good job. Can you spell Big Bug?"
Zeeg nodded sharply and once again. "Big Bugs are silly aren't they Uncle?"
"Yep, they are silly." He looked up worriedly wondering if anyone was on their way down. Coming down to take Zeeg from him. But truth be told he missed it up there. Missed skool, his house, he even missed Gaz and the sounds of her Game Slave.
"Is that it?"
Zeeg snapped him back to reality. Big Bug was scrawled on the rock in black. "That's right." He rubbed his head affectionately. "Want to go feed Agee?"
The tamed Rock Eel, a variation of the worm that had attacked Zim so long ago, squealed at the sound of its name.
"Agee!" Zeeg got up and picked the Rock Eel up petting it. "Good Agee." He fed the Eel pieces from their last meal.
Dib rubbed the black marks off the rock with a scrap of cloth that was left from his old Trench coat. He picked up the charcoal piece and wrote down a 'Z', then wrote down an 'I'. After a slight pause he wrote an 'M'. He looked at the word a moment then rubbed it out.
* * *
Four Years Later
Zeeg stared off while he chewed on some dried Larva.
Dib wasn't exactly worried about him. The half Irkan was bound to be different, but lately things had become odd. It was almost like living with Zim again.
"Who were they?" The smaller being asked.
Dib stopped chewing on his own Larva. "What?"
Zeeg put down his food. "My parents. You said you'd tell me later. It's later." He was beyond preschooler speech patterns. Some times Dib wondered if Irkans had inherited memory because Zeeg would use word patterns exactly like Zim.
Dib stood up. "If I have to explain it to you, I might as well do it right." He motioned for Zeeg to follow him.
They stopped at Zims' grave. Dib put a hand on Zeegs' shoulder.
"Your Irkan father was Zim. He came to Earth to invade. We were trapped here alone. He died the day you were." He paused. "Born."
Zeeg was silent for a long time. "And my mother? The one who was Human."
"You don't have a real mother. But." He swallowed hard. "But I am your Human parent."
Zeeg looked up at him. "But you told me how children come to be. How can I exist without a mother? You said you were not female."
Dib nodded. "I know what I told you. But Zeeg, you were created in a special way." He motioned to the old replicator that stood beside Zims' grave. "That machine took samples of my blood and combined it with Zims'."
"I don't understand. You're my parent?"
Dib kneeled down. "Zeeg, when you were born I was eleven. I didn't know what else to do. Do you understand that? I did what I could. I promised Zim and you that I'd keep you safe."
"Safe from what?"
Before Dib could answer a small rock fell from the ceiling and bounced on the ground with a 'clack' sound.
Zeegs' antennae perked up from their normal forwards position. "I hear something."
"What?"
"Voices."
"Oh no, not now. Not now!" Dib grabbed Zeegs' arm and ran to the camp.
"What? What is it Uncle?" Zeeg asked as Dib wrapped him in blankets.
More rocks fell from the ceiling on the opposite side of the cave. Voices became clearer. Irkan speaking voices.
"Scree ne voin ferha." (The signal is getting stronger.)
"Jein Zim no telan blor kian." (Zim may very well be dead already.)
Dibs' heart felt like it was about to explode. "Oh no, Irkans."
"Aren't Irkans my family?" Zeeg asked. "Maybe they're here to help us."
"No, Zeeg, you don't understand."
A hole appeared in the ceiling. Rather tall Irkans slung ropes down and descended.
"Uncle?"
"Stay quiet." Dib hissed as he shoved Zeeg into a cave made of stacked rocks. He rushed away.
Three Irkans landed on the ground and began to look around. They found the grave first.
"Chelen." (It's here.)
"Seglak, ichnin grink." (Someone buried him.)
"Verton Human dien's ikvar." (Smells like a Human's down here.)
The Irkans made their way across the cave and picked at the camp.
"Icher lon grin." (It's still used.)
Suddenly one of the Irkans fell over with a grunt. Green liquid leaked out of his head wound.
Dib leapt from his hiding spot and hit a second Irkan with his spear.
He turned to attack the third one but found himself facing down a gun. The blast threw him several feet away.
"Uncle!" Zeeg shrieked a he ran to Dib.
The Irkan that had been attacked with the spear jerked the half blood up. "Fer kon Irkein lein?" (What kind of Irkan is this?)
"Let me go!" Zeeg yelled trying to squirm free.
"Iskan te Human. Ve cha Teil Vounder finer." (It speaks Human. Let's take it to the Almighty Tallest.)
"Being vein?" (What about him?) The other Irkan asked motioning to Dib who was either dead or unconscious.
"Geiter. Dein bin Human, ig poner k Human." (Leave him. The only good Human is a dead Human.)
The two surviving Irkans left their fellow where he was and climbed out of the cave.
After the Irkan vessel left a small human figure slid down the abandoned ropes.
Apparently female she crept around the cave cautiously. She stopped by the grave and touched the words on the shell.
She then went to the camp and inspected Dib. She moved violet hair out of her eyes then stood and whistled sharply.
More Human figures climbed down and carried Dibs' limp form out of the cave.