So We Meet Again
Chapter Seven: Winter Majek
Several weeks had passed. Now, the children of Ms. Bitters' class prepared themselves for two weeks of freedom - Christmas Vacation.
It was Friday, Dec. 21st, the first day of winter. The ball rang its toll, and Miz waited patiently for Zim on the steps. Sitting a few feet away was Gaz, furiously
pounding upon the buttons of her GameSlave as she waited for Dib. Strangely, she was having a bit of trouble.
"Okay. It's jump...drop down, and ju---oh, CRUD! I died again!" Mumbling curses under her breath, Gaz jammed the 'continue' option.
Curious, Miz approached and peered over Gaz's shoulder to she what she was doing. "Hey, I know this! You have to slide UNDER the camel, and then jump
immediately after to dodge the arrows. Then you hit him with your gun!"
Gaz shrugged and gave it a shot. "Wow. It works. Thanks. You're...Miz, right?"
Miz smiled. "Guilty as charged. How'd you know?"
"Dib," said Gaz without looking up. "He only babbles about you and Zim 24/7, so it's not like I have any choice but to listen to his senseless dribble."
"I can imagine," Miz said, relieved.
Dib came out of the skool then and pointed an accusing finger at Miz. "You! Get away from my sister!!" He dashed over. "You'd better not do anything to her..."
Gaz rolled her eyes. "Relax, Dib. I was just talking. It's not THAT hard to see..."
Dib growled. "Yeah, maybe..." he eyed Miz suspiciously. "But I still don't trust her. After all, I---"
"Leave her alone, Dib!"
Zim stomped over to where they were standing. Dib and Zim became deeply involved in a glaring contest before Miz pushed them apart. "Alright, you two. This
is NOT the time OR place to be settling our differences. Besides," she elbowed Zim in the side, "we have to get going."
They split off into different directions. Dib clomped his way home. He didn't feel like the bus today, so he was going to walk. Gaz had taken the bus. "Which is
just FINE with me," Dib commented. "I make her see. I'll make ALL of them see. I'm NOT a nut. I'm just a bit more intellegent than most of the other kids.Though,
is it really that hard to see? Green skin, no ears, CERTAINLY not human characteristics at all. I---"
Dib was cut off by a gust of wind. "Gee, was the storm supposed to come in this fast?" The wind picked up, and Dib go the eerie feeling that he was being
watched. He glanced around; all the kids had gone home by now. But then he saw something out of the corner of his eye...
He sped to investigate, but when he got to the corner of the building, there was no one to be seen... no one exccept, a large gangly figure with glowing red eyes
and boney hands. It levitated a crystal over its hand. "Dib..." it breathed in a menacing voice.
Dib gasped in fear. "What do you want with me?"
Zim and Miz walked slowly, side-by-side, as they approached Zim's base. Miz decided to start a conversation. "...I heard one of the kids say that it was going
to snow today. Tell me Zim, what's 'snow'?"
Zim looked up at the sky as he thought. "You know, I'm really not sure."
Coincidentaly, it was at that moment the Heavens opened and tiny white crystals floated down from the sky. "Hmm...I guess that must be it," Zim observed.
Miz smiled broadly. "Oh, wow...," she said, mystified, "It's so pretty..." Laughing, she held out a hand and caught a snowflake, closing her fist around it and
shutting her eyes in content. Then she heard a sizzling sound. "Huh...?" She opened her hand and noticed it was smoking. "WAAAAAHHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!
IT BUUUUUURRRRNNNNNNNSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!" She ran around screaming her lungs off and retreated to under the roof of Zim's porch. There she rapidly
shook her hand and blew on it, trying to ease her wound.
"Yeah, it's cold, too," Zim observed from the middle of the yard.
Miz looked over at him. "Hey, how come YOU'RE not getting affected by this stuff?"
Zim smiled smugly. "You see, I have discovered this 'snow' is a condensed form of water, something I know a barrier against." He opened the door. "Come
inside, Miz, and I will show you the wonders that paste can do for an Irken."
"...This is...Invader Miz, signing...off!" The screen in the MASSIVE went black.
Red shook his head in confusion. "I still don't know why she wanted to help Zim...must be something the short people have in common."
Purple just nodded. "Mmm..."
Red cocked his head. "What's with you? You're not worried about them, are you?"
"Well...yes and no..."
"......................explain, please."
"Well, here the thing." Purple took a deep breath. "This 'Nezram' that Miz was talking about..."
"Mmm-hmm..."
"It's a known fact that he's...well, not a nice guy, to say the least.
"Okay...and his concern to us is?"
"He's the leader of our rival planet, Vostor."
Red choked on whatever he was drinking. "Vostor? Oh, great..."
Purple nodded. "Not only that, but if either Zim or Miz are taken captive by him, Mission: Impending Doom II could fail as well."
Red groaned. "Great. That means we gotta help him."
"Not exactly."
"What?"
"All WE have to do is find Nezram's ship and blow it to smithereens. Mission: Impending Doom II is saved, and Zim is still out of out our antennae."
Red nodded. "Good, good. I know how he can do it, too." He stood up and punched a fist in the air. "LASERS!!"
Purple rolled his eyes. "Is that ALL you can think about? We gotta blind him with the smokescreens!!"
"No way. People love the lasers."
"Smokescreens are better."
"Are not."
"Are too."
"Are NOT."
"Are TOO."
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are NOT!"
"Are TOO!"
"ARE NOT!!"
"ARE TOO!!"
This goes on for a while. [Anyone else besides me getting a feeling of deja vu?]
"Oh, yuck."
"Just shut up and apply it."
"You sure it will work?"
"Positive. Now DO IT!"
"Sheesh. Alright." Miz scooped up some glue with her fingers. She smeared it on over her clothes. "Eww...God, Zim, how do you do this everyday?"
"I don't do this EVERY day," he said, helping her apply it, "just when it wears off."
"And when is that?"
"Every OTHER day."
"Goody." Changing the subject, Miz said, "You know, I've been thinking...I wonder how a poem ABOUT the Book of Lessons ended up INSIDE it...?"
"If you ask me," replied Zim, putting the lid back on, "Hamm probably ate it."
Miz giggled. "Good theory." The paste began to dry. "Hey. It doesn't show up anymore!" she said, grateful that her dress was no longer covered in gobs of
white goo. "Now, I wonder what Kir and Gir could be up to...?"
There was a sudden crash in the kitchen. Upon investigation, the two aliens discovered their Sir-modeled units - as well as Zim's kitchen - COVERED in some
kind of brown, powdery substance.
Kir shook herself off. "Hmm...maybe we SHOULD'VE used a bowl...what do YOU think, Gir?"
Gir squinched up his eyes in thought. "Uh...I think...we should add the milk next!"
"Okay." Kir retieved the milk. Gir poured it into a squirtgun, and then preceded to spray it all over the room.
"No, GIR!!!" Zim tackled him to the ground and the two wrestled for control of the mega-soaker, Zim eventually winning. "What ARE you two trying to do in here
anyway?"
Gir held up an extremely slashed-up box of cake mix. "We're makin' cupcakes," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Before Zim could say anything more, the picture on the wall began to blink. "Zim! A transmission!" Miz exclaimed.
The two dashed into the living room and stood in front of the screen. They leaned over. "My Tallest..." they said in unison.
They were answered with a snide laughing. Both looked up in confusion. The Tallest were there all right, snickering beyond belief.
Zim stood up normally. "Uhm... is there something that amuses you, my Tallest?"
Red's laughter died down. "Ohh... just you, Zim."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. You and your easy manipulation." He turned to Purple. "I still can't believe he believed us!"
Miz glanced at Zim with concern, then back at the screen. (They're not gonna...are they?) "...My Tallest, would you kindly explain?"
"Well, you already know..." Purple mused, "but HE doesn't. Heh. Well Zim, can I ask you a question?"
"Uh...sure..."
"Did you honestly think we would send you on a real mission?"
"...huh?!" Zim stood there in total shock.
"Oh, and Miz..."
"...uh...y-yes, my Tallest...?
Purple cracked up and fell on the floor. Red stepped up to the screen. "We found out more on 'Nezram'. He's apparantly a rather large nemisis to the Irken
empire..."
"And...?"
"We're gonna let YOU take care of him. Bye now." The wall went black, and faded into the monkey picture.
Miz dropped her jaw in shock. (They told him...) she thought, dismayed, (They actually told him...I mean, I knew they would eventually, but... I had always thought
that they'd be a bit... nicer about it.) She shot a worried look at Zim, who stood staring at the wall. Slowly, she walked over to him. "Z...Zim? A-are you okay?"
Zim said nothing for a long time. "So..." he finally spoke. "It IS true..."
Miz placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "...I'm sorry..."
Suddenly, he turned and pointed an accusing fnger at Miz. "You knew about this, didn't you?!"
Miz took a step backwards. "Y-yeah, so?" she said nervously. "Why would you care what I know or don't know?"
"You kept the truth hidden from me..."
"YOU never asked me about that... and besides, I didn't want to hurt you..."
"And you lied anyway!"
Miz fumbled for words. "I came here to help you out!"
"Some help."
That was the final straw. Miz clenched an angry fist. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? Still the same arrogant JERK you were the day you were banished.
And to think, I actually HOPED for you. I wished you luck, and this is how you thank me?! I had heard of earth, but all I had were theories. Then when I got your
first transmission, I decided to come here and see how you were. Why? Because I cared." Miz's eyes began to well up. "What a MISTAKE that was."
Zim was no longer angered. "What...kind do theories did you have?"
Miz pulled a large book from her backpack. "Why don't you SEE for your...SELF!!" She threw the book at Zim with all her might.
He staggered backwards at the impact. "Wh-what's...this?" he asked when he recovered.
Miz stood with her hands firmly on her hips. "It's a mission log of my time and observations of the Earthen life. Humans call it a 'diary'."
Zim looked at her. "Why are you giving me this?"
Miz appeared to soften for a moment, then stiffened. "I already TOLD you why. I made promise, and I intend to keep it." She turned to the door. "KIR!!"
Kir ran out. "Yes?"
"We're leaving. Get your disguise."
Kir obeyed. "Are we gonna come back?" she asked worriedly.
Miz looked at the floor, avoiding Zim's gaze. "I...don't know." With that, she turned on her heel and left.
Zim winced at the sound of the door slamming.
It was the lonliest thing he had ever heard.
The snow had been coming down hard over the past few hours. Miz struggled to trudge through the layers and layers, which came up to her knees. It had grown
noticibly colder since she had left skool that day. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her tighter, wishing she had remembered to bring a coat with her
that day.
(What have I done?) she though as she marched through the snow. (Did...did I really say that to him?)
Kir followed behind Miz, the tips of her cat ears barely reaching over the top of the banks. "Master, what are we leaving for?"
Miz winced as the winds picked up. "We need...to return home...for a while. I said some...stupid things to...Zim and...need to think them...over..." she shouted
over the gusts.
"Oh................okay..." (I guess.)
Miz grunted and took another step. The skool had come into view...hardly. (Halfway there) Miz thought, trying to stay positive. It wasn't easy for her, though. The
paste was begining to wear off due to overexposure to the snow, which melted instantly against her warm skin. She screamed lightly with each movement, the
ice stinging her face, and the melted crystals seeping into her body. After not too much longer, she could march no farther...
And collapsed into a heap on the landscape before her.
"What was I thinking?"
Zim paced back and forth in front of the T.V. "It wasn't HER fault...yet I let her think that..."
Gir shifted his head back and forth, trying to get a good look at the screen. "Master, you're blocking my view."
"Quiet, Gir. I'm thinking."
There was a sudden thud! from the door, indicating a visitor. Gir happily jumped off the couch to answer the door. "Cooooooming!!" he called.
Gir opened the door slowly, glanced out onto the porch, and started screaming. "KITTY!! KIIIIITTYYYYYYYY!!!!!"
Zim walked out. "What are you - KIR?! Wh-wh-what are you doing here?!"
Kir shook off her wet kitten-suit. "It's my mistress. She said something about talking stupid to you, and then fell down. I couldn't wake her up, so I came here."
Zim froze. "No..." He slammed a fist on the wall. "What the HELL was I thinking?! Gir, we're going out." Zim retrieved a snow jacket. "Kir, lead the way!"
Kir dashed outside to where she last saw Miz. It wasn't too hard to see, as Miz had dug a path when she tried to get home. Strangely, when the path ended,
Miz was nowhere to be found.
Zim began to worry. "Miz? Where are you?" He shouted over the blasting winds. "Can you hear me?!"
There was a rumbling sound, and the next thing ZIm knew, he was tied up to a pole with a vine. He struggled to break free. "Who is doing this?"
"Oh, just me."
"What the---DIB?!" Zim did a double take. "B-b-but this can't be! Humans can't use magic; it's physically impossible!!"
A dark figure appeared next to Dib. "You're right, Irken, but I'm not human."
Zim widened his eyes with fear and recognition. "You...you're...the fourth!"
"Correct again! But you may address me as 'Majek'."
"I don't understand. WHY are you working for Dib?"
"Here's the thing, Zim," Dib explained, "We made a deal; if I bring him to you, he'll let me take you two to the autopsy table!"
" 'Two'?" It was then that Zim realized that about twenty feet away from him was another pole, which Miz's lifeless form dangled from. Zim thought fast. How was
he gonna escape from here? (What was it that Miz said about the Fourth Quartet?) He struggled furiously to remember. " 'Don't be scared of the fourth, just---'
That's it! GIR, ATTACK!!"
Gir, who hadn't been paying much attantion up to this point, snapped into his red-mode underneath his dog suit and charged at Dib. Upon impact, Dib was sent
flying backwards into the snow. Gir stumbled around dizzily for a moment, then focused blurrily on Majek's arm, which did not appear to him as an arm, but as...
"Oh, GOODY!!! I LUV DEVIL DOGS!!!!"
Gir leapt forward and bit down as hard as he could, then immediately hopped down and started gagging. "Whoo! I think it's stale..."
Majek's arms, however, were extremely sensitive even to the slightest touch, and after being bitten by Gir's metal fangs, he had been parlyzed, and was losing
vitality quickly. His form faded into his crystal, which shifted its shape and landed with a soft thump in the snow. The poles melted away, gently releasing their
captives.
Dib stood up and groaned. "Fine. You may have won THIS time, ZIM," he huffed, "But I'll return for you and your little girlfriend. Just you wait!" He dashed off the
best he could throught the rising banks.
Zim had half a mind to follow him, but then he remembered that Miz still lay there unconcious. "I'll get him later," he decided. "Right now I've got more important
things to take care of." He stood over her sleeping body.
She had lost a tremendous amount of color; her fine olive skin now reduced to a much less vibrant tone than before. The middle of her face was bright red, as
her nose would be had she had one, and in the intense conditions, Zim couldn't tell if she was breathing.
"All I can do now is hope...Gir! Kir!"
They assambled. "Yes?"
"Activate your jet-packs, and take us to my home base."
"Yes!" They picked up the two Irkens and sped off, with Zim remembering at the last minute to grab the sparkling object that sat where Majek once stood...
Zim placed Miz on the couch. (Now that she's safe and dry,) he realized, (she needs to get out of those wet clothes...but) ZIm tried to figure out how he was
going to do this. He couldn't just undress her! Every now and then he would reach out, but he was too modest to do that. "I...uh...oh, geez. Uhm,...Kir?"
Thank God that SHE was around.
Humming a little tune, Kir came in the room. "Can I help yooooou?"
"Uh, yeah actually." Zim held out a pair of pajamas. "Could you, uh..."
Kir closed her lavender eyes and smiled. "No problem." She took hold of Miz and dragged her into another room, singing under her breath. Minutes later she
returned, Miz in one arm, her wet uniform in the other. "All done. Where do you want her?"
"The couch, please."
"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy..." she said in a very Gir-like way.
Zim groaned in frustration. The last thing he needed was TWO Girs! "Uh, thank you. Now go...play, or something..."
"Buh-byyyyeeee!!" She happily skipped off.
Zim shook his head and went to finish perparing Miz's bed.
Several hours passed. Miz had not yet awoken, but Zim took faith in watching her chest rise and fall, a sign that she was at least breathing. He checked her
pulse every-so-often... normal for Irken standards. He soon grew weary, and needed to sleep. But he couldn't leave Miz alone...
Sighing heavily, Zim curled up at the other end of the couch. He was so close to slumber when he felt a stirring.
Miz was waking up. She moaned softly as she tried to figure out what had happened to her. She remembered an argument, then she...she ran away, and then
she could faintly hear a voice...
Calling her name...
Asking if it heard her...
(I...I hear it. I...) "Z...Zim...?" she barely managed to whisper.
Zim bolted upright. "What is it, Miz?" He groped for her hand in the darkness. "I'm right...here"
"...I'm sorry,...Zim..."
"It's okay. You didn't mean it."
"How could I mean it? I just...didn't want to see you feelings hurt, that's all..."
Zim pulled her a little closer. "Speaking of hurt, are you alright?"
"Hmm..." Miz flexed around a bit. "Yeah, I'm okay, but I think I need another paste coating."
They started to laugh at their own personal joke before Gir yelled from another room, "Keep it down in there! The Scary Monkey Show re-runs are on."
Miz blushed lightly, grateful that Zim couldn't see her. "...sorry..."
Zim glanced at the digital clock across the room, which read 10:07 P.M. "It's getting really late...maybe you and Kir should stay here tonight."
Miz stared at his outline in the dark. "That's okay with you?"
"No reason to have you freeze. Speaking of freeze," he said, placing an arm around her sholder, "Is it me, or is it cold in here?"
Miz could feel her cheeks growing warm. It was an odd feeling to be in his arms - sort of - but she liked it. "...Maybe...just a little..." she said, inching closer.
Outside, the snowflakes continued to dance in the air.