Future Shock
Shuffling sounds. Dibs' eyes opened to see a small form reach for the light. His eyes snapped shut moment before light filled the room.
"Mrrrmm, did you have to do that?"
The other person turned to him sharply. "What are you doing in here?" A slightly nasal voice asked.
"Well I was sleeping, but now." He sat up and stretched. "I guess I'm awake."
Crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought you would be down with the rest of them."
Dib shrugged. "I may be Human Zim, but I don't think they like me any more than they like you."
"My luck that the only one keeping me from being doused." He paused. "From being harmed by those Humans below is you." Zim said closing the door.
Dib stood up and dusted off his clothes. A year after joining up with the resistance and they still had their personal fight. "Fate has a sense of humor after all." He went to pass Zim and go out the door but paused.
Dib had grown some and something about Zim seemed out of place. "Hey, did you get taller?"
Zim cocked an 'eyebrow'. "Taller?"
"Yeah. I mean we were pretty close in height before, and we still are. I'm a good two inches taller." Dib held a hand at his forehead trying to size them both.
Zim immediately began to pat himself down looking his body over frantically. "Taller? I'm taller?"
"Yeah, what's up with that? I thought you were an adult." Dib said pulling his coat tighter.
"I, am, but." He seemed overly fascinated at the phenomena.
"Zim?"
The Irken looked up.
"What's the big deal about you being taller?"
At first Zim was confused. Then he realized he hadn't told any Human about how his race considered who was better than others. "My people, we judge by height."
Dib raised an eyebrow. "That's, just weird." He started to back out the door.
Zim ignored him. This might be a good thing. If he got taller the Tallest might get different ideas about him. Now if he could just pin point the source of the growth.
He watched Dib go down the hall. This would take time bye himself. With the Humans help the search would go faster. "Dib!"
Dib turned around. "What?"
Zim stood out in the hall now and clasped his hands behind his back. "I have an idea."
* * *
"So, you're telling us, that if we find out what makes you tall your rulers will trust you again?"
Zim nodded.
The boy who had spoken sat back. "How do we know you won't side with them once your in their favor again."
Zims restrained his anger. "I have more reason to despise the Tallest than you do Human."
"More reason?!" The boy shot up on his feet.
"Ker, sit down." An even female voice said.
"But he."
"Sit." Amber eyes looked out from under purple hair. "What do you think Dib?"
"With the proper equipment we could find the cause in less than a day." The few people around him heard the faint electric sound as his replaced eye moved to glance around the room. "With what we have, it could take months or years."
Gaz looked to the boy next to her. "Gon?"
Gon twitched a little under her eyes. He may be the real leader of the group but Gaz would more often than not make the decision. And he knew she had already decided. "Zim has proved helpful in the past. When the Slaughtering Rats came. He helped. I say we find it and trick the Tallest."
She nodded. "Good. Then get to work."
* * *
"This is what you eat?" Dib asked motioning to the 'food' on the table.
"Yes."
"On purpose?"
Zim scowled. "I am an Irken, I don't eat the filth you do."
"But Zim, this is what? Alga, bread mold and, is that rust?" Dib picked through the bowl.
"Yes. I got it off of an old water valve. All of this is easy for me to digest, even if it's a very limited selection." He sounded disappointed at that fact.
"Okay. We'll check on the living things first. Its all Earth based. They may have a chemical in them that trigger growth hormones. Hand me a sample of blood." He snapped some old goggles over his eyes and held out a hand.
Zim reluctantly handed Dib the vial. They had taken a pint of his blood. Which was a deep red color, darker than human blood.
He hadn't minded the needle, or the sight of his own blood. But the resemblance of the activity to a morbid scene from his worst nightmares had made him nervous. He almost expected tall men in white coats and arrogant laughs to come in at any moment.
It was all he could do to not 'freak out' as Dib called it.
It had taken him a long time to find things he could eat safely on this rock. Until his betrayal he had been using a replicator for the right food. He had gnawed on a rusty nail that he found smelled and tasted like Cever. A fast growing mineral they could actually raise fresh on the ships. It was close but Cever didn't give him a bloated feeling.
He glanced over at Dib to find the Human staring.
"Worried?"
Zim folded his arms together. "About what?"
"That we won't find it." He reached for an empty vial.
"Of course not. If we don't isolate it I'll still get it by eating like I have been."
There was a clink of metal on glass. "Then are you worried that we will?"
"What is this questioning?" Zim asked feeling agitated.
"Sorry."
Pause.
"You don't have to be here you know. With the limited equipment it's a one person job."
Zim shook his head. "And do what? The Humans here ignore me, except for maybe Gaz. But she is not one to be a conversationalist."
"Like you are." Dib said not looking up.
"Hrrm." Zim muttered.
"What about Gir?" Rattling sounds as he shifted a rack of tubes.
"The Humans adore him." Zim shifted in his chair.
"Jealous?"
"No!"
"Just asking."
Another pause.
Zim stood up. "I'll be back to check on the results later."
"Okay." Dib didn't look up.
Dib heard the door shut and lifted his head. He couldn't help but smile. Zim was different, still arrogant yes but different. He wondered just how long before he got to that calm, even-tempered creature he had met on his 'trip'.
Guess he'd have to just wait it out. He sighed and went back to the sample in front of him.
Shuffling sounds. Dibs' eyes opened to see a small form reach for the light. His eyes snapped shut moment before light filled the room.
"Mrrrmm, did you have to do that?"
The other person turned to him sharply. "What are you doing in here?" A slightly nasal voice asked.
"Well I was sleeping, but now." He sat up and stretched. "I guess I'm awake."
Crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought you would be down with the rest of them."
Dib shrugged. "I may be Human Zim, but I don't think they like me any more than they like you."
"My luck that the only one keeping me from being doused." He paused. "From being harmed by those Humans below is you." Zim said closing the door.
Dib stood up and dusted off his clothes. A year after joining up with the resistance and they still had their personal fight. "Fate has a sense of humor after all." He went to pass Zim and go out the door but paused.
Dib had grown some and something about Zim seemed out of place. "Hey, did you get taller?"
Zim cocked an 'eyebrow'. "Taller?"
"Yeah. I mean we were pretty close in height before, and we still are. I'm a good two inches taller." Dib held a hand at his forehead trying to size them both.
Zim immediately began to pat himself down looking his body over frantically. "Taller? I'm taller?"
"Yeah, what's up with that? I thought you were an adult." Dib said pulling his coat tighter.
"I, am, but." He seemed overly fascinated at the phenomena.
"Zim?"
The Irken looked up.
"What's the big deal about you being taller?"
At first Zim was confused. Then he realized he hadn't told any Human about how his race considered who was better than others. "My people, we judge by height."
Dib raised an eyebrow. "That's, just weird." He started to back out the door.
Zim ignored him. This might be a good thing. If he got taller the Tallest might get different ideas about him. Now if he could just pin point the source of the growth.
He watched Dib go down the hall. This would take time bye himself. With the Humans help the search would go faster. "Dib!"
Dib turned around. "What?"
Zim stood out in the hall now and clasped his hands behind his back. "I have an idea."
* * *
"So, you're telling us, that if we find out what makes you tall your rulers will trust you again?"
Zim nodded.
The boy who had spoken sat back. "How do we know you won't side with them once your in their favor again."
Zims restrained his anger. "I have more reason to despise the Tallest than you do Human."
"More reason?!" The boy shot up on his feet.
"Ker, sit down." An even female voice said.
"But he."
"Sit." Amber eyes looked out from under purple hair. "What do you think Dib?"
"With the proper equipment we could find the cause in less than a day." The few people around him heard the faint electric sound as his replaced eye moved to glance around the room. "With what we have, it could take months or years."
Gaz looked to the boy next to her. "Gon?"
Gon twitched a little under her eyes. He may be the real leader of the group but Gaz would more often than not make the decision. And he knew she had already decided. "Zim has proved helpful in the past. When the Slaughtering Rats came. He helped. I say we find it and trick the Tallest."
She nodded. "Good. Then get to work."
* * *
"This is what you eat?" Dib asked motioning to the 'food' on the table.
"Yes."
"On purpose?"
Zim scowled. "I am an Irken, I don't eat the filth you do."
"But Zim, this is what? Alga, bread mold and, is that rust?" Dib picked through the bowl.
"Yes. I got it off of an old water valve. All of this is easy for me to digest, even if it's a very limited selection." He sounded disappointed at that fact.
"Okay. We'll check on the living things first. Its all Earth based. They may have a chemical in them that trigger growth hormones. Hand me a sample of blood." He snapped some old goggles over his eyes and held out a hand.
Zim reluctantly handed Dib the vial. They had taken a pint of his blood. Which was a deep red color, darker than human blood.
He hadn't minded the needle, or the sight of his own blood. But the resemblance of the activity to a morbid scene from his worst nightmares had made him nervous. He almost expected tall men in white coats and arrogant laughs to come in at any moment.
It was all he could do to not 'freak out' as Dib called it.
It had taken him a long time to find things he could eat safely on this rock. Until his betrayal he had been using a replicator for the right food. He had gnawed on a rusty nail that he found smelled and tasted like Cever. A fast growing mineral they could actually raise fresh on the ships. It was close but Cever didn't give him a bloated feeling.
He glanced over at Dib to find the Human staring.
"Worried?"
Zim folded his arms together. "About what?"
"That we won't find it." He reached for an empty vial.
"Of course not. If we don't isolate it I'll still get it by eating like I have been."
There was a clink of metal on glass. "Then are you worried that we will?"
"What is this questioning?" Zim asked feeling agitated.
"Sorry."
Pause.
"You don't have to be here you know. With the limited equipment it's a one person job."
Zim shook his head. "And do what? The Humans here ignore me, except for maybe Gaz. But she is not one to be a conversationalist."
"Like you are." Dib said not looking up.
"Hrrm." Zim muttered.
"What about Gir?" Rattling sounds as he shifted a rack of tubes.
"The Humans adore him." Zim shifted in his chair.
"Jealous?"
"No!"
"Just asking."
Another pause.
Zim stood up. "I'll be back to check on the results later."
"Okay." Dib didn't look up.
Dib heard the door shut and lifted his head. He couldn't help but smile. Zim was different, still arrogant yes but different. He wondered just how long before he got to that calm, even-tempered creature he had met on his 'trip'.
Guess he'd have to just wait it out. He sighed and went back to the sample in front of him.
