Braids
Chapter 8
The Truth of Teq
That night, Dib had trouble sleeping. He worried for Esther, and now that he knew who the Razerken was, he just didn't feel comfortable sleeping a few rooms away from him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Come on Dib," he said to himself, "Forget it all; go to bed." His ears then picked up a small sound coming from Esther's room. He quickly walked through the darkness, and into Esther's room, "Esther? Are you OK?" He saw that Esther tossed and turned in her sleep; she let out small silent groans of pain, and sweat covered her body, "Esther?" He sat down next to her and gently shook her, "Braids? Braids, wake up!"
Finally, Esther's eyes slowly opened. She quickly threw herself into Dib's arms, not crying, but Dib could tell she wanted to. "It hurts even more."
Dib's face wrinkled with a worried expression, "Lay down." Esther did, and Dib lifted her T-shirt. Not only was the blue mark still there, but there was another, slightly smaller and on the other side of her stomach. "What are these?" Dib questioned, "And how can they just show up like they do?"
"Maybe we should go to Zim. See if he knows anything."
'No, not Zim," thought Dib, "If I ask him for help so many times, it'll look like I'm weak and can't survive my own life!' He looked down at Esther, 'But Esther's hurt bad... and Zim does know a lot... There's gotta be a second choice... Of course! Teq! Yeah, I bet he'll know what's going on.' Dib gave Esther a quick kiss on the cheek, "Get some rest. I'll be right back."
"Where are you going? ...to Zim's?"
"... yeah, to Zim's..."
But Dib did not go to Zim, instead he went the other alien he knew, Teq. Teq was surprised to see Dib, and even more surprised when he heard what Dib had to say, "Teq, I need your help."
"Sure, what's up."
"Well, first of all I should probably let you know, I know the truth."
"The truth? I'm confused... the truth about what?"
"That you're an alien. A Razerken."
"Well, you got half of it right..."
"What do you mean... half?"
"I am an alien, but I'm not Razerken."
"You're not?"
"Nope. I'm Crekwin. Well, actually half Crekwin, half Razerken. My mother was Crekwin, and my dad... Razerken. Never really liked my dad, so I always called myself Crekwin."
"But your ship... and this..." Dib pulled out the small, circular object.
"First, my ship's hidden deep below this apartment complex... And secondly, that's not mine."
"But it has your name on it."
"No. It has my father's name on it. He's Teq. I'm Teq Jr." corrected Teq, "My stupid dad must've followed me here, and crashed. Anyway... what was it you needed my help with?"
"Esther last night, and this night, she got two weird blue marks on her stomach... I was wondering if you ever heard of anything like this."
"I think I may know what it could be... Can I see the marks?"
Dib nodded and the two of them walked back to Dib's apartment. When they entered Esther's room, she was fast asleep. Teq gently lifted Esther's T-shirt, and studied the blue markings, "Yep, just what I suspected."
"What?"
"Razerkens use these laser beam thingies, to take samples from a newly discovered species. When the Razerkens are done, the lasers normally leave a blue mark behind. It looks like the humans have just been discovered by the Razerkens, and they've chosen your girlfriend as their test subject. The funny thing is... the subject normally doesn't feel a thing. The blue marks are left behind, but they don't hurt or anything... You humans don't happen to be weak against clexredrinian , do you?"
"What the hell is that?"
"You've never heard of the element, clexredrinian?"
"No."
"Oh... then that might be the problem... Those beams are made of clexredrinian and stuff. To Esther, it could be poisoness."
"Can't you get rid of the clezrinanan?"
"It's clexredrinian. And no. I don't have the technology. I grew up with Crekwins, not Razerkens... I stay away from my dad as much as possible. You either need to find a Razerken, or an Irken. The Irkens and the Razerkens share a lot of their technology with each other."
"Zim's an Irken, but I'm avoiding him right now... How about your father?"
"No way! No way am I getting my dad involved with this! I hope he got lost here on Earth, or found another ship to fly back home... Why? What's up with this Zim guy?"
"Long story, that I'd rather not tell. Are you sure you can't get your dad?"
"Even if I did agree for him to help, we wouldn't be able to contact him... This Zim would be our only hope."
Chapter 8
The Truth of Teq
That night, Dib had trouble sleeping. He worried for Esther, and now that he knew who the Razerken was, he just didn't feel comfortable sleeping a few rooms away from him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Come on Dib," he said to himself, "Forget it all; go to bed." His ears then picked up a small sound coming from Esther's room. He quickly walked through the darkness, and into Esther's room, "Esther? Are you OK?" He saw that Esther tossed and turned in her sleep; she let out small silent groans of pain, and sweat covered her body, "Esther?" He sat down next to her and gently shook her, "Braids? Braids, wake up!"
Finally, Esther's eyes slowly opened. She quickly threw herself into Dib's arms, not crying, but Dib could tell she wanted to. "It hurts even more."
Dib's face wrinkled with a worried expression, "Lay down." Esther did, and Dib lifted her T-shirt. Not only was the blue mark still there, but there was another, slightly smaller and on the other side of her stomach. "What are these?" Dib questioned, "And how can they just show up like they do?"
"Maybe we should go to Zim. See if he knows anything."
'No, not Zim," thought Dib, "If I ask him for help so many times, it'll look like I'm weak and can't survive my own life!' He looked down at Esther, 'But Esther's hurt bad... and Zim does know a lot... There's gotta be a second choice... Of course! Teq! Yeah, I bet he'll know what's going on.' Dib gave Esther a quick kiss on the cheek, "Get some rest. I'll be right back."
"Where are you going? ...to Zim's?"
"... yeah, to Zim's..."
But Dib did not go to Zim, instead he went the other alien he knew, Teq. Teq was surprised to see Dib, and even more surprised when he heard what Dib had to say, "Teq, I need your help."
"Sure, what's up."
"Well, first of all I should probably let you know, I know the truth."
"The truth? I'm confused... the truth about what?"
"That you're an alien. A Razerken."
"Well, you got half of it right..."
"What do you mean... half?"
"I am an alien, but I'm not Razerken."
"You're not?"
"Nope. I'm Crekwin. Well, actually half Crekwin, half Razerken. My mother was Crekwin, and my dad... Razerken. Never really liked my dad, so I always called myself Crekwin."
"But your ship... and this..." Dib pulled out the small, circular object.
"First, my ship's hidden deep below this apartment complex... And secondly, that's not mine."
"But it has your name on it."
"No. It has my father's name on it. He's Teq. I'm Teq Jr." corrected Teq, "My stupid dad must've followed me here, and crashed. Anyway... what was it you needed my help with?"
"Esther last night, and this night, she got two weird blue marks on her stomach... I was wondering if you ever heard of anything like this."
"I think I may know what it could be... Can I see the marks?"
Dib nodded and the two of them walked back to Dib's apartment. When they entered Esther's room, she was fast asleep. Teq gently lifted Esther's T-shirt, and studied the blue markings, "Yep, just what I suspected."
"What?"
"Razerkens use these laser beam thingies, to take samples from a newly discovered species. When the Razerkens are done, the lasers normally leave a blue mark behind. It looks like the humans have just been discovered by the Razerkens, and they've chosen your girlfriend as their test subject. The funny thing is... the subject normally doesn't feel a thing. The blue marks are left behind, but they don't hurt or anything... You humans don't happen to be weak against clexredrinian , do you?"
"What the hell is that?"
"You've never heard of the element, clexredrinian?"
"No."
"Oh... then that might be the problem... Those beams are made of clexredrinian and stuff. To Esther, it could be poisoness."
"Can't you get rid of the clezrinanan?"
"It's clexredrinian. And no. I don't have the technology. I grew up with Crekwins, not Razerkens... I stay away from my dad as much as possible. You either need to find a Razerken, or an Irken. The Irkens and the Razerkens share a lot of their technology with each other."
"Zim's an Irken, but I'm avoiding him right now... How about your father?"
"No way! No way am I getting my dad involved with this! I hope he got lost here on Earth, or found another ship to fly back home... Why? What's up with this Zim guy?"
"Long story, that I'd rather not tell. Are you sure you can't get your dad?"
"Even if I did agree for him to help, we wouldn't be able to contact him... This Zim would be our only hope."
