(Ah, angst. Yummy, yummy angst, sweetly combined with Dib/Zim slash. ::inhales deeply:: What a recipe. And when you decide to make oh-so-early
in the morning... I swear, I honestly stayed up until 1 A.M. just to start this chapter. I may not finish it in one sitting, but... R&R and enjoy it, pleeze.)



Wind Song
Chapter Two: Irken Troubles


"So... it's true then..."

It happened. After years and years of hiding the truth, it happened.

The Tallest slipped in front of Zim.

Quietly, he shut off the communicator.

Zim sighed at the screen again. He had begun to suspect the real story behind his mission, yet the whole idea of him being sent away in the hope that
he would die still came as a shock to him. He practicaly knew about it, so why did he feel so bad?

Zim leaned against the moniter and slid down on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. He closed his eyes and recalled the memories of what he
had just been told. The Tallest weren't exactly harsh about it, but they didn't have to be so rude either. Their words echoed in his mind...

/We're surprised you didn't figure it out by now Zim.../

/... you're a failure/

/We no longer require your assistance in the Irken Armada.../

That had been the real taker. Removed from the Armada? No... a great Invader such as himself must be included in such an elite force!!

"... but how long can you fool yourself, Zim?" he said aloud, his voice cracking slightly, "How long can you pretend that you're something you're not?"
He hung his head in shame. "And that would be a great invader..." he whispered, the tears welling up.

Instantly, he brought a leather-clad glove hard across his cheek. (Don't cry, dammit.) He thought frantically. (Self-control... keep your self-control...) Just
to be sure, he slapped himself again.

It didn't help. The tears only pushed harder aginst his self-made barrier of his eyelids. But he couldn't dam the river forever, and soon a raging flood
overflowed down the sides of Zim's face and onto the lab floor.

He kept telling himself, no, stop it, but his soul never obeyed. His soul continued to pour hot, salt-streaked liquid from the ruby optics of the young
Irken. Zim still fought it; no... (Now is not the time for weakness.) He stood up slowly, trying to control his shaky sobs.

Then a transmission came back through. The Tallest had felt the slightest pangs of guilt, and it was interfering with their duties, so they called to relieve
it. "Zim, we---"

That was all that Tallest Red could speak. The moment Zim saw their faces, every memory - not just the ones from today - but the ones from long ago...
from his banishment to FoodCourtia, the hostility towards him at the Great Assigning, all that and more came rushing back at the sight of his "leaders".
It was too much for him to bear. His soul advanced forward with an angry avalance of tears, and Zim, who was ashamed to cry, ran from the lab, his
unsteady wails echoing throughout the vast hallways of his laboratory.

Then there was Gir, who had that unusual ability to sense when something was wrong. He offered his little andriod hugs, and as much relief as they had
provided for Zim, something was still missing. Gir's friendship was indeed important to Zim, but... it wasn't enough. Zim longed for someone to have,
someone to hold, someone to call his own. He chuckled lightly. "In a sense, I already do."

(Dib...)

Dib was the only human that had any significace to Zim in the least. He could think of no one else. Gaz, Keef, Sarah, and dozens of other scumbags that
he was forced to be in contact with - none of them mattered. But Dib... Dib was the only human Zim could call "stinkbeast" and feel proud of it. All the
other children would look at him weird and go back to their miserable Earth lives. On the other hand, Dib would respond, often calling him "space boy"
or "alien scum." That would remind Zim that he had a mission, he had a purpose for living. But now that his purpose was gone, what was left?

Zim closed his eyes and thought of Dib. He wanted nothing more than to see the human sliced to bits... but that was before he failed. Now that had no
place to go, could they grow to be friends? Or beyond that even?

"Never. He hates me."

Zim shook the thought from his head. (Now is not the time to think negatively!!) One rule of being an Invader is being assertive. And even though Zim
was no longer an official Invader, he still had years and years of training to put to good use. "Yes..." he decided. "I must establish a bond with Dib."

Zim smiled. He had spoken the human's name without a hint of spite. That was a good start.

"Gir, I'm going out! Watch the base." He had to find Dib. He had to start over. Sure, it was a risky move, but if puch led to shove, Zim still had a nifty
little laser device in his backpod. He marched out the door, down the front walk, down the sidewalk, around the bend...

And smacked right into Dib.



______
Heh, how about that? 1:42 A.M. I did it in one sitting. I never got to say it before, but big, happy thank yoo's to those who were kind enough to read
and review to the first chapter. It's that kind of support that makes me want to write more, and it's also why I decided not to put this off until Saturday.
I need sleep now.