Incororating Life
Epic Five
Written by Cartman's Girl and Invader Poe

~*~

Chapter 2

Zib, as it turns, was not. Another brown out had fried the microwave - they'd stooped to salvaging human equipment, old, thrown out human equipment nonetheless - and Zib coughed, clearing the air of smoke.

"En," He wheezed, "I don't know how much more of this me OR Beka can take." Beka could be seen, sat to the side. Cables were strung from her head into the houses' walls and clearly she was tired from generating power when they needed it. Enid was sat on the table, reading through the instructions for the microwave. She groaned, lowering it.

"I know what you mean..." she muttered. Zib sat down on the table beside her, frowning at Beka,

"Go ahead and shut it off, Beka, you need a break." He unfolded one of his pod legs, the tip lighting up and acting like a high-tech candle. "Someone needs a job.. and I mean a real job, not an after-school dealy." He ran his claws through his ragged hair scythes, which was now kinked in two places. Beka sighed heavily, shutting off.

"So what can we do Zib? We can't do any more then we're doing now, with Skool and all that..." Enid put the book down, her antennae lowering to the sides of her head.

"Well, we're of age.." he said quietly, "Look.. I know you're involved in school sports and stuff, so I.." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a form to request official removal from school and a pen. He'd already filled most of it out, and just had to forge a signature.

"What?! But Zib! You're.. you're so smart and I'm just in sports, sports are nothing compared to how smart you are in your classes!" Enid's eyes widened at the form and all the information he'd filled in. Zib shook his head firmly, having the stubborness of both his parents.

"Bah, the Skool's taught me all it probably can, I'm already in the most advanced classes they have.. Besides, they need you on teams and stuff."

"I'm not gonna change your mind am I?" she frowned slightly, Beka now on 'sleep mode' in the corner.

"Hey, this way, we'll both be happy." He grinned at her slightly, turning his seat to face her somewhat, "Besides, I also got this.." He pulled another form out of his coat, this one being a job application form, "They're hiring assistants at Gra.. er, Professor Membrane's lab."

"You're going to get a job there? Uh, what about your… I mean Dib?" she took the form from him reading it over, one antennae quirking as she read the details of the job.

"Dad.. Dib's not interested in real science," he snorted, "He prefers to work by himself or with his.. Swollen eyeball group. The job doesn't require any kind of degree, either.. I'm sure I'll probably be doing menial things like fetching equipment at first, but I'm sure I could rise through the ranks!"

"Well, if that's what you want... heck, being paid that I thought you'd need a degree or something." she'd spotted the pay, which was only per week. "But... I wanna see you happy so... go ahead." she smiled slightly, handing the paper back.

"Well, if I do… I think Beka has enough energy to power the replicator, at least, I could make a fake one." He looked at the paper, folding it back into his coat, "I still have to get my stuff from skool, though, and turn in the form. Hopefully they won't request a parent-teacher meeting.."

"If they do, you know we've got those cloaking things in our ID Paks and I could go pretending to be your Mom or something..." she gave a small shrug, leaning on the table with her elbow.

"True.. good thing you wouldn't have to act like my real Mom." He sniggered at that mental image, before his antennae drooped, "I wonder what happened to him.." Enid gave a small shrug, her antennea drooping again.

"I dunno..." she said quietly, scratching her forehead with a claw.

"The computer would probably be able to go into the databanks and find the results of the trail, but.." He glanced up at the wires covering the ceiling, which were dull and lifeless, and had been since they'd moved in.

"I don't think I want to know." Enid said getting up from her seat and walking from the room. Zib frowned and got up quickly, following after her and putting his hand on her upper arm,

"Are you alright?"

"...I miss them, Zib. I know you miss your Mom and what you've gone through with your Dad is probably making my situation seem miniscule but..." she turned her head to him, "I miss Mom and Daddy so much." Zib frowned and put his hand on her opposite shoulder, effectively putting his arm around her,

"I know, but you were a lot... closer to your parents." He squeezed her slightly, "Not all hope is lost.. I mean, they could be on their way back now. Our parents are smart, they'd be able to think of some way out of it.."

"Not if.. not if any of them were deleted." she mumbled possibly more to herself, slowly putting her arms around him and resting her head against his. Zib leaned against her and hugged his other arm around her front.

"You have to be optimistic, En." It was easy for him to say, though, he had the optimism and stubborness of both his parents. He looked around for something to say, then tried in a quiet voice, "At least we're not alone, huh?"

"I'd hate to think of how things would have been without you." she replied quietly, glancing at the ground as her antennae now hung very limply by her sides, showing how long they really were now. "I would have given up a long time ago."

"Hey, if it weren't for you, I'd just be stuck with a bunch of fighting adult Irkens as my only company all my life." He smiled warmly and lifted up the antennae hanging on the side near his hand with this knuckle. Enid shivered a bit as her antennae were lifted, then smiled at him warmly.

"We could never have allowed that now, could we?" she asked.

"'Course not." He grinned slightly and ran his finger down her antennae in an affectionate gesture, probably not realizing how sensitive they were. Well they were really sensitive, giving the length and width of them. She sighed happily as she held onto him, one the antennae curling up slightly in reaction to his finger.

"Nope." she said very quietly now. Zib chuckled softly and nuzzled her temple,

"I mean, without you, who'd be my bestest friend?" He said in a soft, but playful tone, probably oblivious to the fact the way they were snuggled up would indicate a bit more than friendship.

"I dunno... Gir?" she smirked slightly, running one hand up over the nape of his neck and toying with his black hair.

"Nah, I could only be his best friend if I was a pig, or a taco." He arched his shoulders slightly, the hair on the back of his neck bristling, and lead her over to the couch so they could sit.

"I guess, but you do mean a lot you know." Enid said as she sat on the couch, the hand on his neck drawing up more and now stroked the base of his antennae hair/scythes. He curled the tip of her antennae around his finger and closed his eyes, his own strange antennae rather sensitive.

"Not as much as you mean to me," he mumbled quietly, leaning against her.

"I'd go far enough to say, Zib," she paused as her antennae wrapped back around his finger gently, "That I love you." with that she traced her own finger from base, upwards of his antennae. Zib blinked over at her, shivering when she ran her claw through the hair sprouting off his antennae,

"Really? I mean.." He smiled, somewhat goofily, but warm and sweet, "I love you too, Enid." she smiled back warmly at him, then since they've been hugging she leans her head over, almost kissing him now, then really leans in and kisses him softly on the lips. Zib closes his eyes again and kisses her back, hugging her tightly, one arm reaching up to resume stroking of her antennae, taking it between his index claw and his thumb. He soon felt one of his own antennae/scythes being stroked sensually by Enid's hand, as she held the kiss with him, the other arm wrapped around his middle. He shifted his weight around and leaned against her a bit more firmly, twining her antennae around his finger and running it through his fingers.

Enid smiled against the kiss, shifting her weight and leaned back somewhat as she tilted her head to the side to accomodate Zib more, her hand now somewhat massaging his antennae. Zib made a muffled sound and ran his finger over the area of her antennae Enid had pierced, which was probably even more sensitive because of it, and wrapped his other arm around her lower waist. With her highly sensitive spot now being just been brushed against she made a muffled groany sound against his lips, her antennae shivering as he did. Zib blinked at the sound, before squeezing his eyes shut and perking his antennae, tracing the area around her peircing lightly with his claw tip. The kiss, from Enid's side seemed to get somewhat wild when Zib then felt her tongue slide through into his mouth, tracing it along his own. And, as luck would have it Gir then walked into the room carrying a battery operated small TV screen and sat down on the ground, watching it intently. A shiver ran up Zib's spine, and he started to open his mouth to return the, er, tonguing, when the loud sounds from the small TV interrupted him. He blinked one eye open and glared down at Gir, making a muffled *AHEM* sound. Gir turned his head towards Zib and Enid, and seemed completely oblivious to the fact the two were locking lips and playing with each other's antennae.

"Wha?" he asked innocently. Enid opened one eye too, glancing at the robot in an annoyed way. Zib reluctantly freed his mouth from Enid,

"Do you MIND?" He grumbled, "Can't you watch that somewhere else?" He jerked his head towards the kitchen impatiently.

"I like the lounge." Gir said quietly in an almost spooky voice, looking back at the TV intently. Enid rolled her eyes, leaning her head up against Zib's.

"Y'know, in a way I'm glad it ended there... if you know what I mean." she said quietly to him. Zib let out a quiet sigh,

"I guess so," he mumbled, looking a little.. antsy, still glaring at Gir out of the corner of his eye. He leaned his cheek against her head and nestled against her, though. She smiled, and stroked the other side of his face with her hand and shut her eyes.

"Little annoying robots aside Zib, that was great." He looked down at her and grinned,

"Yeah, it was.. We'll have to do it again sometime," He snickered quietly,

"Very." she replied.

One Month Later, still on Earth

The Membrane house hold was at it's usual way of life. Professor working more then nine hours a day, Dib working on his investigations and Gaz playing her games. It was early one Saturday morning when Professor had slept in. Hey working on what he works on takes a lot out of you, and seeing how he had twenty minutes to spare, he went down to the kitchen to have some coffee. There, Dib was eating his breakfast.

"Good morning son!" he chimed as he poured his coffee into a mug.

"Morning," Dib muttered out of habit more than anything, with a mouthfull of cereal. He looked up at Dad from over the rim of his glasses, "You sure seem chipper this morning."

"Oh ho I have good reason to be!" Membrane claimed, sitting down while sipping his coffee er, somehow. "We recently hired a young man to help around my laboratories in town, and he's been a great investment. He must have come from the same place your foregin friend came from son, he's green. Well, yellow green anyway." Dib, who'd been taking another bite of his cereal, did a spit-take,

"Yellow green kid? What were his.. other features?" Dib raised an eyebrow, having a pretty good idea of who it was, but he had to be sure.

"Hrmmm... now I think about it, he looks like you. Big head, glasses, hair style... heh, coicincidences eh?" he sipped his coffee again, finishing it off as Gaz entered the room and began making herself some toast. Dib suddenly looked very disgruntled, grumbling to himself,

"That annoying little spawn, I told him to get out of my life!" He took his anger out on his cereal, munching it loudly, "I should have captured him when I had the chance.."

"Let me guess, more aliens?" Membrane got up and poured him some more coffee.

"Worse." Gaz muttered, "This one's part him part alien."

"I'm sure daughter, I'm sure."

"He's no relation of mine!" Dib said quickly, never having told Dad about the incident that produced Zib and not really wanting to, "He was an.. experiment of Zim's. And he's probably trying to follow in Zim's footsteps! Or… just annoy me."  Membrane stopped sipping his coffee, looking at Dib.

"He came here a while back," Gaz walked past Membrane to get some juice from the fridge as the toaster made bread into toast. "But he refused him help at all. Then he fed him some balony that sounded like something you'd say." with that Gaz went back to her toast, took it and left the room.

"There's no reason for me to help him! He's just a clone spawn thingee!" Dib shouted in his defence at Gaz's back, then pushed his cereal away, loosing his appetite. His Father shook his head, sighing.

"My poor dysfunctional son... your Mother said you'd take after me weather you'd like it or not."

"After you? No way!" He looked somewhat disturbed, "For one, I study paranormal science, not mundane science.." He started listing off these irrelevant reasons on his fingers.

"Yet from what Gaz said you don't pay any heed to this spawn thingie." Membrane pointed out, sipping his coffee. "And I know I haven't been the ideal Father of the mellenium, for I study the great world of science for the greater good and don't bother my time with hunting big foots that you say, used our belt sander."

"But he's not my responsibility! He's just one of Zim's freaky experiments! And I've saved the planet multiple times from Zim!" He glared at his Dad, "Not that anyone believes me.."

"Yes yes I know all about your said 'Victories for Earth'.." Membrane sighed, then looked at Dib. "Son, did I ever tell you what exactly happened to your Mother?"

"..no, not that I recall. I'd always assumed she'd been abducted by aliens or something.."

"No son. She's down in the lab." he pointed downwards, "And always have been."

"She is?!" Dib's eyes widened at this revelation, "Wait, how come I've never seen her?" He held his chin thoughtfully, "You mean, she's a ghost?"

"No son, she isn't a ghost." Membrane shook his head, before sipping more coffee. "She was unfortunete enough to have been subjected to a project we were both working on and was transformed into a kinda blobbish thing..." he made a hand gesture with 'wobbly' fingers, "But she told me not to tell you two until I thought you'd be ready."

"A blobbish thing? How is she still alive?" He scowled in confusion. Membrane shrugged,

"That, I'm not sure of. But she has access to all what happens in this house, she has screens all around her containment." he then waved to the house plant which hung from the middle of the ceiling. "Hi hon'." Dib looked kind of freaked out now,

"She's been watching us all this time?!" He turned his head towards the plant with a look of slight paranoia. "Uh.. Hi, Mom…"

"Pretty much. But not what happens in bathrooms and such, she knows better then that." Membrane put his cup into the sink, then turned back to Dib. "So son, now you know do you want to see her?"

"Eh.. I suppose so.." He sat up, straightening out his coat, still eyeing the plant with a quirked eyebrow.

"Follow me then." Membrane walked from the room, Gaz had been sat in the lounge all this time and heard it all and when Dib had followed, she'd trailed behind the two.

"Wondered why there was a camera in the mirror.." she muttered. Dib followed his Father downstairs, looking around for this supposed blob. Of course, he expected some horrible thing from a science fiction movie, as he reflected on how it was kinda cool to have a blob for a Mom. They came to a door which had an access code to enter. Membrane pressed in the didgets, and the door slid open. Inside was quite a room. The walls were made of television screens, some of them shown specific rooms of the house. Others, shown rooms from Membrane's labs in town so on and so forth. In the middle of the room was a tall glass container similar to the one Zim had previously had nightmares about being locked in. Inside it, hovering in the goop around it was a dark purple blob. Kinda the size of a human head, but had no other features like eyes, mouth or anything.

"..cool." Gaz said after gazing around the room.

"..that's her?" Dib made a slight face, not quite what he had imagined. He looked around for something to say, "Um.. Nice to finally see you, Mom. I.. think." He said at the blob, not sure which part was the, er, face.

"Nice to finally speak face to face with you, Dib." a voice replied which sounded more computerized then human. Membrane looked down at Dib and Gaz,

"The voice generator reads her brain waves, thus giving her a voice. Seeing how this is Mother children time, I've got to get to work anyway." he gave a nod to the blob, then walked from the room. Dib waved offhandedly at his Dad, still studying the blob curiously.

"So.. I'm guessing you know all about us."

"As much as I can." came the responce.

"Do ya know everything?" Gaz raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm... enough as I need to know Gaz."

"I'm guessing you saw what happened a few months ago, then." Dib grumbled, stuffing his hands in his trench coat pockets.

"Had very good view of it dear." a cable from the container pointed to a screen which shown the front door very plainly, inside and out. The newspaper had arrived by now, and lay on the grass. Dib muttered to himself and glared at the floor.

"He has no business asking me for lodging anyway.."

"Well, in my honest opinion Dib I think he did, sort of. He's still young, and from what I hear not used to being without that Zim boy." the blob wobbled slightly, moving upwards in it's container. "But still, you were just there to cause the accident so what right have I to say. I just ended up pregnant twice by mistake."

"I was just trying to stop Zim's plot to clone himself an army of... Zimmies, and it got some of my DNA. So it's all his fault," He said in his defense.

"Stop pointing fingers Dib." Gaz grunted, while watching one of the screens which shown a TV show.

"Dib, I've heard you say over and over again numerous times that you never wanted to become like your Father, and you have good reason not to. But for a moment, step out of yourself and look at yourself. You slowly are becoming your Father, as Gaz noted when you said the same thing your Father fed me, when he'd pay me no attention while I was carrying you." the blob slid back down to the base of the container. "Oh to have ankles that swell again..."

"But.." Dib scowled and trailed off, begrudgingly realizing she had a point. "Well, what am I suppose to do? I mean, I'm not much more than a teenager myself."

"Better to be a friend then a Father." his Mom replied simply, one cable shooting up and fixing his hair which because of Dib not being a morning person, was still messy.

"But.. bah." He looked down at the ground, remembering it had been kind of nice to have someone to talk to when he took Zib out on those hunting expeditions when they were both younger. "He seems to be doing fine on his own.. though I wonder how he's working and going to school at the same time.."

"He seems to be not going to Skool at all." the cable pointed to a screen which shown the labs of Membrane across town, "I've seen him arrive there every day this week at eight, and leave every night at five."

"He is?" Dib did some quick calculation in his head, "Well, I guess he would be non-technically old enough.. I guess he dropped out." A look of slight guilt crossed his face.

"Well, getting money to give power to a house is a lot. Obviously having to live alone with that Enid girl, one of them needed a good job." the cable returned to it's normal stance. "He seems to have your determination to look after himself." Dib scratched the back of his head.

"I guess so.." He sighed. "So what do I do, lend him money? I don't have any myself.." He hated to admit it, but his 'son' was being more productive than he was,  probably something to do with having both Dib and Zim's stubbornness.

"He seems to be fine, money wise dear. I say, you try to fix the big canyon that's between you first."

"Yeah before you find an alien ray gun shot at your head." Gaz said as she turned back towards the two.

"He wouldn't shoot me, I'm his.. oh, wait." He remembered that he disowned Zib, then shook his head. "Fine, fine, but I'm not going to have anything to do with him if he's anything like his.. Mom."

"Oh look, there he is." the cable then pointed to the main doors of Professor Membrane's labs in town, and sure enough, Zib was at the front door. Zib sighed and walked into the building, wearing a white, buttoned-up lab coat instead of his usual Dib-like trench coat. He perked up when someone off-screen called his name, and he ran off to, well, assist.

"What, you think I should go talk to him?" Dib asked, while watching the montior.

"Totally up to you, dear." his Mother replied gently.

"Got any video games in here Mom?" Gaz glanced around, the cable pointed to a screen with a joy stick, and Gaz went off to play whatever her Mom had entertained herself with.

"Oh alright." Dib sighed in resignation, effectively guilt-tripped, and headed out of the lab. Soon enough, the secretaries voice called out to the lab,

"There's someone here to see.. Zib?" She looked slightly confused, Dib usually being there for his Dad and all. Zib blinked and set down the test tube he was holding, wandering over to the door and assuming it was Enid, greeting as he opened the door,

"Hi En--oh." He was instead faced with the non-smiley on Dib's shirt, and he glared up at the human. "What do you want?"

"I deserve that kind of greeting." Dib said, looking down at Zib. He put his hands into his pockets, tilting his head slightly. "So how are things?" Zib's mood didn't change as he pushed the door open in full, thinking Dib was up to something.

"..fine." He said, "Your dad was more interested in helping me than you were," he huffed in an accusory tone.

"I know, I found out today. My Mom kinda talked some sense into me." he sighed, kinda hurt at the tone of voice Zib was giving him, but still didn't blame him.

"Your Mom? I thought she was abducted by aliens or something.." He looked slightly confused.

"So did I. Turns out she's a blob living in in Dad's lab and watches everything."

"That's.." He scrunched his face up slightly, "..freaky." He shook his head and pushed up his glasses, "So now what, have you come to grovel for forgiveness?"

"Groveling isn't me, Zib. I just.. want to say I'm sorry for being a jerk before and if I could, I'd change it." he shrugged slightly, "I guess I'm becoming more like my Dad then I ever wanted, and yeah..."

"Oh." He scowled, his Zimmy side disappointed. "Well don't bother, I'm fine without you!" He folded his arms and turned away from Dib, glaring at the wall, "You were never there for me befoe, so I see no reason for you to start now."

"You're right, I'm not ready to be a Father to anyone right now. I just wanted you to know that if you ever did need me, though I highly doubt it since you're more productive then me, that I'm here." Dib pushed his glasses back onto his nose since they'd been slipping. "That's all." Zib's rigid shoulders slumped slightly, and he frowned, staring at the ground before glancing at his Dad out of the corner of his eye.

"Really?" He suddenly got defensive again, "This isn't just some plot to capture me, is it?" Dib shook his head slowly.

"I'm not up to anything, for probably once in my life. Remember when I'd take you out hunting big foot with me, and we'd talk all about paranormal stuff?" he smiled slightly, running his free hand through his scythe. "I liked things like that, we weren't Father and son then, we were like, friends. And I've never had any before." Zib nodded slightly, his standoffishness slowly fading,

"Yeah... None of the guys here want anything to do with paranormal stuff. They all think it's a bunch of hooey." He snorted somehow, "I've been tempted to take off my contacts and show them just how much hooey it is!"

"Do that and you'll end up being an experiment here." Dib smirked, "And I'm sure you and Enid don't want that."

"I know," He stuffed his hands in his pockets, jangling some tools in there, "Stupid humans." He glared back at the lab, "Enid's not really interested in that stuff either.. so.. yeah.. I've kinda missed that." He looked up at Dib slightly, just over his glasses.

"...so what time do you get off today?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Um.." He looked down at his watch, "Around 5 or so.." He was working full time, afterall, and then some.

"Well how about when you got some free time we just... do stuff like we used to?" Dib asked, sounding somewhat hopeful. The chance to spend time with Zib again, and be around someone who is into the things he likes wasn't something he'd done in ages.

"Eh.. Sure, I'd just have to stop at home to tell Enid where I was going." He still wasn't sure what to think about his Dad suddenly taking an interest in his life again. "So.. um, I'll see you then, Dib?"

"Sure." Dib gave him a nod, "Looking forward to it."

[To be continued]