Okay, people, you'd better appreciate this chapter, cause I can hardly see what I'm typing. My whole left eye is blurred completely. If there are a lot of typos, please let me know, cause I can't see properly.
A lot of stuff has been going on, so I haven't been able to update as much as I'd like to. Sorry for the delay people, I don't really have an excuse. But would you rather have a crappy chapter right away, or a good chapter after a long wait? I dunno, some people might prefer the crappy one. Whatever. I'll try and update whenever I get the chance. Just so ya know, I'm not abandoning this story, ever.
Disclaimer: Breaking the law is fun!
Chapter 11
Gir skipped along the sidewalk, deep in the city. The computer had finally finished tracing Zim's backpod and given Gir the address. According to the computer, Zim's backpod was somewhere in the basement of an abandoned K-mart.
"Hey little doggy," said an old, fat man with sunglasses, sitting on his stoop. "I like your tail...heh heh heh..." Gir smiled and wagged his tail happily, causing the old man to laugh harder, making him hack. Gir continued on his way, but was soon stopped by a shady figure in the alley.
"Hey you," said the voice. Gir looked around and pointed to himself, confused. "Yeah you. Come 'ere. I got sumthin' for yous..." Gir shrugged and walked into the alley. The person calling to him was a tall man hidden under a large trench coat and hat. He pulled something out of the inside of his trench coat. It was a watch.
"Ya see this? It's a very rare, very expensive watch. Worth over 500 bucks. But for yous...I'll give it to ya for $8."
"What's that red, beeping thing?" Gir said, pointing at what seemed to be a tracking device.
"That?...um...that's..."
"And why are you so nervous? And why do I hear police sirens?"
"How bout $2?"
"DEAL!"
The trench coat man smiled, taking Gir's money and flinging the watch at him. He ran off and out of sight. Gir put on the watch and giggled. He walked out of the alley and found himself surrounded by police cars.
"Put your hands up!" called the police chief through a megaphone. Two officers threw a net over Gir, while two others got their clubs ready. "We've gotcha now, sonny boy. No use in resisting. Bring him in!" A few officers grabbed at the tangled net and threw it into the police truck.
Gir blinked and struggled to get up. "Am I gonna be on that Cops show?" he asked eagerly.
"Not unless you put up a fight."
Gir nodded and started yelling. "You'll never take me alive! Never! I'm innocent, I swear! I was holding it for my cousin! Eat at Joe's!"
"Tell it to the judge," said the driver, and they sped off toward the jail.
At the Society
Experiment: Splish Splash
Test Subject: Subject A
How it Works: Subject is latched to a platform on the ceiling in a way so that it can see the floor. Subject's wrists, ankles, and waist are latched down, but its neck remains free. Below the subject is a deep pool of water. The platform can be lowered into the pool at high speeds, but can't go back up very fast - technical problems. Experiment ends if subject when subject faints or nearly drowns.
Reason for Experiment: Tests subject's reaction to water - two scientists discovered a chemical reaction of some sort.
Zim shook his head as he woke up. He had the strangest feeling he was falling. He slowly opened one of his eyes and was a bit confused at what he saw. Far below him, there was a big, blue circle, filled with something that seemed to be moving. A few small, black dots moved around, and Zim soon realized they were the heads of people.
He blinked a few times and tried to think. Sweat rolled down between his eyes and dripped down. It fell down into the blue circle, and Zim saw the shadows of ripples form.
"Mommy," Zim said quietly in a high pitched voice. Not only was he hanging high in the air, but he was hanging over water. He started trembling, unable to control his emotions. Pride and honor drifted away, and Zim found himself ready to cry out for mercy. He'd never been in anything deeper than a puddle, and that alone had been torture. How would he possibly survive in a 12 foot deep pool?
Zim heard a loud clanking noise, and the platform he was on started moving down. His eyes went wide as he saw the blue circle grow larger. He heard another clank, and the platform went faster. All of Zim's memories of water balloons and rain storms came rushing back. There was one last clank, and the platform went rushing down toward the pool. Air rushed up at Zim and pushed him hard onto the platform, making his eyes water.
"Oh, please, no, you can't!" Zim screamed as he saw his reflection in the water, but his voice was drained out by the whistle of the speeding platform's wind. There was a huge splash and the squeal of brakes as the platform slowed itself down.
Zim stung with pain from the force of entering the water at such a high speed, his breath taken away. After only a brief moment underwater, the burning began. The pain took over him, throwing away all other thoughts or feelings. Zim let out a gurgled shriek, unable to cope with it. It was a deep, unspeakable pain, like no other Zim had felt.
Soon, Zim felt his chest burning from lack of oxygen, and he knew he couldn't hold up much longer. He panicked and started struggling to get free. But it was useless, the burning pain only getting worse and crippling him. Zim's chest caved in and he gasped for air, but he ended up breathing in a lot of water. Zim went limp and decided to give himself up to death. The pain dulled down a little as he started to drift off into the darkness.
There was a rush of air and a loud grinding noise as the platform pulled itself out of the water and back up towards the ceiling. Zim coughed hard, forcing his body forward. Most of the water he'd swallowed, along with some blood, came out, but not with out pain. The burning stopped and became a dull ache. Zim's muscles quivered as the water dripped off of him. He felt a mix of emotions, but ultimately felt like breaking down and crying. He couldn't take such harsh physical stress anymore, and everybody was against him. They wouldn't care if he broke his neck during an experiment - they'd drug him up and put him in another.
The platform finally reached the ceiling and halted with a clang. There was a loud buzz from a loudspeaker, and a bridge started to extend from the two sides of the room. After the bridge was complete and stable underneath Zim, two scientists appeared and apprached Zim. Zim didn't see either of them. The light had gone out of his eyes. He'd lost hope.
Oiy, that chapter was short. I didn't mean for it to be - I actually had more to add, but I didn't have enough time. Sorry folks. Next chapter is going to be a lot better and longer. At least I finally updated! Heh...yeah. Anyway, thanks for being so patient. Seeya in about two weeks - maybe even less!
-Crystal