SilverRogue: Are you liking the story so far? There's only one chapter left
to do, but I've got a REALLY busy summer planned, so I might not be able to
post it for a while. I'm sorry if it takes me a while.
Dib laid on his back on the roof, looking up at the stars like he had done countless nights before. He had returned from Zim's lair only hours before, but it seemed like centuries. Pain shot through him again. This time it was worse than ever before. His whole body shaking, he curled up into a little ball, waiting for the pain to subside. It ended as suddenly as it began. Dib climbed shakily to his feet. That's when he saw it. The place where he had been laying was charred black. What the hell had just happened?
"Son! What are you doing up there? Get down this instant!" he heard his dad shout. With a heavy sigh, Dib slid down to the kitchen. Much to his surprise, he didn't land in the sink like he normally did. Professor Membrane caught him before he landed in the soapy water.
Before Dib could do anything else, his dad clipped something loosely around his neck, then set him down on the floor. It felt like a necklace. Dib picked it up and looked at it. It was a skull shaped tag with a little number on the back. Gaz had worn one just like it for as long as Dib could remember, but he had always thought she had bought it somewhere because she liked it. When Dib tried to pull it off, he found that it wouldn't fit over his head.
"Dad! What IS this thing!?"
"It's an ID tag for incase you ever get lost."
"I'm not a dog! I don't NEED an ID tag!"
"Shhh! Not now! I'm making... Spaghetti!"
Dib growled in frustration and left the room. The cord for the little tag was itchy and uncomfortable, making Dib wonder if maybe he was allergic to something that was in it. Gaz started to walk past him, but did a double take when she saw the tag. She paused her game, turning to look at him.
"So you finally got tagged?" she inquired, looking at the little skull.
"Yeah, " Dib sighed, feeling stupid, "I always thought you wore that creepy thing by choice"
"I'm forced to, just like you. You'll get used to the stupid cord... eventually." Gaz smirked a little. She couldn't help but enjoy some of Dib's fear, but she knew that she should probably help him a LITTLE. "If you don't behave, it shocks yo-" a little yelp escaped Gaz as her skull lit up, sending a tiny, painful electric shock through her system. Apparently explaining things to Dib was considered "misbehaving"
Nodding to show that he understood, Dib considered his options. Apparently he had the ability to burn things, even if it hurt him to use it. Gaz's abilities were caused by feelings of irritance and/or anger. What was the trigger for his "power" ? Dib mentally ran through all the times that he had had "attacks". When he had been grabbed by Zim's house, when he realized that he would have to go to Zim for help, and twice after he had made that awful agreement with Zim.
Zim. That was the key! Whenever he was thinking about or near Zim, he had one of his little fits! But how could he know for sure? Dib focused on his hand and said, "Gaz, tell me I'm going to loose against Zim."
"...what?"
"Just do it!"
Gaz shrugged. He has asked for it. "Listen, Dib. Zim is smarter, older, and better than you. He's been highly trained to conquer planets, and you're nothing but a kid. He's got technologies that you've never even DREAMED of..." As Gaz continued to speak, Dib forced himself to let the words hit home, focusing all of his energy on his hand. Success! He felt the now- familiar pain surging through him. It hurt worse than anything he had experienced before. Then it happened. The pain shot out through his hand and formed a little ball of energy over it. It glowed a brilliantly bright shade of red, and it didn't hurt anymore. He could sense the warmth of the little sphere of red light. Just then, the smoke detector went off, blaring a warning that there was fire in the house.
Professor Membrane dashed in, wondering how the hell the kids could have managed to set off the detector. Probably just one of Dib's shenanigans. He looked at his kids, then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the little ball of light floating over his son's hand. He only caught a glimpse of it, because Dib had turned it off as soon as he had run in, but he had SEEN it, if only for a second. It had finally happened! The specimen was finally reacting to the formula X! He HAD to get it to the lab for testing! This could be a MAJOR breakthrough. "Kids, get in the car. You've got a doctor's appointment."
Minutes later, they were on their way. Dib was half-mad with fear, his mind racing frantically. This wasn't a doctors appointment! They were driving the wrong direction! Why was his dad going so fast!?! Dib knew he had to calm down. He had to THINK! His life, and maybe Gaz's, depended on it.
That's when he remembered the tracker/communicator that Zim gave him. He was supposed to hit it if he was in trouble, and it would track his movements so that Zim could find and help him. Seriously doubting that the alien would keep his word, Dib hit the button on it, then slid it back into his pocket.
Back in the lab under the base, Zim was testing the laser weasels. They would be ripe soon. Gir ran up to him or, to be more precise, ran IN to him, knocking him over.
"GIR!" Zim yelled, pushing the miserable little bucket of bolds off him. "What is it!?"
"Master! The Dib human sent for help! It's making my guidance chip all beepy!"
"I'd better go help him," Zim sighed. "Where is he now?"
Gir focused his guidance chip. Locating the Dib was hard. He'd never had to locate a moving target before. Finally, Gir managed to come up with a location and pointed. "He's... thataway! At a big lab-looking building!"
Zim and Gir were at the Membrane Institute of Higher Science within the hour. Using Gir's guidance system as both a compass and a map, they traveled through the heating system. Gir got them lost about five times, but eventually they were looking into the room where the scientists were keeping the sad little earth monkey. Zim looked over the edge just in time to see the professor put a mask over the Dib's face.
Professor Membrane never knew what hit him.
Dib laid on his back on the roof, looking up at the stars like he had done countless nights before. He had returned from Zim's lair only hours before, but it seemed like centuries. Pain shot through him again. This time it was worse than ever before. His whole body shaking, he curled up into a little ball, waiting for the pain to subside. It ended as suddenly as it began. Dib climbed shakily to his feet. That's when he saw it. The place where he had been laying was charred black. What the hell had just happened?
"Son! What are you doing up there? Get down this instant!" he heard his dad shout. With a heavy sigh, Dib slid down to the kitchen. Much to his surprise, he didn't land in the sink like he normally did. Professor Membrane caught him before he landed in the soapy water.
Before Dib could do anything else, his dad clipped something loosely around his neck, then set him down on the floor. It felt like a necklace. Dib picked it up and looked at it. It was a skull shaped tag with a little number on the back. Gaz had worn one just like it for as long as Dib could remember, but he had always thought she had bought it somewhere because she liked it. When Dib tried to pull it off, he found that it wouldn't fit over his head.
"Dad! What IS this thing!?"
"It's an ID tag for incase you ever get lost."
"I'm not a dog! I don't NEED an ID tag!"
"Shhh! Not now! I'm making... Spaghetti!"
Dib growled in frustration and left the room. The cord for the little tag was itchy and uncomfortable, making Dib wonder if maybe he was allergic to something that was in it. Gaz started to walk past him, but did a double take when she saw the tag. She paused her game, turning to look at him.
"So you finally got tagged?" she inquired, looking at the little skull.
"Yeah, " Dib sighed, feeling stupid, "I always thought you wore that creepy thing by choice"
"I'm forced to, just like you. You'll get used to the stupid cord... eventually." Gaz smirked a little. She couldn't help but enjoy some of Dib's fear, but she knew that she should probably help him a LITTLE. "If you don't behave, it shocks yo-" a little yelp escaped Gaz as her skull lit up, sending a tiny, painful electric shock through her system. Apparently explaining things to Dib was considered "misbehaving"
Nodding to show that he understood, Dib considered his options. Apparently he had the ability to burn things, even if it hurt him to use it. Gaz's abilities were caused by feelings of irritance and/or anger. What was the trigger for his "power" ? Dib mentally ran through all the times that he had had "attacks". When he had been grabbed by Zim's house, when he realized that he would have to go to Zim for help, and twice after he had made that awful agreement with Zim.
Zim. That was the key! Whenever he was thinking about or near Zim, he had one of his little fits! But how could he know for sure? Dib focused on his hand and said, "Gaz, tell me I'm going to loose against Zim."
"...what?"
"Just do it!"
Gaz shrugged. He has asked for it. "Listen, Dib. Zim is smarter, older, and better than you. He's been highly trained to conquer planets, and you're nothing but a kid. He's got technologies that you've never even DREAMED of..." As Gaz continued to speak, Dib forced himself to let the words hit home, focusing all of his energy on his hand. Success! He felt the now- familiar pain surging through him. It hurt worse than anything he had experienced before. Then it happened. The pain shot out through his hand and formed a little ball of energy over it. It glowed a brilliantly bright shade of red, and it didn't hurt anymore. He could sense the warmth of the little sphere of red light. Just then, the smoke detector went off, blaring a warning that there was fire in the house.
Professor Membrane dashed in, wondering how the hell the kids could have managed to set off the detector. Probably just one of Dib's shenanigans. He looked at his kids, then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the little ball of light floating over his son's hand. He only caught a glimpse of it, because Dib had turned it off as soon as he had run in, but he had SEEN it, if only for a second. It had finally happened! The specimen was finally reacting to the formula X! He HAD to get it to the lab for testing! This could be a MAJOR breakthrough. "Kids, get in the car. You've got a doctor's appointment."
Minutes later, they were on their way. Dib was half-mad with fear, his mind racing frantically. This wasn't a doctors appointment! They were driving the wrong direction! Why was his dad going so fast!?! Dib knew he had to calm down. He had to THINK! His life, and maybe Gaz's, depended on it.
That's when he remembered the tracker/communicator that Zim gave him. He was supposed to hit it if he was in trouble, and it would track his movements so that Zim could find and help him. Seriously doubting that the alien would keep his word, Dib hit the button on it, then slid it back into his pocket.
Back in the lab under the base, Zim was testing the laser weasels. They would be ripe soon. Gir ran up to him or, to be more precise, ran IN to him, knocking him over.
"GIR!" Zim yelled, pushing the miserable little bucket of bolds off him. "What is it!?"
"Master! The Dib human sent for help! It's making my guidance chip all beepy!"
"I'd better go help him," Zim sighed. "Where is he now?"
Gir focused his guidance chip. Locating the Dib was hard. He'd never had to locate a moving target before. Finally, Gir managed to come up with a location and pointed. "He's... thataway! At a big lab-looking building!"
Zim and Gir were at the Membrane Institute of Higher Science within the hour. Using Gir's guidance system as both a compass and a map, they traveled through the heating system. Gir got them lost about five times, but eventually they were looking into the room where the scientists were keeping the sad little earth monkey. Zim looked over the edge just in time to see the professor put a mask over the Dib's face.
Professor Membrane never knew what hit him.