LOST AND FOUND
Dib yawned and stopped by a mailbox. "How long yet, Zeke?" The dog sniffed a large hole and barked. Dib glanced at the hole. "You-you mean he's down there?" Zeke barked again. "But how?" He crawled over and felt his chin slam into the ground as his hand slipped on the mud. The mud slid down the tunnel and he heard it splat against something. A faint, weak mew rose up. Dib stood up, determined to find that little alien and destroy him. "Zeke, dig! We have to find him." The German shepherd barked and set to work. Dib took cover behind a tree.
Zim lifted his head, barely keeping his nose and mouth out of reach of the mud and water. Mud fell onto his face and he looked up. A nose was slowly working its way down. Zim howled and fought with a new strength. He slowly pulled free of the wet mud and stood up. His entire body was wet, covered in mud, and he was happy. The dog sniffed him and barked. Zim suddenly wished he was still under the water, which had now covered his paws. The dog grabbed him by the scruff.
Dib looked up as Zeke pulled up a bedraggled kitten out and dropped him. Zim coughed and lay still. Dib grinned and pat the dog on the head. "Good boy, Zeke. We have him cornered at last." Zim looked up weakly as Dib picked him up and threw him in a cage. He was exhausted from trying to get out. Now he wished he was still down in the hole. Zeke growled as he trotted along his master's side. Zim stared sleepily out at the night sky and felt the cage tip. He looked up and smiled.
Dib had tripped and the cage door was hanging wide open. He streaked out and raced across the wet ground, paw prints showing. Dib looked up and growled. "RRR! Zeke, go after him! We can't let him escape again!" The German shepherd growled and took off after the green cat. Zim panted as he turned and headed straight for the dog. Zeke barked as Zim streaked between his legs and raced past Dib. He reached out and grabbed the Irken by his tail. Zim turned and scratched him across the face. Dib yelled and let go. Zim hesitated and tore across the park. He spied the rock, took a deep breath and plunged back into the half filled tunnel.
Zeke ran up with Dib barely hanging on to his collar and Dib reached into the hole. He pulled up and shook the mud off his hand. "That alien's more deluded than I thought!" He turned around and grabbed the dog by the collar. "Listen Zeke. I want you to dig that hole until three of you could fit in there. Got me? I want him dead!" Zeke whined and began to dig. Dib stared at him hard, eye twitching. "Faster!" Zeke whined and dug deeper.
Zim pulled himself out and took a breath. Zeke growled and snapped at him. The Irken was pulled under as his foot lost his balance on a rock that had slid down. Rain poured around the three. Dib shoved Zeke aside and stepped into the mud. He sank up to his waist and plunged his hands in. The hole was about four feet deep. Zeke barked and jumped in, scratching at anything that moved. Zim coughed as he pulled his torso up onto the bank. His body was heavy from the weight of the mud. Thunder rolled across the sky.
Dib looked up and noticed the green cat clambering onto the bank. "OH, NO YOU DON'T!!" Zim turned and was pulled back in the hole. Dib gripped him around the neck. Zeke slid off the bank onto Dib's back and all three were pulled under. Zeke burst out and ran away from the two. Dib rose out and wiped the mud off his glasses. Zim gulped as Dib stared down at him murderously. Dib bared his teeth and tore the collar off Zim's neck, causing him to bleed. Zim yelped as Dib shoved him under the surface. As Dib pulled him up, he bared his claws. "You're insane Dib! Anything that you do to me will never hurt me! It'll just be a joke!"
Dib glared at him hard and tightened his grip. "You're not getting away from me this time, Zim. That's why I led you here!" Zim stared at him, bewildered. "What are you talking about?!" Dib shook his head and pushed the alien back under. Suddenly a dark shape hurtled over him. The dog growled deeply as a girl raced up to him. "What do you think you're doing?" Dib glared at her. "This is none of your business." The dog growled and the girl punched him in the nose. Dib let go of Zim and staggered back onto the bank.
"You broke my nose1" Margo raised another fist. "Any more?" Dib shook his head. "Now git!" Dib took off, leaving the girl and her dog alone. "Pig, save the kitten!" The dog barked and leaped into the mud. He pulled out a muddy kitten and set it on the grass. Margo lifted the lifeless kitten. Tears welled in her eyes. "Oh, you poor thing." Zim opened his eyes and mewed weakly. Pig whined as Margo rubbed his ears. "Come on, Pig. Let's go home."
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After being cleaned up, Margo set the Irken's broken spine. "You poor thing. He really did a number on you." Zim whimpered as he remembered last night. Margo set him on the couch and sat down beside him. Suddenly she noticed a strange marking on his back. It seemed to be a gray colored circle on his back. "What is that?" Zim stood up on his hind legs. "M-my n-name is Z-Zim." Margo stared at him, wide-eyed. "You-you can talk!" Zim waved a paw. "Yes, yes." He stared at her hard. "You MUST take me back to the base. Immediately!" Margo slowly nodded. "Okay." She picked him up and ran out the door.
After a few minutes, they came to the base. Margo burst in and, with Zim's help, found the lab. "Computer, create an antidote for code 0999!" A vial rose up beside the two and Margo handed it to him. Zim lapped it up quickly and dropped the vial. Something was wrong. He coughed and Margo dropped him. "I know, Zim. Isn't revenge sweet?" Dib stepped out from the shadows. He had been hiding there all along.
Dib yawned and stopped by a mailbox. "How long yet, Zeke?" The dog sniffed a large hole and barked. Dib glanced at the hole. "You-you mean he's down there?" Zeke barked again. "But how?" He crawled over and felt his chin slam into the ground as his hand slipped on the mud. The mud slid down the tunnel and he heard it splat against something. A faint, weak mew rose up. Dib stood up, determined to find that little alien and destroy him. "Zeke, dig! We have to find him." The German shepherd barked and set to work. Dib took cover behind a tree.
Zim lifted his head, barely keeping his nose and mouth out of reach of the mud and water. Mud fell onto his face and he looked up. A nose was slowly working its way down. Zim howled and fought with a new strength. He slowly pulled free of the wet mud and stood up. His entire body was wet, covered in mud, and he was happy. The dog sniffed him and barked. Zim suddenly wished he was still under the water, which had now covered his paws. The dog grabbed him by the scruff.
Dib looked up as Zeke pulled up a bedraggled kitten out and dropped him. Zim coughed and lay still. Dib grinned and pat the dog on the head. "Good boy, Zeke. We have him cornered at last." Zim looked up weakly as Dib picked him up and threw him in a cage. He was exhausted from trying to get out. Now he wished he was still down in the hole. Zeke growled as he trotted along his master's side. Zim stared sleepily out at the night sky and felt the cage tip. He looked up and smiled.
Dib had tripped and the cage door was hanging wide open. He streaked out and raced across the wet ground, paw prints showing. Dib looked up and growled. "RRR! Zeke, go after him! We can't let him escape again!" The German shepherd growled and took off after the green cat. Zim panted as he turned and headed straight for the dog. Zeke barked as Zim streaked between his legs and raced past Dib. He reached out and grabbed the Irken by his tail. Zim turned and scratched him across the face. Dib yelled and let go. Zim hesitated and tore across the park. He spied the rock, took a deep breath and plunged back into the half filled tunnel.
Zeke ran up with Dib barely hanging on to his collar and Dib reached into the hole. He pulled up and shook the mud off his hand. "That alien's more deluded than I thought!" He turned around and grabbed the dog by the collar. "Listen Zeke. I want you to dig that hole until three of you could fit in there. Got me? I want him dead!" Zeke whined and began to dig. Dib stared at him hard, eye twitching. "Faster!" Zeke whined and dug deeper.
Zim pulled himself out and took a breath. Zeke growled and snapped at him. The Irken was pulled under as his foot lost his balance on a rock that had slid down. Rain poured around the three. Dib shoved Zeke aside and stepped into the mud. He sank up to his waist and plunged his hands in. The hole was about four feet deep. Zeke barked and jumped in, scratching at anything that moved. Zim coughed as he pulled his torso up onto the bank. His body was heavy from the weight of the mud. Thunder rolled across the sky.
Dib looked up and noticed the green cat clambering onto the bank. "OH, NO YOU DON'T!!" Zim turned and was pulled back in the hole. Dib gripped him around the neck. Zeke slid off the bank onto Dib's back and all three were pulled under. Zeke burst out and ran away from the two. Dib rose out and wiped the mud off his glasses. Zim gulped as Dib stared down at him murderously. Dib bared his teeth and tore the collar off Zim's neck, causing him to bleed. Zim yelped as Dib shoved him under the surface. As Dib pulled him up, he bared his claws. "You're insane Dib! Anything that you do to me will never hurt me! It'll just be a joke!"
Dib glared at him hard and tightened his grip. "You're not getting away from me this time, Zim. That's why I led you here!" Zim stared at him, bewildered. "What are you talking about?!" Dib shook his head and pushed the alien back under. Suddenly a dark shape hurtled over him. The dog growled deeply as a girl raced up to him. "What do you think you're doing?" Dib glared at her. "This is none of your business." The dog growled and the girl punched him in the nose. Dib let go of Zim and staggered back onto the bank.
"You broke my nose1" Margo raised another fist. "Any more?" Dib shook his head. "Now git!" Dib took off, leaving the girl and her dog alone. "Pig, save the kitten!" The dog barked and leaped into the mud. He pulled out a muddy kitten and set it on the grass. Margo lifted the lifeless kitten. Tears welled in her eyes. "Oh, you poor thing." Zim opened his eyes and mewed weakly. Pig whined as Margo rubbed his ears. "Come on, Pig. Let's go home."
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After being cleaned up, Margo set the Irken's broken spine. "You poor thing. He really did a number on you." Zim whimpered as he remembered last night. Margo set him on the couch and sat down beside him. Suddenly she noticed a strange marking on his back. It seemed to be a gray colored circle on his back. "What is that?" Zim stood up on his hind legs. "M-my n-name is Z-Zim." Margo stared at him, wide-eyed. "You-you can talk!" Zim waved a paw. "Yes, yes." He stared at her hard. "You MUST take me back to the base. Immediately!" Margo slowly nodded. "Okay." She picked him up and ran out the door.
After a few minutes, they came to the base. Margo burst in and, with Zim's help, found the lab. "Computer, create an antidote for code 0999!" A vial rose up beside the two and Margo handed it to him. Zim lapped it up quickly and dropped the vial. Something was wrong. He coughed and Margo dropped him. "I know, Zim. Isn't revenge sweet?" Dib stepped out from the shadows. He had been hiding there all along.
