Okay, this chapter is incredibly angsty. Sweet Irkan Gods, how the angst
flows. Really though, this is quite the exception, not the rule. It won't
remain this angsty. By the way, opportunities to come to the Massive party
are all gone. I've gotten through my rut, and no longer need your services.
Although.
Zim was speechless. Quickly though, he regained his fire and glared at Kith.
"YOU are the one who is flaunting Irkan law for a HUMAN!" he bellowed in a very Zim way. "It's not enough that you come to my assigned planet and ruin everything, now you've gone and brought the Tallest to this little filth hole!"
Dib rose in protest to this remark, only to be ignored by the aliens. He sat back on the stool and felt very uncomfortable.
"I wouldn't have come to this planet if I thought Red and Pur would follow me here! Did you know that's why I chose this planet?" Kith yelled back in Zim's face. "Do you?!" She was nearly screaming at him now. "Because I knew they would never come! They don't want anything to do with you! If I came to Earth they would never follow me within fifteen-thousand light- years of you!"
Anger shone in Zim's eyes, clouded over with a murky haze of disbelief. Kith felt the bleak landscape of his mind become perforated with white cracks of doubt. "You're lying!" he finally spat.
Kith glowered at him, her lovely features twisted into a mask of grief and pain. "If only I was, Zim. I wish I were." And she sent image after image of the Tallest laughing into his mind, forcing him to accept what he could not endure. Silver drops of ancient tears ran down her face and Zim's as she ruthlessly filled Zim's head with his humiliation. He turned and fled out the door, into the night. Gir, who up until then had been listening with rapt attention to the whole debacle, pulled on Kith's sleeve. She sniffed and sank to her knees on the tile, out of disguise in front of the open door.
MiKi padded over on titanium feet to her mistress. "Are you okay, lady?" she whispered.
Kith shook her head bleakly. "I've killed him. I should never have told him that. It will kill him. I can't let him go like that!" The last part came out a near-frantic shout as she stumbled to her feet and ran to Dib. "Help me find him, Dib. We've got to find him."
Outside, thunder rumbled ominously. Kith paled. "It's going to rain.and at this point he won't care."
Dib repressed the urge to say something about just letting him go, but thought better of it. Kith was becoming hysterical at this point. Quickly he grabbed an armful of coats and began wrapping Kith in them.
"We'll find him, Kith. I promise. We'll use the SIRs to track him down or something. We have to hurry though. If we get caught in the rain, I'm gonna have to scream and cry about it." He smiled weakly at his attempt at humor.
Kith smirked cynically. "Yeah, it would be a shame if we got caught in the rain. I'd hate to make Red come all this way for a corpse."
"Right.."
"Gir, MiKi, Hex, find Zim now," Kith commanded the SIRs. "Follow his pod signal. Find him now!" She sent the bots out the door with a final shove and turned to Dib.
"Let's go."
Zim stumbled blindly through the night, heading deep into the central city park. How could the Tallest not need me? I'm the most Important Invader in Operation Impending Doom II! They said so themselves! His mind was filled with the scenes he had witnessed moments ago, scenes of the Tallest giggling behind their hands during his communications.
He pushed through the shrubbery surrounding an abandoned gazebo and dropped onto one of the benches, drawing his knees to his chest. All his instincts were demanding he find a better shelter, to guard him from the storm, but he ignored the chill winds and haze with a soulless indifference.
A raindrop smacked him on the cheek and ran down his throat, leaving a burning trail along his unprotected skin. He numbly shifted to the middle of the gazebo floor, and laid his head on the peeling boards. The rain began to fall faster, and he watched it.
Kith stumbled on an unearthed root in the path, sending her reeling into Dib. "Sorry," she muttered. "I should probably pay better attention..."
Dib winced uncomfortably, but said nothing. "We'll find him," he promised.
Kith nodded. "Maybe we should split up," she suggested. "I'll go further into the park, and you go to the playground area. See if he's not sulking on the monkey bars or something."
Dib was about to protest when he saw the haunted, haggard look on her face. He nodded briskly.
"Sure. Be safe," he added.
She nodded and pushed through the bushes.
The wind began to blow harder now, and a fat drop of water landed on Kith's hand. She winced and stuck the wound in her mouth, looking nervously around for a place to hide.
A flash of white through the trees gave her hope, and she stumble through mud to the structure.
As she drew closer, she realized it was a park structure of sorts, a gazebo. She gratefully climbed the steps, and drew in a sharp breath as she saw who else was occupying her shelter.
Zim lay asleep and shivering in the middle of the floor, away from the open walls. He tossed and turned, from dreams, and a few spatterings of water that reached him.
Kith sighed in audible relief, and sat down on the floor beside Zim. She pulled the mike out of her pod, about to call Dib, and realized that even if he could hear her over the rain, it was still raining, and he would never be able to get to them. She glanced at Zim, so unbearably innocent in his fretful sleep, and so capable of cruelty. She sighed. Now was not the time for cruelty. Now was time to get some rest.
She lay down behind Zim, pulling the many coats over her shoulder and his. She signed, fatigue finally catching up to her, adrenaline failing to keep her awake. With one grateful look at Zim's sleeping form, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Whoo! The angst-fest is nearly over! One more chapter, perhaps, and then there won't be any more until after the party. There's always angst after a party, ya know. Remember! Thirteenth reviewer gets to mess with Red's head! Maybe pour some punch on it!
Zim was speechless. Quickly though, he regained his fire and glared at Kith.
"YOU are the one who is flaunting Irkan law for a HUMAN!" he bellowed in a very Zim way. "It's not enough that you come to my assigned planet and ruin everything, now you've gone and brought the Tallest to this little filth hole!"
Dib rose in protest to this remark, only to be ignored by the aliens. He sat back on the stool and felt very uncomfortable.
"I wouldn't have come to this planet if I thought Red and Pur would follow me here! Did you know that's why I chose this planet?" Kith yelled back in Zim's face. "Do you?!" She was nearly screaming at him now. "Because I knew they would never come! They don't want anything to do with you! If I came to Earth they would never follow me within fifteen-thousand light- years of you!"
Anger shone in Zim's eyes, clouded over with a murky haze of disbelief. Kith felt the bleak landscape of his mind become perforated with white cracks of doubt. "You're lying!" he finally spat.
Kith glowered at him, her lovely features twisted into a mask of grief and pain. "If only I was, Zim. I wish I were." And she sent image after image of the Tallest laughing into his mind, forcing him to accept what he could not endure. Silver drops of ancient tears ran down her face and Zim's as she ruthlessly filled Zim's head with his humiliation. He turned and fled out the door, into the night. Gir, who up until then had been listening with rapt attention to the whole debacle, pulled on Kith's sleeve. She sniffed and sank to her knees on the tile, out of disguise in front of the open door.
MiKi padded over on titanium feet to her mistress. "Are you okay, lady?" she whispered.
Kith shook her head bleakly. "I've killed him. I should never have told him that. It will kill him. I can't let him go like that!" The last part came out a near-frantic shout as she stumbled to her feet and ran to Dib. "Help me find him, Dib. We've got to find him."
Outside, thunder rumbled ominously. Kith paled. "It's going to rain.and at this point he won't care."
Dib repressed the urge to say something about just letting him go, but thought better of it. Kith was becoming hysterical at this point. Quickly he grabbed an armful of coats and began wrapping Kith in them.
"We'll find him, Kith. I promise. We'll use the SIRs to track him down or something. We have to hurry though. If we get caught in the rain, I'm gonna have to scream and cry about it." He smiled weakly at his attempt at humor.
Kith smirked cynically. "Yeah, it would be a shame if we got caught in the rain. I'd hate to make Red come all this way for a corpse."
"Right.."
"Gir, MiKi, Hex, find Zim now," Kith commanded the SIRs. "Follow his pod signal. Find him now!" She sent the bots out the door with a final shove and turned to Dib.
"Let's go."
Zim stumbled blindly through the night, heading deep into the central city park. How could the Tallest not need me? I'm the most Important Invader in Operation Impending Doom II! They said so themselves! His mind was filled with the scenes he had witnessed moments ago, scenes of the Tallest giggling behind their hands during his communications.
He pushed through the shrubbery surrounding an abandoned gazebo and dropped onto one of the benches, drawing his knees to his chest. All his instincts were demanding he find a better shelter, to guard him from the storm, but he ignored the chill winds and haze with a soulless indifference.
A raindrop smacked him on the cheek and ran down his throat, leaving a burning trail along his unprotected skin. He numbly shifted to the middle of the gazebo floor, and laid his head on the peeling boards. The rain began to fall faster, and he watched it.
Kith stumbled on an unearthed root in the path, sending her reeling into Dib. "Sorry," she muttered. "I should probably pay better attention..."
Dib winced uncomfortably, but said nothing. "We'll find him," he promised.
Kith nodded. "Maybe we should split up," she suggested. "I'll go further into the park, and you go to the playground area. See if he's not sulking on the monkey bars or something."
Dib was about to protest when he saw the haunted, haggard look on her face. He nodded briskly.
"Sure. Be safe," he added.
She nodded and pushed through the bushes.
The wind began to blow harder now, and a fat drop of water landed on Kith's hand. She winced and stuck the wound in her mouth, looking nervously around for a place to hide.
A flash of white through the trees gave her hope, and she stumble through mud to the structure.
As she drew closer, she realized it was a park structure of sorts, a gazebo. She gratefully climbed the steps, and drew in a sharp breath as she saw who else was occupying her shelter.
Zim lay asleep and shivering in the middle of the floor, away from the open walls. He tossed and turned, from dreams, and a few spatterings of water that reached him.
Kith sighed in audible relief, and sat down on the floor beside Zim. She pulled the mike out of her pod, about to call Dib, and realized that even if he could hear her over the rain, it was still raining, and he would never be able to get to them. She glanced at Zim, so unbearably innocent in his fretful sleep, and so capable of cruelty. She sighed. Now was not the time for cruelty. Now was time to get some rest.
She lay down behind Zim, pulling the many coats over her shoulder and his. She signed, fatigue finally catching up to her, adrenaline failing to keep her awake. With one grateful look at Zim's sleeping form, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Whoo! The angst-fest is nearly over! One more chapter, perhaps, and then there won't be any more until after the party. There's always angst after a party, ya know. Remember! Thirteenth reviewer gets to mess with Red's head! Maybe pour some punch on it!