I hadn't been expecting to wake up nice and comfortable. Infact, I wasn't really expecting to wake up at all. After all of that rain, I was certain I was going to die.

After a few moments of regained consciousness, I realized I had no idea where I as. Or what day it was. I was unsure of how long I had been unconscious as well.

Something had happened to Dib though, I knew that much. That…that thing had pushed Dib over the edge of those high steps. I had no idea what it had been. What I saw was him. I saw Dib pushing himself over the edge. It confused me that there were two Dibs, but the one I was looking for was in trouble. The only way to tell was that one's clothes weren't horribly torn and one looked frightened out of his mind.

I had braced myself for absolute worst, climbing up those steps, especially without my old spider legs, for they had been removed ages ago. The thunder outside rang in my ears and the lightning threatened to set me on fire and the rain burned my skin. Somehow I made it to the top of the tall stair-thingies (why there would be stairs in a gymnatorium, I've no idea). I felt a deep satisfaction in that.

I remember I shot one of the Dibs with that feeble Earth gun as he started pushing him over the edge. That didn't save the real one though. He fell right after him. That was probably my fault though, for firing the empty gun at him and scaring him off balance.

What made me the most curious though, was the blue fluid that spurted from the false one. I didn't have much time to ponder that though, as I collapsed soon afterward. For all I knew, I could have fallen right after them off the edge of the stairs.

That creature bothered me though, mainly because I had no idea what it was. Invaders had a pretty decent knowledge of the other creatures inhabiting the universe, so they could be ready if they were ever attacked. It was part of basic training. It made me very depressed to realize I didn't know what it was.

I knew it was some kind of shape shifter…but why would it take Dib's form to attack him? For once, Dib had been silent in fear, so he provided no help to me. …Why would he be afraid of himself though?

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. That 'Tavi' girl entered the room uninvited, claiming a chair by my bed as her own. I was immediately suspicious.

" Ah! You're awake!" She said all too cheerfully, " That's good. We were worried."

I raised an eyebrow. We? Who was this 'We' she spoke of? It couldn't have been the E.D.U. or whatever Dib had said they were. They were trying to protect the Earth from alien invaders, not make sure they were comfortable. Once again, I was forced to remind myself I wasn't an invader anymore.

Then maybe it was Dib that was worried. That seemed even less likely though, seeing as he could possibly be dead or worse. That thought lingered for a moment or so. Dib…dead? That couldn't be right.

" …Where's Dib?" I asked slowly, from both disbelief and not having used my noise tube in a while.

" Dib?" Tavi blinked, although she had never met a 'Dib' before in her pathetic existence, " …He…he's not doing so well."

" What do you mean?" I asked desperately, expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

" …He hit the wall." Tavi said softly, " The back of his head hit the wall on the way down. There's a really good chance that…that he'll die. We just don't have the right kind of equipment to treat him."

I wasn't sure how to feel in that moment. The Dib might die. The Dib-human, the Dib-beast, they were both as good as gone. Part of me was glad…after all, I would be free of the Dib forever. Then the other half would but into my business however, and make me recall the last few hours with him that really…really weren't that bad at all.

Apparently, I had been quiet far too long, as I felt Tavi's stares burn into me like rain.

" …Zim?" She asked softly, as though her words could console me.

As though I needed condolence.

" …Where is he though?" I repeated my question, trying to keep my voice even.

" He's in another room." She explained carefully, as though she would trip over her words and fall over onto her unborn child, " One where we have some better trained people looking after him. Please don't be offended at that though! You see, the only person with any clue about you anatomic structure is Dib so he would have be the only one qualified at all to treat you and-"

I stopped listening after that, because I really didn't care where the "good" doctors were. The thought of putting my life in Dib's hands made me almost glad he was unconscious. Almost.

Tavi's rant was interrupted midway by an annoyingly loud knock on the door. Sighing, she arose to go see just what it was they wanted. It was probably a curious someone that just wanted to see the freaky alien.

" Yes?" She asked opening the door, " Oh hello Spoog!"

Indeed, Spoog was at the door. Tavi must have stood almost a foot and a half taller than him. He gave her no greeting and seemed very calm and poised as he crossed the linoleum floor over to my bed. Tavi quietly slipped away while she had this wonderful opportunity to do so.

" You look better without your disguise you know." He said, sitting down in Tavi's chair.

It was only then that I noticed I wasn't wearing it. I suppose I was so used to not wearing it that the thought hadn't even occurred to me. I reached up to the top of my head, feeling my antennae twitch.

I stared at Spoog, who was sitting backwards in the chair. I wondered why he or Tavi or anyone else in this whole building would be concerned at all for my well being.

" It's because you belong to Dib." Spoog said simply when I voiced my concerns, " By law of the E.D.A. if someone here owns you, we can't hurt you. We actually did have a couple other members keep aliens for pets. He seems to treat you differently though…like you're special or somethin'…"

I sat back and thought about it for a moment. Dib had hurt me before…but now he seemed to be trying to protect me. Or maybe he just wanted the power of having an alien pet. Spoog said Dib treated me differently. That I was …'special'. What did he mean by that? Was I a slave? Was I an equal? Was I something else entirely?

" Can I ask you some things?" Spoog asked me.

" …Sure." I said suspiciously.

" How come you didn't join in with the other Irkens when they invaded?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

I really didn't want to talk about this. I didn't want to think about this. I didn't want to be reminded of that day. That horrible day…

" I…" I started softly, like some weak coward, " It was raining outside."

" Oh yeah." Spoog remembered, " I forgot about that. Well then, why didn't they come for you instead? They had their ships."

I knew the answer. They hated me. The Tallest hated me and they wanted me to die here alone and forgotten. I was the laughing stock of the Irken army.

" I…I don't know." I lied.

" Mm." Spoog changed the subject, " Dammit I need a cigarette."

I had no idea what a cigarette was, but Spoog stood up and headed for the door. He looked back at me as an afterthought.

" Wanna come?" He asked me, " You seem perfectly fine and it's a good excuse to stretch your legs."

I nodded and hopped out of the bed, finding I was wearing the same old rags from before. I was astonished for a moment that they hadn't burned in the rain like Irken clothing would have, but then I remembered that Dib had made me wear old clothing of his.

It really did feel good to walk around again. I wasn't sure how long I had been in that filthy bed, but it was long enough to make me lose the feeling in my legs.

I quickly ran after Spoog, who was already out the door. He didn't seem to notice that I had arrived, or care. For a long time we walked side by side, not saying a word. I wondered where we were going, but I had a feeling I wouldn't be answered if I asked. The silence between us echoed through the halls.

Occasionally, someone would walk by and stare. It was awkward, but I had long since gotten used to it. Apparently, a short green skinned boy is someone who would get stared at a lot on Earth.

Soon though, there were no more people. We were heading down a hallway with no doors and seemingly no exits. The lanterns became faded and eventually there were none. My superior Irken eyes could still see fine, fine enough to tell that Spoog had to feel around for the wall.

Spoog led me to a staircase, one that seemed very familiar to me somehow. It spiraled up at least three floors, but it was boarded up so no one could enter. This wasn't much of a surprise considering the skool's exterior.

I watched as Spoog carefully climbed between the boards, a feat that only someone his size would have been able to do. So of course, I easily followed him through the barricade and up the stairs.

We scaled the steep steps, dodging holes that would have had us falling forever. He stopped at the second door up and forced it open with all his might. I didn't help, though I don't think he was expecting me to.

Finally, it creaked open and we slowly headed out of the dark staircase and into a brighter place. It wasn't much brighter, but after the dim lights of the hallway it was like walking into the sun. It was the second level of the skool.

I hadn't been there in years. It brought back so many memories. Some good and some not so good, but memories just the same. I looked to Spoog, wondering why he would have brought me here.

" Hey, a military commander's gotta have someplace to hide from his troops," Spoog laughed.

I slowly began to realize that the entirety of the upper layers of the skool was Spoog's playground. It was his simply because he was the only one who could reach it. He was the only one small enough to climb up here. It was his own personal sanctuary and he was allowing me to enter. I couldn't help but feel extremely privileged

Spoog led me into a long abandoned classroom and pushed out the windows. He pulled himself up onto the broken heatbox along the window and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small box.

" Want one?" He asked, holding it out to me as I climbed up with him.

I assumed these were those 'cigarettes'. I wasn't sure how they would affect me, so I declined. He just shrugged and took one out for himself. My eyes widened when he lit it on fire. I thought it was amazing how it burned slowly and glowed softly. Spoog pulled it out of his mouth and blew out thin grey smoke.

" You know," He said, looking out the window, " Dib doesn't smoke either. Says it's a nasty habit. I'll probably be killed in battle before it really starts doing anything to me though."

A breeze came through the window and blew his black hair around a little. He seemed to be thinking hard about things. I wondered vaguely just what sort of things he escaped from by coming here.

" I hate this place." He said bitterly, " It feels like I've lived here forever. I was only twelve during The Impact, you know? I…I forget things sometimes. My old friends…my family…I hate that this my life now."

He shrugged, " But what can I do? This is my life now. …My old life is gone."

I looked at him with a certain amount of understanding. After all, I had just lost my life as well. Here though, Spoog was forced to become a militant a bit too young, but I was being forced to step down.

" I shouldn't be complaining though." Spoog sighed, " I have a job to do."

He gazed out the window at the wreckage, as did I. I could see it in his big purple eyes. He missed things the way they had been before. At first, I disagreed. The people of Earth had been stupid, they had been ignorant, they had been blind. They had been foolish.

However…However I had been the same way. I was just as stupid, ignorant, foolish, and blind as the rest of them. All of that had been ripped from me though, and now all I had left were the little bits and pieces of my old life.

" My dreams were ripped brutally away and thrown in an ocean somewhere…"

The Dib human had seemed so sad and mournful when he said that, but at the same time he seemed angry at something. Now I knew though. I knew where his dreams had gone. I was willing to bet mine were floating right next to his in that stupid ocean.

Spoog's cigarette thing began to burn down to the end, so he pulled it out and carefully crushed it into the heatbox. He turned to me with a smile.

" Hey." He said softly, " Wanna go see how Dib's doing?"

I realized I wanted nothing more. We jumped off the heatbox and quickly headed back to the main headquarters. He led me through more hallways and down more corridors. I had no idea where we were, only where were going.

I found myself hoping, with some stretch of the imagination, that he was alive. That he was okay. That was would be awake and waiting to shoot insults at me as we always had. I didn't know what I'd do if he weren't.

Finally, Spoog came across one door with lots of noise escaping a broken window at the top. He pushed it open and held it for me as I ran inside, wishing for Dib to be sitting awake and telling me how much he hated me. Anything. I didn't even care if the Dib-monster was out. As long as he was alive.

…And there he was.

(A/n: Again, thanks for all of the wonderful reviews [Wow, you guys really liked the last chapter that much? Thanks! : ) ]! Please R&R and the next chapter will be up very soon. )