Chapter Two-Rough Landing
"WOULD YOU ALL BE QUIET?!" yelled Zim, trying frantically to steer while GIR screamed "Camels are squishy!" in the background. Dib just screamed. "Wow, I never knew Sunnside Beach looked so scary before you crash!" whimpered Dib, cowering in the back. "Why can't you steer this thing?!" "Something's wrong with the controls! It's not responding!" screeched Zim, obviously panicking as much as Dib. "Move over," growled Gaz. "Let me try!" She shoved Zim out of the way and grabbed the controls, glaring at the approaching sand of the beach. As Gaz tried to wrench the control stick into an upright position, GIR yelled "Lookit! Pretty water! We get to go swimming, like the platypus, WHEEEEHOOOOOO!!" Zim screamed in fear, remembering the times he'd had with water. "That dreaded substance! Why must it foil my perfect plans?" wailed Zim, shuddering as he thought of the burning pain. "SHUT UP and let me drive!" hissed Gaz, yanking on the control stick, but to no avail. The Voot Cruiser soared down towards the ground, still nose-diving no matter what Gaz tried. The Cruiser accelerated and impacted, sending them flying out of the ship. Luckily, they were all out when it exploded slightly, damaging the engines badly. "NOT MY CRUISER!" wailed Zim, who had landed on a soft sand dune and away from the water. GIR splashed about in the water happily chanting, "I'm a platypus!" Zim looked around for the humans. When he didn't see them, he pressed at button on his Bolt pack and his mechanical "spider legs" slid out. He raised himself higher and scanned the beach. Dib was draped over a driftwood log, unconscious. Zim glared and muttered, "Inefficient stink-monkey humans, even a tiny blast damages their inferior bodies." He ordered GIR to drag Dib to the destroyed Cruiser. As Zim followed, Dib's eyelids flickered and opened. "What happened?" Dib coughed. "My Cruiser exploded, thanks to your slimy sister human." "Gaz! Where is she? Is she ok?" "Hmmm, she must be with the camels!" interjected GIR, smiling insanely. "I do not know or care where your earthspore sister landed. Find her yourself," growled Zim, in a very bad mood because his beautiful Voot Cruiser had been destroyed. Plus he did not feel anything like helping the earth-child who had destroyed it. He could have saved his Cruiser, but the stink-worm had stopped him- Zim's thoughts were interrupted by GIR yelling "BYE-EEEE DIB!" and waving wildly. Zim glanced up and saw Dib walking off, to find Gaz most likely. "..do you have any tacos?" asked GIR as he turned to Zim. "No, GIR." "But I need tacos! I need them or I will explode!" "Yes, I know GIR."
* * *
Dib wandered around through the beach, searching for Gaz. "Gaz? Hey Gaz! Can you hear me?" he called, hoping for an answer. Silence. He continued on, getting worried. He came to a wall of high shrubbery. Dib sighed and prepared to climb the bushes when he heard a hissing sound. Instinctively, Dib crouched down and looked through the shrubs. A tall blue creature stood, examining something. Dib stifled a gasp as he saw it was Gaz, unconscious. There was a long gash on her forehead but other than that she was uninjured. The creature kneeled down and hissed, "Hmmm, a little human out all alone." It extended a clawed hand towards Gaz. Dib leaped through the bushes and stood, ignoring the twigs and leaves stuck in his hair. "Leave her alone!" he yelled defiantly. Now that Dib's vision wasn't obstructed by shrubbery, he could see that this thing was an alien as well, but it looked like a mere animal, not a sentient creature. It withdrew its hand abruptly, glaring at Dib. It stood slowly, its green eyes flashing, spiked tail swishing. "Ahh, another test subject," it snarled, swiping the air with its claws. "W-who are you and why are you on Earth?" Dib asked, stumbling backwards from the creature's claws. "I am a Niarzan. Erlon is my name when translated into English," he stated, apparently male. "Is the purple-haired girl your friend?" "She's my sister. I'm Dib," Dib answered tentatively. "Could you please let her go? I'd appreciate it if-" Zim leapt over the shrubs, walking on his spider legs. "Leave the stink-beast alone!" Zim yelled, aiming his laser. "Ah, an Irken! Let's see how brave you are when you witness the Niarzan's powers!" Erlon hissed happily. He raised a clawed hand and a swirling blue ball appeared in his palm. He lobbed it at Zim's body, smiling wickedly. The ball splashed all over Zim, covering him with water. He cried out as the liquid began to burn his skin. His spider legs retracted suddenly and Zim fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Dib ran to his sister's side while Erlon was distracted. "Gaz! Gaz, wake up!" She didn't answer, and Dib didn't have any time to lose. He quickly checked her pulse and found she was alive. He dragged her behind the bushes and ran back out to where Zim and Erlon were fighting. Zim was weakened by the water assault, and was aiming poorly with his Irken laser. Erlon was firing a Niarzan ray gun, damaging Zim's Bolt pack and Zim himself with each successful hit. Dib slipped behind Zim and grabbed a laser out of the Bolt pack. He aimed at the Niarzan's ray gun and shot, expertly knocking the gun out of his claws. "Why bother?" Erlon hissed as the gun dropped. "I could just torture this little Irken." Another blue ball appeared in his palm. Just then, GIR came flying out of nowhere on his rockets and grabbed Dib and Zim. "Good, GIR! How did you find us?" Zim asked. "Master ran off, so I followed! OOOOO is that a new frieeeend?" squealed GIR as he saw Erlon. "No GIR, we're playing tag and he's It," Dib said quickly, knowing GIR had a thing for games. "Oh, tag?" "That's right GIR, but we have to get Gaz too or we'll lose." "OH OK!" GIR squealed as he flew towards the ground. Dib reached out, grabbed Gaz's hand and picked her up before GIR zoomed them away.
Back at the Voot crash site, Zim was harassing Dib. "Stupid hairless earth-monkey, I almost died for you and your stink- beast sister!" he ranted. "I should have left you there, all alone to be destroyed by that Niar-" "But you didn't," Dib interrupted. He glanced at Zim, his arch- nemesis. "Why?" "Because GIR was annoying me so I left and saw you being attacked," Zim said quickly. ".Why did you help me?" "Because you saved me so I had to make it up to you. We're even," Dib replied. He hopped off the rock and went to check on Gaz. According to Dib's theories, when the Voot Cruiser crashed, Gaz was thrown out first, being in the driver's seat, and therefore thrown the farthest. Either hitting the control panel or landing hard had knocked her out and given her that cut. Now all he had to do was wake her up.
"WOULD YOU ALL BE QUIET?!" yelled Zim, trying frantically to steer while GIR screamed "Camels are squishy!" in the background. Dib just screamed. "Wow, I never knew Sunnside Beach looked so scary before you crash!" whimpered Dib, cowering in the back. "Why can't you steer this thing?!" "Something's wrong with the controls! It's not responding!" screeched Zim, obviously panicking as much as Dib. "Move over," growled Gaz. "Let me try!" She shoved Zim out of the way and grabbed the controls, glaring at the approaching sand of the beach. As Gaz tried to wrench the control stick into an upright position, GIR yelled "Lookit! Pretty water! We get to go swimming, like the platypus, WHEEEEHOOOOOO!!" Zim screamed in fear, remembering the times he'd had with water. "That dreaded substance! Why must it foil my perfect plans?" wailed Zim, shuddering as he thought of the burning pain. "SHUT UP and let me drive!" hissed Gaz, yanking on the control stick, but to no avail. The Voot Cruiser soared down towards the ground, still nose-diving no matter what Gaz tried. The Cruiser accelerated and impacted, sending them flying out of the ship. Luckily, they were all out when it exploded slightly, damaging the engines badly. "NOT MY CRUISER!" wailed Zim, who had landed on a soft sand dune and away from the water. GIR splashed about in the water happily chanting, "I'm a platypus!" Zim looked around for the humans. When he didn't see them, he pressed at button on his Bolt pack and his mechanical "spider legs" slid out. He raised himself higher and scanned the beach. Dib was draped over a driftwood log, unconscious. Zim glared and muttered, "Inefficient stink-monkey humans, even a tiny blast damages their inferior bodies." He ordered GIR to drag Dib to the destroyed Cruiser. As Zim followed, Dib's eyelids flickered and opened. "What happened?" Dib coughed. "My Cruiser exploded, thanks to your slimy sister human." "Gaz! Where is she? Is she ok?" "Hmmm, she must be with the camels!" interjected GIR, smiling insanely. "I do not know or care where your earthspore sister landed. Find her yourself," growled Zim, in a very bad mood because his beautiful Voot Cruiser had been destroyed. Plus he did not feel anything like helping the earth-child who had destroyed it. He could have saved his Cruiser, but the stink-worm had stopped him- Zim's thoughts were interrupted by GIR yelling "BYE-EEEE DIB!" and waving wildly. Zim glanced up and saw Dib walking off, to find Gaz most likely. "..do you have any tacos?" asked GIR as he turned to Zim. "No, GIR." "But I need tacos! I need them or I will explode!" "Yes, I know GIR."
* * *
Dib wandered around through the beach, searching for Gaz. "Gaz? Hey Gaz! Can you hear me?" he called, hoping for an answer. Silence. He continued on, getting worried. He came to a wall of high shrubbery. Dib sighed and prepared to climb the bushes when he heard a hissing sound. Instinctively, Dib crouched down and looked through the shrubs. A tall blue creature stood, examining something. Dib stifled a gasp as he saw it was Gaz, unconscious. There was a long gash on her forehead but other than that she was uninjured. The creature kneeled down and hissed, "Hmmm, a little human out all alone." It extended a clawed hand towards Gaz. Dib leaped through the bushes and stood, ignoring the twigs and leaves stuck in his hair. "Leave her alone!" he yelled defiantly. Now that Dib's vision wasn't obstructed by shrubbery, he could see that this thing was an alien as well, but it looked like a mere animal, not a sentient creature. It withdrew its hand abruptly, glaring at Dib. It stood slowly, its green eyes flashing, spiked tail swishing. "Ahh, another test subject," it snarled, swiping the air with its claws. "W-who are you and why are you on Earth?" Dib asked, stumbling backwards from the creature's claws. "I am a Niarzan. Erlon is my name when translated into English," he stated, apparently male. "Is the purple-haired girl your friend?" "She's my sister. I'm Dib," Dib answered tentatively. "Could you please let her go? I'd appreciate it if-" Zim leapt over the shrubs, walking on his spider legs. "Leave the stink-beast alone!" Zim yelled, aiming his laser. "Ah, an Irken! Let's see how brave you are when you witness the Niarzan's powers!" Erlon hissed happily. He raised a clawed hand and a swirling blue ball appeared in his palm. He lobbed it at Zim's body, smiling wickedly. The ball splashed all over Zim, covering him with water. He cried out as the liquid began to burn his skin. His spider legs retracted suddenly and Zim fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Dib ran to his sister's side while Erlon was distracted. "Gaz! Gaz, wake up!" She didn't answer, and Dib didn't have any time to lose. He quickly checked her pulse and found she was alive. He dragged her behind the bushes and ran back out to where Zim and Erlon were fighting. Zim was weakened by the water assault, and was aiming poorly with his Irken laser. Erlon was firing a Niarzan ray gun, damaging Zim's Bolt pack and Zim himself with each successful hit. Dib slipped behind Zim and grabbed a laser out of the Bolt pack. He aimed at the Niarzan's ray gun and shot, expertly knocking the gun out of his claws. "Why bother?" Erlon hissed as the gun dropped. "I could just torture this little Irken." Another blue ball appeared in his palm. Just then, GIR came flying out of nowhere on his rockets and grabbed Dib and Zim. "Good, GIR! How did you find us?" Zim asked. "Master ran off, so I followed! OOOOO is that a new frieeeend?" squealed GIR as he saw Erlon. "No GIR, we're playing tag and he's It," Dib said quickly, knowing GIR had a thing for games. "Oh, tag?" "That's right GIR, but we have to get Gaz too or we'll lose." "OH OK!" GIR squealed as he flew towards the ground. Dib reached out, grabbed Gaz's hand and picked her up before GIR zoomed them away.
Back at the Voot crash site, Zim was harassing Dib. "Stupid hairless earth-monkey, I almost died for you and your stink- beast sister!" he ranted. "I should have left you there, all alone to be destroyed by that Niar-" "But you didn't," Dib interrupted. He glanced at Zim, his arch- nemesis. "Why?" "Because GIR was annoying me so I left and saw you being attacked," Zim said quickly. ".Why did you help me?" "Because you saved me so I had to make it up to you. We're even," Dib replied. He hopped off the rock and went to check on Gaz. According to Dib's theories, when the Voot Cruiser crashed, Gaz was thrown out first, being in the driver's seat, and therefore thrown the farthest. Either hitting the control panel or landing hard had knocked her out and given her that cut. Now all he had to do was wake her up.