Chapter 11: Hurricane
Thunder rumbled ahead, the booming noise traveling deep into the sodden Earth, an unsettling growl that shook the walls surrounding Dib. The pitter- patter of raindrops was also perceptible now, all signs of a developing storm mustering its strength in one mighty crescendo.
But Dib couldn't hear any of that now. Someone must have shoved cotton balls in his ears; everything seemed to be muted. If felt like a dream........he felt stagnant, and yet, floating........it felt like a dream......
His mind reeled back to better times, being able to hold Nel in his arms, feeling her skin against his, tracing the lines of her body with his shaking fingers, looking deep into her sorrowful eyes. Knowing that at one point he had been able to make her smile like no one else could; it was that fact that kept him sane at this moment, when all other hopes seemed to be fading.
When all else had fallen apart, he remember the love he had shared with Nel.
But now he just wanted to be alone again.......he didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, didn't want to screw up anyone else's life. Could he go back and change every wrong move that he had made? Retrace every step? Dib didn't know what was worth fighting for, why he wanted to scream as his eyes trailed back and forth between Nel and the knife he held tightly.
Had she ever loved him in the first place? Had he just been a pawn in some long-winded scheme, a card in her deck, waiting to be placed on the table?
Zim had shown him the fate that Earth would face, had shown him the power the Tristanum wielded. Hell, he had heard it first hand, had almost been taken by the force she brandished, almost fallen into an eternal sleep from where there would be no return. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it ~had~ all been a scam, a despicable farce. Had she really meant to kill him?
His ear's were burning with turmoil and chaos........he was beginning to hate his predicament, hated where fate had led him. Why did those closest to him seem to hurt him the most, stab him in the heart when his guard was dropped? Was their aim so sure that they could fell him so easily, or was he just an easy target?
When all else had fallen apart, he would always remember the love he thought he had shared with Nel.
He wished he had never met that girl, her memory a dark stain in his past and present.......he desired to remove her from his future.
He could move on.......had to move on.........
The knife in his hand twitched.
"Dib........" the girl's mouth barely moved, lips slightly separated. Anxiety had taken hold of her soul, and she felt her vigor waning under the immense pressure that was slowly crushing her will to the ground. To see him before her now had at first provided some amount of relief, and she felt as if he would be her savior, her shining light, her escape, her aid. But then her eyes had fallen on the weapon in his hand, the alliance he shared with the green-skinned alien. Wasn't he also a classmate of Dib's at skool?
Her soul was shattering.
Outside, another bolt of lightening speared across a darkened sky, the rain clouds torn by the streaks of radiant electricity.
"Dib.......please tell me what's happening," Nel said from beneath a veneer of tears, nose and cheeks flushed with distress, heart sinking further into its cavity, "Why are you doing this?"
"Did you ever love me.......or was I just your little chess piece?" said Dib, words breathy and tense, his eyes boring into her from behind his thick- framed glasses. He could feel a vein beginning to swell in his forehead........all the clues were finally coming together, the key-stone of truth holding everything together. He began to close in on the table. "Did you want to see me dead?"
"No.......no! Never!!!" she called out from her table, arms straining to break free from their shackles, but it was a fruitless expedition; they held fast. They stretched and strained, cutting into her already scarred skin, but never budged. Nel's mouth became as thin and sharp as the blade that Dib held, realizing that his mind was slowly becoming poisoned and rotten. "I would never kill anyone........never kill......."
"Then what of those Earthen scientists?" Zim interjected, physically placing himself in between the table and Dib, who at first tried to dash forward, plant his knife into Nel's vulnerable flesh. "It was you that ended their lives of pond scummy-goodness, crushed them with your force........did you not enjoy it?!"
"NO!!!" Nel finally shrieked out, taking the Irken by surprise, mouth wide in anger and sorrow. Her eyebrows were tense, strained and taught as she once more tried to free herself. Sensing her actions, GIR, who had miraculously retained his astute conduct, launched himself onto the metal cot, arms wildly thrashing about as if to strike her.
But Dib had had enough, and he also moved forward, pushing Zim out of his way. His knife was drawn, shining in the bright fluorescent lights of the room, as he cut through the air like a diving falcon. Hair whipping about his face, tears still running down his face, Dib quickly back-handed GIR in the face, sending him reeling. The robot was thrown several feet away, clanging on the ground three times before finally coming to a rest; he did not get back to his feet.
Without Zim holding him back, without his reservations, without his love for Nel, Dib was seething with rage, eyes alive now, unclouded. His teeth were grinding against one another, as he was beside himself in anger, jumping on top of the dissection table, placing himself over Nel, hands raised above his head.
He felt like he was floating........the thunder could not awaken him from this dream of silent ire. The world around him was swirling like a hypnotic mist, so unreal, so dreamlike, and with his prey beneath him, Dib saw a beast rather then a small, helpless girl, saw some thrashing animal with claws and snarling teeth.
"I'll kill you, you fucking alien bitch!!!" Dib screamed like a warrior, glasses falling down his face, his entire body twitching and shaking, "You.......you tried to kill me!!!! You USED me!!!!"
"Please, Dib, don't listen to the lies!!!" pleaded Nel, trying with all her diminutive strength to break through her bonds, while at the same time struggling to shatter Dib's rage. But his face was now contorted with ferocity, white with a kind of vehemence that only she could apparently incite. "I love you!!!"
"You never loved anyone but yourself!!!" he spat back into her face, raising his hands higher, preparing to take the final plunge, preparing to remove all his memories of Nel. "You never love me!! STOP LYING TO ME!!!!"
~~~I'll give up a part of me.......~~~
His hands began to descend, the knife's glint trailing downwards.
~~~I'll forget everything.......you'll see......~~~
Clutching his cure tightly, Dib closed his eyes, a wicked smile playing on his pale lip.
~~~You'll see.......~~~
Nel gave a quick gasp.
The blade quickly entered her chest, lodging itself into her cavity, tickling her lungs and bones. Her heart stopped momentarily, every breath an act of pain, every movement she made another reason for the knife to dwell deeper inside her. Hands that before were jerking and shuddering now fall failed to move, laying limply on the icy table.
The whole world seemed to stop, the rain halted, the thunder quieted.
Her eyes were wide, pupils so small now, the whites so ebullient, glowing. Dib bent down as if to kiss her sardonically, and licked some of her blood from her face, driven insane by anguish, the ostensibly never-ending misery that life had dealt him all these long years.
"I'll.......I'll kill you......." Dib whispered into her ears, lips quivering with fulfillment. He un-opened his eyes now, lids parting slowly, as he pulled his hands away from Nel's body, leaving the medicinal knife embedded in her body, a pool of blood expanding from the wound. His hands were already covered with the red stuff, caking in between his fingers, already coagulating. "I'll see you dead........"
But then he looked into her eyes again. The light was fading from the brown orbs of her face, the color evaporating from her supple skin. Her lips, once so soft, looked cold and dry; she had managed to twist the corners of her mouth into the most serene, unearthly smile. Eyelashes fluttering languidly, all the fight had left her being, all the spirit and energy seeping out from underneath her. Although her smile remained, Dib knew deep down that it wasn't born from happiness, but resolution, from acceptance that she was going to die by the hands of her lover, her friend.
He was sending her to her grave. He had taken that last step into oblivion.
"Dib......." she choked, a splash of blood frothing out of her mouth. It was so red against the pale color of her flesh, "I-if this is what........what will make you happy........I will go."
Opening her mouth as wide as her facilities would allow, Nel little by little craned her head back, dolefully resting it against the table's cold exterior. Her hair was splayed about, golden locks lost amongst a sea of brown and red, and it was as if she had forgotten that a fatal wound had been dealt upon her feeble body. From behind the table, Zim smiled to himself, slowly pulling out a small gun-like mechanism from the secret inner pocket of his uniform. This was the moment he had been waiting.
Furtively moving towards the other side of the table, so that he was squarely facing Dib, who still lost in his trance. With the huge monitors behind him, face emotionless and composed, the Irken prepared to fire.
His finger inched towards the trigger. Dib would be none the wiser.
~~~She could put angels to shame........~~~
The sound began as a soft cooing noise, barely noticeable above the roar and clamor echoing above, but slowly gaining strength, like a snowball tumbling down a shallow hill.
Zim's antennae twitched; he was suddenly unable to move, paralyzed by a nearly undetectable force. His shoulders shook, nerves racing, blood pumping as his ears began to pick up an increasingly more prominent voice, emanating from the metal table before him. He tried to snap the trigger back, but his senses were failing him, his fingers were not obeying his mind's orders.
"What is this sickly sound.......it makes my mind reel and churn like sickly earthen butter laden with bile and deer ticks........" he muttered, involuntarily dropping his brand, not able to hold it in his hands any longer. For some reason, all his strength had suddenly abandoned him.
It was then that the hushed hum began to reverberate, splitting and dividing into separate pieces. Complex harmonies arose from Nel's mouth as she started to sing, the mournful, grief-stricken, lyrics of the Triste spilling forth effortlessly. The notes swam together, joining and parting effortlessly like the tributaries of a river, like separate strings of yarn intertwining to become one blanket.
"No......" the single word barely had time to leave Zim's vocal chords before he staggered backwards, clutching his head within his hands as Nel's voice suddenly rose in volume a hundred fold, the uncorrupted and wholly innocent song piercing the evil air in the room, slicing into Zim's brain, reminding him of his race's defeat, so long ago, and yet so fresh in his mind. "STOP IT!!!! STOP IT NOW!!!!"
But she would not cease, as she now let the song of Triste pour like a rushing waterfall, blocking out the sound of rain and thunder, the sound of Zim's shrieks as he thrashed about the ground, his ears unable to stand the sound of her melodious song. He crashed into the computer behind him, elbows smacking into the keyboards, fingers still digging into his green skin, tiny rivulets of Irken blood now dripping down his face and arms.
Suddenly, a familiar video clip appeared on all of the screens at once, the very same images that Dib had seen from behind Zim's goggles, the visions of wreckage and war. The fires were just as alive, just as terrible looking.
Looking up from Nel's devitalizing body, Dib looked with glazed eyes towards the screen. The world was at last coming back into his focus, his conscious mind finally slipping back down onto the waking world. He couldn't feel the girl's blood washed over his face, but he could definitely perceive the image on the screens with new-found attention, with newly regained awareness. Unexpectedly cold and weak, Dib tumbled off of the cot, tumbling to the ground in a hazed clump; Nel's song was beginning to take him as well. But he fought now, strength returning, to maintain hold of this world, this reality, this moment. Neck arched, head tilted upwards, Dib stared at the screen intensely, noticing that the image was now being magnified several times as Zim continued to accidentally manipulating the images with his sporadic motions.
So lost in his feverish craze was Zim that he failed to notice that the symbols of the ship being overtaken by the Triste were slowly coming into focus. A symbol very familiar to Dib after all these years, he felt foolish for not realizing his folly before.
The insignia of the Irken Armada was now made clear on all four of the room's monitors, blaring down into Dib's eyes. He felt his stomach fall out from beneath him as Nel's song finally came to a close, her eyes closing once more. She lay lifeless on the table now.
"The race being overtaken.......the Irkens........" his mind numb, Dib once again felt the pieces falling into place.......but this time things were finally right, finally true, "The Triste were protecting themselves.......from the Irken......."
He pulled himself back onto his feet, legs at first clamoring, knees clacking against one another in his weakened, immensely confused state. But he quickly regained his stature, felt his vision, both physical and mental, coming back under his control. The verve pulsated through his very being, bringing his sense of confidence back to his heart and mind, and Dib, fueled now with Zim's impending betrayal, clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into his palms.
"They were protecting themselves.......from YOU!!!!" mouth wide in anger, tears flooding his eyes, Dib flew forward once more, unarmed except for his awesome and devastating guilt. He flew like the wind, trench coat whipping behind him, and sooner than Zim could ready himself, Dib collided into his with the force of a battering ram, fists bearing down upon him like rapid strikes of lightning.
The assault came quickly like a pack of wolves over taking their prey. Lost inside his thoughts of responsibility, Dib did not dare hold back against his enemy, no matter how helpless he appeared now. His hands smashed into Zim's face like bricks, legs kicking now as well, trying to cause as much pain as was humanly possible. He took the alien's head into his own hands and rammed his forehead forward, his glasses nearly splitting in two. Recoiling backwards, Zim barely registered the blows and kicks landing on his stomach and sides as he was tossed upon the ground.
But the Irken's instincts soon flooded his mind as well, and Zim finally found the latent potency to fight back, shoving Dib off of him long enough to quickly recuperate.
"You tricked me, you bastard!!!" Dib cried out, readying himself for another attack. Haphazardly lunging forward, he missed his target, and before he could catch himself, Zim cracked his knuckles into Dib's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Is it my fault that you took the bait so easily?" Zim said through ragged breaths, blood forming along his green lips, "my fault that your pathetic, smelly human emotions got in the way?"
Charging forward like a bull, Zim delivered another quick blow to Dib's ribcage, his knee digging into the boy's underside, a sickening noise pouring out of his mouth as he fell onto the ground. Dib felt like he was going to vomit, but before he could give it another thought, Zim lodged his foot underneath his chin, suddenly kicking the toes of his steel-tipped boots into Dib's cheek bones, sending him flailing like a rag-doll across the room.
Willing himself to his feet, a tooth falling out of his mouth, covered with blood and tissue, Dib lunged forward without hesitation, wrapping his fingers around Zim's thin neck, tackling him to the ground. He now had the advantage of surprise, but it was unfortunately going to be short lived, as the stubborn and ruthless Irken hastily countered his grapple. Squirming out from underneath him so that he was now on top, both Zim and Dib had their hands tightly twisted around each other's necks.
Zim lifted up Dib's head for a moment, only to force back onto the cold, unfeeling ground, let his skull crack against the metal surface over and over again, until a small patch of blood appeared underneath him. He smiled at the sight, the perfect picture that was his domination of the human Dib, and suddenly stood upright, walking over to Nel, who remained inert on the dissection table. Encasing the knife's handle in his gloved hands, Zim ripped it out of her body, a small piece of skin still attached to the blade.
She gave a momentary gasp at the weapon's release, a meager spasm that shook the entire bed, but she soon fell back onto the bed, just as Zim was heading back towards Dib's damaged self. His mouth was torn from the inside out, and Zim's kicks had to have broken at least two of his ribs.......he risked having one of his lungs punctured.
"And now, worm-baby, its time for you to see the underside of my mighty and jolly boots of doom......." he spoke softly, crouching down next to Dib, drawing the blade close to his jugular. Dib could barely see now; the frames of his glasses were cracked in so many places that he might as well have been looking through a kaleidoscope.
"Nel........" Dib cracked his lips apart, the life in him slowly departing, "Nel........please listen to me........you must.........sing........if just for this one last time........kill both of us........save the planet........"
"Foolish human.......you killed her, just like you wanted to," Zim grinned, pulling his knife back for an instant to motion towards the quiet table, on which nothing seemed to be stirring. "All to save the planet from a fleet that will never arrive........"
As Dib felt a small, sharp prick begin to form around his neck, the world around him fading once again, he gave one last hope that Nel would somehow forgive him in the next life, that he could redeem himself somehow. Warmth began to spread inside his body, a calming sensation that he recalled from somewhere else, from another time. He felt aloof now, mind starting to close as his eyes filled with tears one last time.
He thought he saw stars now closing in around him, the mist of the galaxy consuming him in its everlasting power. From within the cascading stars Dib swore he saw the outlining of a face, one he hadn't seen in a long time.........one that he had thought he had long since forgotten.
It was etched in the tails of shooting stars, her hair made from the substance of the milky-way. A bright star composed each of the woman's pupils, shining down on him with an affectionate joie de vivre, and with the crescent moon forming her benign smile, Dib felt all the hurt inside leaving, his mind going numb. Her long, smooth arms, beautiful as the rings of Saturn, cradled him tightly, soothing, almost coaxing him into slumber
The struggle abandoned him, the pain fled from his burnt soul, and the raven-haired boy, eyes purple and bruised, could barely decipher fantasy from reality, wondered if this starry persona was actually standing there before him.
~~~I feel so.......happy.......~~~Dib thought as a mystical smile appeared on his face
~~~I guess death isn't so bad after all....... I guess this is how it ends though.........Mother~~~
The room became silent at last as Nel's song beat down the might of the raging storm one final time, while Dib fell asleep, his body collapsing alongside Zim's, the knife falling out of the alien's hand, clattering beside him, both of them quickly losing the will to live. Even now Zim seemed peaceful, his mouth slightly open, his breaths weakening with every passing second.
And Nel, resting noiselessly, simply lay on the table, the sobs lessening, her own verve flooding out of her body. Turning her face to one side, her skin now impervious to the cold surface on which she rested on, the blood from her chest wound still flowing, the girl wrenched her neck just in time to see Dib succumb to the pressure and gravity that death promised.
No amount of crying could bring him back. No amount of mourning would make his eyes separate, fill his body with renewed life.
"I'm so sorry.........Dib........." she said with hushed words, the din of rain still hammering onto the outside world.
Her mind fell back into the past, the first day she had actually seen Dib.........it had been raining on that day as well.........the day that was the end of all things.........
~~~I didn't make it rain..........~~~
With one last frail gasp, Nel closed her eyes as well.
Thunder rumbled ahead, the booming noise traveling deep into the sodden Earth, an unsettling growl that shook the walls surrounding Dib. The pitter- patter of raindrops was also perceptible now, all signs of a developing storm mustering its strength in one mighty crescendo.
But Dib couldn't hear any of that now. Someone must have shoved cotton balls in his ears; everything seemed to be muted. If felt like a dream........he felt stagnant, and yet, floating........it felt like a dream......
His mind reeled back to better times, being able to hold Nel in his arms, feeling her skin against his, tracing the lines of her body with his shaking fingers, looking deep into her sorrowful eyes. Knowing that at one point he had been able to make her smile like no one else could; it was that fact that kept him sane at this moment, when all other hopes seemed to be fading.
When all else had fallen apart, he remember the love he had shared with Nel.
But now he just wanted to be alone again.......he didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, didn't want to screw up anyone else's life. Could he go back and change every wrong move that he had made? Retrace every step? Dib didn't know what was worth fighting for, why he wanted to scream as his eyes trailed back and forth between Nel and the knife he held tightly.
Had she ever loved him in the first place? Had he just been a pawn in some long-winded scheme, a card in her deck, waiting to be placed on the table?
Zim had shown him the fate that Earth would face, had shown him the power the Tristanum wielded. Hell, he had heard it first hand, had almost been taken by the force she brandished, almost fallen into an eternal sleep from where there would be no return. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it ~had~ all been a scam, a despicable farce. Had she really meant to kill him?
His ear's were burning with turmoil and chaos........he was beginning to hate his predicament, hated where fate had led him. Why did those closest to him seem to hurt him the most, stab him in the heart when his guard was dropped? Was their aim so sure that they could fell him so easily, or was he just an easy target?
When all else had fallen apart, he would always remember the love he thought he had shared with Nel.
He wished he had never met that girl, her memory a dark stain in his past and present.......he desired to remove her from his future.
He could move on.......had to move on.........
The knife in his hand twitched.
"Dib........" the girl's mouth barely moved, lips slightly separated. Anxiety had taken hold of her soul, and she felt her vigor waning under the immense pressure that was slowly crushing her will to the ground. To see him before her now had at first provided some amount of relief, and she felt as if he would be her savior, her shining light, her escape, her aid. But then her eyes had fallen on the weapon in his hand, the alliance he shared with the green-skinned alien. Wasn't he also a classmate of Dib's at skool?
Her soul was shattering.
Outside, another bolt of lightening speared across a darkened sky, the rain clouds torn by the streaks of radiant electricity.
"Dib.......please tell me what's happening," Nel said from beneath a veneer of tears, nose and cheeks flushed with distress, heart sinking further into its cavity, "Why are you doing this?"
"Did you ever love me.......or was I just your little chess piece?" said Dib, words breathy and tense, his eyes boring into her from behind his thick- framed glasses. He could feel a vein beginning to swell in his forehead........all the clues were finally coming together, the key-stone of truth holding everything together. He began to close in on the table. "Did you want to see me dead?"
"No.......no! Never!!!" she called out from her table, arms straining to break free from their shackles, but it was a fruitless expedition; they held fast. They stretched and strained, cutting into her already scarred skin, but never budged. Nel's mouth became as thin and sharp as the blade that Dib held, realizing that his mind was slowly becoming poisoned and rotten. "I would never kill anyone........never kill......."
"Then what of those Earthen scientists?" Zim interjected, physically placing himself in between the table and Dib, who at first tried to dash forward, plant his knife into Nel's vulnerable flesh. "It was you that ended their lives of pond scummy-goodness, crushed them with your force........did you not enjoy it?!"
"NO!!!" Nel finally shrieked out, taking the Irken by surprise, mouth wide in anger and sorrow. Her eyebrows were tense, strained and taught as she once more tried to free herself. Sensing her actions, GIR, who had miraculously retained his astute conduct, launched himself onto the metal cot, arms wildly thrashing about as if to strike her.
But Dib had had enough, and he also moved forward, pushing Zim out of his way. His knife was drawn, shining in the bright fluorescent lights of the room, as he cut through the air like a diving falcon. Hair whipping about his face, tears still running down his face, Dib quickly back-handed GIR in the face, sending him reeling. The robot was thrown several feet away, clanging on the ground three times before finally coming to a rest; he did not get back to his feet.
Without Zim holding him back, without his reservations, without his love for Nel, Dib was seething with rage, eyes alive now, unclouded. His teeth were grinding against one another, as he was beside himself in anger, jumping on top of the dissection table, placing himself over Nel, hands raised above his head.
He felt like he was floating........the thunder could not awaken him from this dream of silent ire. The world around him was swirling like a hypnotic mist, so unreal, so dreamlike, and with his prey beneath him, Dib saw a beast rather then a small, helpless girl, saw some thrashing animal with claws and snarling teeth.
"I'll kill you, you fucking alien bitch!!!" Dib screamed like a warrior, glasses falling down his face, his entire body twitching and shaking, "You.......you tried to kill me!!!! You USED me!!!!"
"Please, Dib, don't listen to the lies!!!" pleaded Nel, trying with all her diminutive strength to break through her bonds, while at the same time struggling to shatter Dib's rage. But his face was now contorted with ferocity, white with a kind of vehemence that only she could apparently incite. "I love you!!!"
"You never loved anyone but yourself!!!" he spat back into her face, raising his hands higher, preparing to take the final plunge, preparing to remove all his memories of Nel. "You never love me!! STOP LYING TO ME!!!!"
~~~I'll give up a part of me.......~~~
His hands began to descend, the knife's glint trailing downwards.
~~~I'll forget everything.......you'll see......~~~
Clutching his cure tightly, Dib closed his eyes, a wicked smile playing on his pale lip.
~~~You'll see.......~~~
Nel gave a quick gasp.
The blade quickly entered her chest, lodging itself into her cavity, tickling her lungs and bones. Her heart stopped momentarily, every breath an act of pain, every movement she made another reason for the knife to dwell deeper inside her. Hands that before were jerking and shuddering now fall failed to move, laying limply on the icy table.
The whole world seemed to stop, the rain halted, the thunder quieted.
Her eyes were wide, pupils so small now, the whites so ebullient, glowing. Dib bent down as if to kiss her sardonically, and licked some of her blood from her face, driven insane by anguish, the ostensibly never-ending misery that life had dealt him all these long years.
"I'll.......I'll kill you......." Dib whispered into her ears, lips quivering with fulfillment. He un-opened his eyes now, lids parting slowly, as he pulled his hands away from Nel's body, leaving the medicinal knife embedded in her body, a pool of blood expanding from the wound. His hands were already covered with the red stuff, caking in between his fingers, already coagulating. "I'll see you dead........"
But then he looked into her eyes again. The light was fading from the brown orbs of her face, the color evaporating from her supple skin. Her lips, once so soft, looked cold and dry; she had managed to twist the corners of her mouth into the most serene, unearthly smile. Eyelashes fluttering languidly, all the fight had left her being, all the spirit and energy seeping out from underneath her. Although her smile remained, Dib knew deep down that it wasn't born from happiness, but resolution, from acceptance that she was going to die by the hands of her lover, her friend.
He was sending her to her grave. He had taken that last step into oblivion.
"Dib......." she choked, a splash of blood frothing out of her mouth. It was so red against the pale color of her flesh, "I-if this is what........what will make you happy........I will go."
Opening her mouth as wide as her facilities would allow, Nel little by little craned her head back, dolefully resting it against the table's cold exterior. Her hair was splayed about, golden locks lost amongst a sea of brown and red, and it was as if she had forgotten that a fatal wound had been dealt upon her feeble body. From behind the table, Zim smiled to himself, slowly pulling out a small gun-like mechanism from the secret inner pocket of his uniform. This was the moment he had been waiting.
Furtively moving towards the other side of the table, so that he was squarely facing Dib, who still lost in his trance. With the huge monitors behind him, face emotionless and composed, the Irken prepared to fire.
His finger inched towards the trigger. Dib would be none the wiser.
~~~She could put angels to shame........~~~
The sound began as a soft cooing noise, barely noticeable above the roar and clamor echoing above, but slowly gaining strength, like a snowball tumbling down a shallow hill.
Zim's antennae twitched; he was suddenly unable to move, paralyzed by a nearly undetectable force. His shoulders shook, nerves racing, blood pumping as his ears began to pick up an increasingly more prominent voice, emanating from the metal table before him. He tried to snap the trigger back, but his senses were failing him, his fingers were not obeying his mind's orders.
"What is this sickly sound.......it makes my mind reel and churn like sickly earthen butter laden with bile and deer ticks........" he muttered, involuntarily dropping his brand, not able to hold it in his hands any longer. For some reason, all his strength had suddenly abandoned him.
It was then that the hushed hum began to reverberate, splitting and dividing into separate pieces. Complex harmonies arose from Nel's mouth as she started to sing, the mournful, grief-stricken, lyrics of the Triste spilling forth effortlessly. The notes swam together, joining and parting effortlessly like the tributaries of a river, like separate strings of yarn intertwining to become one blanket.
"No......" the single word barely had time to leave Zim's vocal chords before he staggered backwards, clutching his head within his hands as Nel's voice suddenly rose in volume a hundred fold, the uncorrupted and wholly innocent song piercing the evil air in the room, slicing into Zim's brain, reminding him of his race's defeat, so long ago, and yet so fresh in his mind. "STOP IT!!!! STOP IT NOW!!!!"
But she would not cease, as she now let the song of Triste pour like a rushing waterfall, blocking out the sound of rain and thunder, the sound of Zim's shrieks as he thrashed about the ground, his ears unable to stand the sound of her melodious song. He crashed into the computer behind him, elbows smacking into the keyboards, fingers still digging into his green skin, tiny rivulets of Irken blood now dripping down his face and arms.
Suddenly, a familiar video clip appeared on all of the screens at once, the very same images that Dib had seen from behind Zim's goggles, the visions of wreckage and war. The fires were just as alive, just as terrible looking.
Looking up from Nel's devitalizing body, Dib looked with glazed eyes towards the screen. The world was at last coming back into his focus, his conscious mind finally slipping back down onto the waking world. He couldn't feel the girl's blood washed over his face, but he could definitely perceive the image on the screens with new-found attention, with newly regained awareness. Unexpectedly cold and weak, Dib tumbled off of the cot, tumbling to the ground in a hazed clump; Nel's song was beginning to take him as well. But he fought now, strength returning, to maintain hold of this world, this reality, this moment. Neck arched, head tilted upwards, Dib stared at the screen intensely, noticing that the image was now being magnified several times as Zim continued to accidentally manipulating the images with his sporadic motions.
So lost in his feverish craze was Zim that he failed to notice that the symbols of the ship being overtaken by the Triste were slowly coming into focus. A symbol very familiar to Dib after all these years, he felt foolish for not realizing his folly before.
The insignia of the Irken Armada was now made clear on all four of the room's monitors, blaring down into Dib's eyes. He felt his stomach fall out from beneath him as Nel's song finally came to a close, her eyes closing once more. She lay lifeless on the table now.
"The race being overtaken.......the Irkens........" his mind numb, Dib once again felt the pieces falling into place.......but this time things were finally right, finally true, "The Triste were protecting themselves.......from the Irken......."
He pulled himself back onto his feet, legs at first clamoring, knees clacking against one another in his weakened, immensely confused state. But he quickly regained his stature, felt his vision, both physical and mental, coming back under his control. The verve pulsated through his very being, bringing his sense of confidence back to his heart and mind, and Dib, fueled now with Zim's impending betrayal, clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into his palms.
"They were protecting themselves.......from YOU!!!!" mouth wide in anger, tears flooding his eyes, Dib flew forward once more, unarmed except for his awesome and devastating guilt. He flew like the wind, trench coat whipping behind him, and sooner than Zim could ready himself, Dib collided into his with the force of a battering ram, fists bearing down upon him like rapid strikes of lightning.
The assault came quickly like a pack of wolves over taking their prey. Lost inside his thoughts of responsibility, Dib did not dare hold back against his enemy, no matter how helpless he appeared now. His hands smashed into Zim's face like bricks, legs kicking now as well, trying to cause as much pain as was humanly possible. He took the alien's head into his own hands and rammed his forehead forward, his glasses nearly splitting in two. Recoiling backwards, Zim barely registered the blows and kicks landing on his stomach and sides as he was tossed upon the ground.
But the Irken's instincts soon flooded his mind as well, and Zim finally found the latent potency to fight back, shoving Dib off of him long enough to quickly recuperate.
"You tricked me, you bastard!!!" Dib cried out, readying himself for another attack. Haphazardly lunging forward, he missed his target, and before he could catch himself, Zim cracked his knuckles into Dib's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Is it my fault that you took the bait so easily?" Zim said through ragged breaths, blood forming along his green lips, "my fault that your pathetic, smelly human emotions got in the way?"
Charging forward like a bull, Zim delivered another quick blow to Dib's ribcage, his knee digging into the boy's underside, a sickening noise pouring out of his mouth as he fell onto the ground. Dib felt like he was going to vomit, but before he could give it another thought, Zim lodged his foot underneath his chin, suddenly kicking the toes of his steel-tipped boots into Dib's cheek bones, sending him flailing like a rag-doll across the room.
Willing himself to his feet, a tooth falling out of his mouth, covered with blood and tissue, Dib lunged forward without hesitation, wrapping his fingers around Zim's thin neck, tackling him to the ground. He now had the advantage of surprise, but it was unfortunately going to be short lived, as the stubborn and ruthless Irken hastily countered his grapple. Squirming out from underneath him so that he was now on top, both Zim and Dib had their hands tightly twisted around each other's necks.
Zim lifted up Dib's head for a moment, only to force back onto the cold, unfeeling ground, let his skull crack against the metal surface over and over again, until a small patch of blood appeared underneath him. He smiled at the sight, the perfect picture that was his domination of the human Dib, and suddenly stood upright, walking over to Nel, who remained inert on the dissection table. Encasing the knife's handle in his gloved hands, Zim ripped it out of her body, a small piece of skin still attached to the blade.
She gave a momentary gasp at the weapon's release, a meager spasm that shook the entire bed, but she soon fell back onto the bed, just as Zim was heading back towards Dib's damaged self. His mouth was torn from the inside out, and Zim's kicks had to have broken at least two of his ribs.......he risked having one of his lungs punctured.
"And now, worm-baby, its time for you to see the underside of my mighty and jolly boots of doom......." he spoke softly, crouching down next to Dib, drawing the blade close to his jugular. Dib could barely see now; the frames of his glasses were cracked in so many places that he might as well have been looking through a kaleidoscope.
"Nel........" Dib cracked his lips apart, the life in him slowly departing, "Nel........please listen to me........you must.........sing........if just for this one last time........kill both of us........save the planet........"
"Foolish human.......you killed her, just like you wanted to," Zim grinned, pulling his knife back for an instant to motion towards the quiet table, on which nothing seemed to be stirring. "All to save the planet from a fleet that will never arrive........"
As Dib felt a small, sharp prick begin to form around his neck, the world around him fading once again, he gave one last hope that Nel would somehow forgive him in the next life, that he could redeem himself somehow. Warmth began to spread inside his body, a calming sensation that he recalled from somewhere else, from another time. He felt aloof now, mind starting to close as his eyes filled with tears one last time.
He thought he saw stars now closing in around him, the mist of the galaxy consuming him in its everlasting power. From within the cascading stars Dib swore he saw the outlining of a face, one he hadn't seen in a long time.........one that he had thought he had long since forgotten.
It was etched in the tails of shooting stars, her hair made from the substance of the milky-way. A bright star composed each of the woman's pupils, shining down on him with an affectionate joie de vivre, and with the crescent moon forming her benign smile, Dib felt all the hurt inside leaving, his mind going numb. Her long, smooth arms, beautiful as the rings of Saturn, cradled him tightly, soothing, almost coaxing him into slumber
The struggle abandoned him, the pain fled from his burnt soul, and the raven-haired boy, eyes purple and bruised, could barely decipher fantasy from reality, wondered if this starry persona was actually standing there before him.
~~~I feel so.......happy.......~~~Dib thought as a mystical smile appeared on his face
~~~I guess death isn't so bad after all....... I guess this is how it ends though.........Mother~~~
The room became silent at last as Nel's song beat down the might of the raging storm one final time, while Dib fell asleep, his body collapsing alongside Zim's, the knife falling out of the alien's hand, clattering beside him, both of them quickly losing the will to live. Even now Zim seemed peaceful, his mouth slightly open, his breaths weakening with every passing second.
And Nel, resting noiselessly, simply lay on the table, the sobs lessening, her own verve flooding out of her body. Turning her face to one side, her skin now impervious to the cold surface on which she rested on, the blood from her chest wound still flowing, the girl wrenched her neck just in time to see Dib succumb to the pressure and gravity that death promised.
No amount of crying could bring him back. No amount of mourning would make his eyes separate, fill his body with renewed life.
"I'm so sorry.........Dib........." she said with hushed words, the din of rain still hammering onto the outside world.
Her mind fell back into the past, the first day she had actually seen Dib.........it had been raining on that day as well.........the day that was the end of all things.........
~~~I didn't make it rain..........~~~
With one last frail gasp, Nel closed her eyes as well.