A/N: Yep, more Zim angst, but this should be it for a while. Pardon if
Zim seems a bit OOC. Understandable if ones world is turned upside-down.
But don't worry; he should be back to his Zimmy self soon. Dib is in for
some angst himself, sometime in the near future. Poor kid. As for the
next chapter, some general questions, (and possibly important ones) about
the Neplotn should be answered. I'll try not to make it as dry as it
sounds. History can be pretty boring sometimes. Oh yeah, and you'll get
to see a Zim and GIR family reunion. ^-^ Yey!
Disclaimer: thankyoumr.vasquezforyourincreadablecreationwesuredoappreciateyouruncannyima ginationandarehighlydisappointedthatnickstoppedtheshow.theyareobviouslynotas brightastheywouldliketothinktheyareiftheycannotseeinvaderzimfortheamazingsho wthatitis.itisthierlossandunfortunatelyoursaswell. Why must we suffer from their blind ignorance?
Zim. Earth. Zim's Base.
Early Evening.
Zim watched as GIR slid to a stop in the middle of the room. There was a slight zapping sound and then GIR disappeared. For a moment, the lab was eerily silent, as Zim processed what he had just seen. GIR, his loyal minion, his faithful, (more or less), insane, robot slave, the last link he really had to what he once was, to his Irken identity, had just disappeared into thin air. Okay, a small part of him reasoned, he had the base, the voot, and the space port, but he just wasn't as close to them as he was to GIR. GIR was his constant companion, his friend, almost family. GIR was almost always there for him when no one else was.
Fear filled him. GIR was gone. GIR disappeared. He had to get him back. Jumping from the chair, Zim knocked Dib out of his way as he ran towards the spot he had last seen GIR. Maybe he could go where GIR had gone. Maybe he could disappear too.
"GIR!" He cried as he ran. 'This can't be happening.' His mind screamed.
He vaguely heard Dib in the background. "Zim. Stop."
Dib tackled him to the ground. He was loosing valuable minutes. The thing that took GIR probably wasn't going to stay where it was. Shifting portals a sporadic anomaly. They make their rare appearance, then disappear to Irk knows where. (It had to be a shifting portal, what else could it be.) If he didn't get there soon, the portal would close and he would loose GIR forever.
Zim glanced at Dib, a mixture of anger, fear, and anxiety crossed his face. "Let go Dib-beast! I need to get GIR."
Looking back to where GIR disappeared, his voice took on a tinge of hysteria. "I MUST GET HIM!" Didn't Dib get it? If he didn't get there fast, he would loose everything. In all of his miserably lie of a life, GIR was the best thing that ever happened to him.
He felt Dib tightened his grip on him as he tried to pull himself to where GIR had been.
"Don't make me have to tie you up again ZIM!" Dib hissed behind him. "I have sleep cuffs and I'm not afraid to use them."
Zim glared at Dib and continued to crawl, dragging them both to the spot where GIR had disappeared. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET GIR!"
He made it, even as he dragged Dib behind him. If the portal had been still open, both he and Dib would have been on the 'other side'. He would have been with GIR. Desperation and defeat flooded his system as he realized GIR was gone for good. The events of the past few hours weighed their awful stress on him. He had lost everything of value that day, his leaders, his people, his honour, his purpose, and now, the first true friend, the closest thing to family, he had ever really known.
In a last surge of desperation, Zim struggled against Dib, hoping against all odds that he could still find the shifting portal that had taken GIR but knowing his search was futile.
Zim screamed "I NEED GIR!" The pain of his loss was unbearable. " I need gir!" he concluded with almost a whisper, defeated.
Zim touched his forehead to the floor and squeezed his eyes shut. He had cried more this day than any time in his entire life. Years of hiding his doubts, his fears, his very emotions had built up into an explosion of released tension, the pain of his anguish raking his very soul. His shoulders where shaking from the force of his tears. He felt Dib reached out and patted him on the shoulder. He didn't try to hide his shame; he didn't try to be more than he was. This time, he merely continued to cry. He was tired of the lies. The ones they told him, the ones he told himself. He didn't care anymore. He was just so tired.
"I know you do, Zim." He heard Dib say. "I know you do. We'll find out where he went. And we'll get him back."
Dib had seen him at his most humiliating time in his long life, and Dib was here now, seeing him emotionally fall apart. Yet somehow, it was almost comforting. Dib knew him almost better than anyone, and here he was, accepting Zim for who he was. Trying to comfort him in his time of need. Maybe Dib really was the friend he claimed to be. It almost felt odd to have a real friend, someone besides GIR. It almost felt, not right. Like he didn't deserve it. After all, the almighty tallest themselves had told him he didn't even deserve to live. (Being a recent exile didn't make the years of loyalty programming and devotional training fade.) Yet Dib was here for him. Saying comforting words. It felt so odd to have someone truly care for him when he never had anyone before, (well, besides GIR), and especially odd when that caring person was an old enemy. It would take some getting use to.
Eventually, the tears ran dry. Zim felt emotionally exhausted. He looked up from where he was sitting. Dib was sitting across from him, a concerned look in his eyes. He was fidgeting with his coat edge again. When he saw Zim looking at him, he offered a shy smile.
"I'm not very good at comforting people." Dib confessed. "I don't really know what to say. But we will find GIR. I promise."
"We won't find GIR." Zim said with without emotion. "He found a shifting portal. He won't be back."
"Huh?" Dib questioned, confusion written all over his face.
Zim sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he ran a hand over his face. Humans were so ignorant, so inferior. Even ones as smart as Dib.
"Shifting portals are doorways to alternate dimensions. Like the portal that you opened into your big head." He explained to Dib like he would have to GIR.
"My head's not big." Dib began protesting, only to be cut off by Zim.
"Don't interrupt, Dib-stink!" He growled. He wasn't feeling very patient.
He took a deep breath and continued. "The portals don't stay open long and they always move. You never know when one will show up, or where. If you run into one, chances are, you'll never come back. You'll be stuck in the dimension it spits you into. They're rare, but they have been known to take a few good Irkens. As far as I know, only one Irken has been known to come back."
Zim didn't tell Dib that he was that Irken. Zim closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered. He didn't remember much about his 'trip' to the other dimension. He remembered shadowy figures, painful tests and the fact that he was very lucky he came back at all. In comparison, as horrible as it had been, the trip to Dib's nightmare world had been a 'walk-in-the- park' (as the human filth would say).
"Wow!" Dib said in a soft voice, causing Zim to look at him. The human's eyes were wide with wonder. Zim watched as Dib's expression changed to a frown.
"Geez Zim." Dib muttered, his voice still soft. "I'm really sorry."
Zim threw back his shoulders and lifted his head. "I can handle it. After all, I AM ZIM!" he boasted with false pride. The little talk he had with the Dib had forced him to face the fact he would never see GIR again. He accepted this fact. He had no choice, really.
For a few uneasy moments, silence fell in the lab. Despite himself, Zim's thoughts ran through the events of the day again, threatening to overwhelm him once more.
"Zim?" Dib ventured to query, "Who are the Neplotn and what does 'tagged' mean exactly?"
Zim blinked at Dib then smiled a bit, glad to have something to force his mind away from recent events. With a force of willpower, Zim forced the horrible thoughts from his mind and embraced Dib's inquiry with a mental death grip. He would show the Dib human everything he knew about the Neplotn. With the Dib monkey's help, maybe he could free himself from the unseen threat. Irkens, after all, were meant to be masters, not slaves. He was supposed to be the one in control. He stood up and brushed himself off, then watched as Dib did the same.
"Come here stink-beast." Zim commanded Dib as he walked towards his main computer monitor. "Come watch me amaze you!"
Disclaimer: thankyoumr.vasquezforyourincreadablecreationwesuredoappreciateyouruncannyima ginationandarehighlydisappointedthatnickstoppedtheshow.theyareobviouslynotas brightastheywouldliketothinktheyareiftheycannotseeinvaderzimfortheamazingsho wthatitis.itisthierlossandunfortunatelyoursaswell. Why must we suffer from their blind ignorance?
Zim. Earth. Zim's Base.
Early Evening.
Zim watched as GIR slid to a stop in the middle of the room. There was a slight zapping sound and then GIR disappeared. For a moment, the lab was eerily silent, as Zim processed what he had just seen. GIR, his loyal minion, his faithful, (more or less), insane, robot slave, the last link he really had to what he once was, to his Irken identity, had just disappeared into thin air. Okay, a small part of him reasoned, he had the base, the voot, and the space port, but he just wasn't as close to them as he was to GIR. GIR was his constant companion, his friend, almost family. GIR was almost always there for him when no one else was.
Fear filled him. GIR was gone. GIR disappeared. He had to get him back. Jumping from the chair, Zim knocked Dib out of his way as he ran towards the spot he had last seen GIR. Maybe he could go where GIR had gone. Maybe he could disappear too.
"GIR!" He cried as he ran. 'This can't be happening.' His mind screamed.
He vaguely heard Dib in the background. "Zim. Stop."
Dib tackled him to the ground. He was loosing valuable minutes. The thing that took GIR probably wasn't going to stay where it was. Shifting portals a sporadic anomaly. They make their rare appearance, then disappear to Irk knows where. (It had to be a shifting portal, what else could it be.) If he didn't get there soon, the portal would close and he would loose GIR forever.
Zim glanced at Dib, a mixture of anger, fear, and anxiety crossed his face. "Let go Dib-beast! I need to get GIR."
Looking back to where GIR disappeared, his voice took on a tinge of hysteria. "I MUST GET HIM!" Didn't Dib get it? If he didn't get there fast, he would loose everything. In all of his miserably lie of a life, GIR was the best thing that ever happened to him.
He felt Dib tightened his grip on him as he tried to pull himself to where GIR had been.
"Don't make me have to tie you up again ZIM!" Dib hissed behind him. "I have sleep cuffs and I'm not afraid to use them."
Zim glared at Dib and continued to crawl, dragging them both to the spot where GIR had disappeared. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET GIR!"
He made it, even as he dragged Dib behind him. If the portal had been still open, both he and Dib would have been on the 'other side'. He would have been with GIR. Desperation and defeat flooded his system as he realized GIR was gone for good. The events of the past few hours weighed their awful stress on him. He had lost everything of value that day, his leaders, his people, his honour, his purpose, and now, the first true friend, the closest thing to family, he had ever really known.
In a last surge of desperation, Zim struggled against Dib, hoping against all odds that he could still find the shifting portal that had taken GIR but knowing his search was futile.
Zim screamed "I NEED GIR!" The pain of his loss was unbearable. " I need gir!" he concluded with almost a whisper, defeated.
Zim touched his forehead to the floor and squeezed his eyes shut. He had cried more this day than any time in his entire life. Years of hiding his doubts, his fears, his very emotions had built up into an explosion of released tension, the pain of his anguish raking his very soul. His shoulders where shaking from the force of his tears. He felt Dib reached out and patted him on the shoulder. He didn't try to hide his shame; he didn't try to be more than he was. This time, he merely continued to cry. He was tired of the lies. The ones they told him, the ones he told himself. He didn't care anymore. He was just so tired.
"I know you do, Zim." He heard Dib say. "I know you do. We'll find out where he went. And we'll get him back."
Dib had seen him at his most humiliating time in his long life, and Dib was here now, seeing him emotionally fall apart. Yet somehow, it was almost comforting. Dib knew him almost better than anyone, and here he was, accepting Zim for who he was. Trying to comfort him in his time of need. Maybe Dib really was the friend he claimed to be. It almost felt odd to have a real friend, someone besides GIR. It almost felt, not right. Like he didn't deserve it. After all, the almighty tallest themselves had told him he didn't even deserve to live. (Being a recent exile didn't make the years of loyalty programming and devotional training fade.) Yet Dib was here for him. Saying comforting words. It felt so odd to have someone truly care for him when he never had anyone before, (well, besides GIR), and especially odd when that caring person was an old enemy. It would take some getting use to.
Eventually, the tears ran dry. Zim felt emotionally exhausted. He looked up from where he was sitting. Dib was sitting across from him, a concerned look in his eyes. He was fidgeting with his coat edge again. When he saw Zim looking at him, he offered a shy smile.
"I'm not very good at comforting people." Dib confessed. "I don't really know what to say. But we will find GIR. I promise."
"We won't find GIR." Zim said with without emotion. "He found a shifting portal. He won't be back."
"Huh?" Dib questioned, confusion written all over his face.
Zim sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he ran a hand over his face. Humans were so ignorant, so inferior. Even ones as smart as Dib.
"Shifting portals are doorways to alternate dimensions. Like the portal that you opened into your big head." He explained to Dib like he would have to GIR.
"My head's not big." Dib began protesting, only to be cut off by Zim.
"Don't interrupt, Dib-stink!" He growled. He wasn't feeling very patient.
He took a deep breath and continued. "The portals don't stay open long and they always move. You never know when one will show up, or where. If you run into one, chances are, you'll never come back. You'll be stuck in the dimension it spits you into. They're rare, but they have been known to take a few good Irkens. As far as I know, only one Irken has been known to come back."
Zim didn't tell Dib that he was that Irken. Zim closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered. He didn't remember much about his 'trip' to the other dimension. He remembered shadowy figures, painful tests and the fact that he was very lucky he came back at all. In comparison, as horrible as it had been, the trip to Dib's nightmare world had been a 'walk-in-the- park' (as the human filth would say).
"Wow!" Dib said in a soft voice, causing Zim to look at him. The human's eyes were wide with wonder. Zim watched as Dib's expression changed to a frown.
"Geez Zim." Dib muttered, his voice still soft. "I'm really sorry."
Zim threw back his shoulders and lifted his head. "I can handle it. After all, I AM ZIM!" he boasted with false pride. The little talk he had with the Dib had forced him to face the fact he would never see GIR again. He accepted this fact. He had no choice, really.
For a few uneasy moments, silence fell in the lab. Despite himself, Zim's thoughts ran through the events of the day again, threatening to overwhelm him once more.
"Zim?" Dib ventured to query, "Who are the Neplotn and what does 'tagged' mean exactly?"
Zim blinked at Dib then smiled a bit, glad to have something to force his mind away from recent events. With a force of willpower, Zim forced the horrible thoughts from his mind and embraced Dib's inquiry with a mental death grip. He would show the Dib human everything he knew about the Neplotn. With the Dib monkey's help, maybe he could free himself from the unseen threat. Irkens, after all, were meant to be masters, not slaves. He was supposed to be the one in control. He stood up and brushed himself off, then watched as Dib did the same.
"Come here stink-beast." Zim commanded Dib as he walked towards his main computer monitor. "Come watch me amaze you!"