Chapter 4: Operation Dib Snatcher!
"Well, that could've gone better!"
Shirley said, rounding the corner, her entourage trying to keep up behind her.
"I didn't expect my prey to be claimed so quickly, but given what I've heard of his performance, I should've." She stopped suddenly, causing the girls behind to trip over themselves and land in a heap. (after some playful giggles and slapping sounds, they shut up to listen to her)
"No matter. It's about time I had a challenge!"
She turned toward the pile, "Number 3!"
The girls quickly disentangled themselves and got up, standing in line like soldiers at attention.
Yellow Pig Tails saluted, "Sir!"
"I'm going to need the 411 on this 'Zim' girl. Ask around and see what her deal is, and how she knows Dib. See if you can get some dirt on her while you're at it."
Number 3 nodded and dropped her salute.
Shirley turned to Black Braids, "Number 2, and ditto on Dib. Hack into the school's computer and bring up his files. I want to know who and what I'm dealing with here."
After BB saluted, her eyes wandered to Red Curls, "Number 1..."
Red Curls smiled, "I know what to do."
Shirley smiled back, "The rest of you, dismissed to your classes."
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The Dib is certainly acting strangely, thought Zim
She was watching him from her seat in their History class. Not only was his attitude different, but his body language as well. He had always seemed so sad, and angry at everything, slumping in his seat and frowning, smirking every now and then only when given the chance to torment her.
He sat up straight now, head held high and a silly grin plastered on his face. He'd still smirk at her, but there was no malice in it. They were...knowing smirks, as if he knew a secret and was letting her know he knew. His usual sneers and leers were replaced with sly winks. (It was like he was an actual male) Zim had observed this behavior before. Flirting, she believed it was called. It made her blush and squirm uncomfortably that he would give her that kind of attention. What did it mean exactly?
The teacher was wrapping up the monotone droning he called education and made an announcement, "Now I know you're all excited about the dance on Friday night, but that will not be an excuse for failing to do your homework." he flipped open the history book in his hand and stopped somewhere in the middle, "Chapters 23 to 30 will be due--"
The bell rang then, and homework was lost and forgotten amid the stampeed towards freedom!
As Zim rose from her desk, the books on it suddenly dissapeared, and a familiar warmth slid into her hand. She looked up to see Dib smiling down at her, missing books under his arm, his other hand holding her own. She raised a brow at him, before smiling as well, everything suddenly falling into place. How quickly she had tamed him! Not only was he now catering to her like an obedient slave, he had even put the leash on himself! For his actions surely meant that he had finally succumbed to her will, and knew his place as belonging to Zim! Not that she should be surprised, of course; after all, who could resist her superior Irken charms?
They strutted out the doors and to the court yard for lunch.
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Number 2 melded into the herd. Their migration route went closely past her destination and subtlety was key. The principal's office suddenly came into view, and before anyone could notice, she had melded back out and slipped in through the door.
No one was there. They had all gone to feed of course. The principal and his secretary would usually socialize with the teachers at the watering hole dubbed 'The Lounge' and they never bothered to lock the place since most students tended to avoid this area anyway.
Having shut the door behind her, BB undid the bottom of her right braid, dislodging the mini buzzer alarm hidden there, and wired it to the door knob. Nobody would probably be coming back before feeding time was over, but just in case, whoever tried to open the door would get a mild electric shock and be knocked out for a few minutes, at the same time, the action would trigger a beeper hidden in her left braid, alerting her to their presence.
BB went straight to the far computer at the end of the room, which she knew to be the principal's. Giving the mouse a little shake, the screen lit up and, as she suspected, he had logged off.
She undid the 2nd knot in her right braid and produced another little gadget that she inserted into the data stick drive.
The computer winked out a few times, before a new, almost identical screen replaced the first.
'Login Name?' it asked.
'Administrator' she typed.
'Password?'
'Correct Password'
...'Access granted. Loading. Please Wait...'
She didn't have to wait too long. A clearly marked 'Student Records' file appeared in the bottom left corner of the desktop under another one labeled 'Dear Diary'
After printing out a few pages of the Diary for future use, she opened the Student Records and scrolled to the 'D's
Dib...
A faint buzz and thump from the door were followed by a little beeping in her left ear. Black Braids quickly scanned over the file page and hasitly wrote down the important bits, stuffing the sheet of printer paper in her pocket when she finished.
She logged off, took her gadget out from the drive and ran to the door, quickly removing the evidence of her presence from there as well.
It turned out to be the secretary who was the victim of her security system. BB dragged the chunky lady inside and opened her mouth, spraying a 'eu de alcohol' fragrance into it. Let the staff think she was drunk and passed out. No matter what she said a quick sniff of her breath would nullify her story.
Making sure no one else was around, Black Braids closed the door behind her and walked confidently down the hall, humming quietly to herself along the way. She entered the girls bathroom and did a quick sweep with her eyes. Empty.
...Or so it would seem to the untrained observer.
She hummed a bit more loudly.
A pair of feet suddenly appeared under the third stall and their owner exited. BB took the paper from her pocket and tore off the bottom corner of it, handing it over to the other who stood before her.
The other glanced at the writing before nodding, and stuffing the paper in their own pocket. BB nodded in return and left, humming a slightly different tune this time. The other waited a few minutes and, not hearing the tune change, stepped out as well.
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It was a little sunny out, and neither were too hungry, so Zim and Dib made their way toward the shade of a tree in the middle of an island (A/N: if you don't know what that is, an island is the word my highschool used for these big uplifted concrete thingies that had a lot of dirt in it, like a pot, only island shaped, plants and sometimes trees)
They stepped up and into the middle, Zim releasing Dib's hand to lean her back against the trunk. Dib plopped himself at its base and did the same, glancing up at her.
"Wouldn't you rather sit down?"
Zim sneered at him, "On the dirty...dirt floor?" she scoffed, "Are you seriously suggesting that Zim soil her bottom by placing it on the filthy ground?!"
She then looked thoughtful for a minute, before grinning and looking back at Dib.
"I know! Dib-beast! Take your coat off and lay it there. I'll sit on that instead!" Zim nodded, pleased at the brilliantness of her genious mind.
Dib frowned and was about to protest, but grinned wickedly instead. "I have a better idea..."
The boy reached up and grabbed the Irken's hips, pulling her down and into his lap.
Zim blinked, then glared at him, "Hey!"
Dib, who was a whole head taller than she was, leaned over the invader, grinning the Cheshire cat grin he seemed to have adopted so recently, and brought his face down to meet hers.
"What?" he breathed huskily, slipping his arms around her waist, bringing the Irken closer until their lips were almost touching, "Something wrong?"
Zim's eyes widened considerably. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire and her lips tingled as the heat of Dib's breath blew across them.
She swallowed thickly, "Uh...n-nothing's wrong! I-It's just..." her heart was pounding in her antennae under her wig and her thoughts were having a hard time forming themselves on her tongue, "Just...warn me next time you do something like that..." It was all Zim could think of to say. She found herself captivated by the boy's beautiful honey colored eyes, so big and bright this close to her. She couldn't tear her gaze away from them.
Dib laughed then, closing his eyes as he did so and pulling back to lean against the tree once more, breaking the spell.
Zim blinked away the lingering traces of gold that were now hidden behind the boy's eyelids, and glared at him again.
"What's so funny human worm-monkey?! You dare laugh at your master? YOU DARE?!"
Dib's laugh softened to a chuckle. He looked amusedly at the still blushing alien, "Don't you mean 'Mistress' Zim?"
A thin stream of sweat ran down Zim's forehead, "Er...YES! Yes, of course, Mistress! That's what I meant! You dare laugh at your--"
Dib had leaned in close again, and Zim snapped her mouth shut, feeling the blood boil in her face.
"It's just so easy and so much fun to get you worked up, Zim! And besides, did I ever tell you how cute you are when you're angry?"
Zim what speechless. What could she say to that? Well, what could she say to that without getting worked up all over again and proving his point?
The decision was made for her when she felt Dib's hand on the back of her head, pulling it down to rest on his chest. Zim was still slightly in shock when he began stroking her hair; gentle, soothing motions that, combined with the warm sunny day, lulled the Irken into a lazy daze. Normally, she didn't like others touching her, but she didn't find contact with Dib repulsive at all. His fingers left a tingling warmth wherever they stroked, something she'd never experienced before. The feel of his fingers running along her hair was almost hypnotic, and she found her eyes drifting shut. Zim curled up in Dib's lap and let her eyes close, lessening her other senses to more fully enjoy his touch. (Although she did wonder in the back of her mind what was the surprising firmness under his pants)
Dib grinned and perched his head atop of hers, allowing himself a contented chuckle. He liked having this kind of power over Zim. While watching her squirm nervously was always fun, this reaction was pretty nice too. Who knew working with his enemy would turn out this good? He looked up and let his eyes wander over the school grounds.
Beyond the traffic of bodies, he noticed a girl with yellow pigtails talking with a group of jocks. He recognized her as one of Shirley's bunch. They kept looking over at the spot he and Zim were occupying, and Dib felt an uncomfortable sense of foreboding decend upon him. Still, what was the worst that could happen? Torque had legally declared him 'cool' so those guys wouldn't be coming over to beat him up or take his spot would they? Or maybe it had all been an act? Had they just pretended to accept him as part of some cruel joke? Would they wait until he was alone and jump him? Then again, what if it was Zim they were after? That girl Shirley had shown an interest in him and Zim had not so nicely told her he was taken. If she wanted revenge on her for that, would these guys do it for her? Is that what her lackey was asking them to do?
Dib hugged Zim's body tighter as a startling rush of primitive, masculine possessiveness flowed through him. Nobody was hurting his alien!
Dib blinked, confused at these new emotions and the thoughts that came with them, and shook his head, "I'm probably just being paranoid. What with 'When everything's coming your way you know you're in the wrong lane' and all. I'm on this unbelievable good luck streak and all I can do is wait for reality to run me over."
He then noticed Shirley herself, sitting and chatting with a few other girls that were also from her normal group. He counted them. Three others were there with her and Yellow Pig Tails had now moved on to talk to some guys from the school band. Where were the other two?
As if feeling his eyes upon her, Shirley stopped talking and turned her head to look straight at him.
She smiled.
Dib gulped nervously under her feral gaze, forcing out a shy smile in return before quickly becoming highly interested in a bug crawling across the grass near his tree.
When he felt the hairs on his neck fall back into place and knew she was no longer looking at him, Dib returned his attention to the now lightly dozing Irken in his lap. He relaxed instantly as he gazed upon the alien, so sweet and innocent looking in sleep. He shook his head again. Life certainly becomes very interesting whenever Zim was involved. Dib sighed and lay his head back against the tree, deciding a nap might do him some good as well.
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Red Curls stopped in front of the little gray house and pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket, checking the address again. Satisfied that they matched, she took out her cell and dialled the phone number also listed on the paper.
She listened to it ring inside the house 10 times before deciding no one was home. She walked up to the door and pulled out a little rolled up pouch that contained various little lock pick equipment and started to work.
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The end of the day bell rang. Shirley stepped out along with the rest of the crowd and casually made her way to the park. Her troops were already waiting for her, sitting around on a blanket, looking- to the rest of the world- like they were getting ready to have a picnic. She stopped and stood before them, asking them a silent question with her eyes.
They nodded. The area was secure, and they had each been successful in their missions.
She sat down.
"Number 3, Report!"
Yellow Pig Tails brought out a pink fluffy notebook from her purse, and flipped to the proper section.
"The word around school is that Zim's a foreign kid with a skin condition, one that makes her skin look green and left her with no nose and no ears. She and Dib used to fight all the time ever since they first met in 5th grade. Dib's been known to rant and rave about weird stuff, like abominable snowmen using his belt sander in his garage and stuff, so when he started telling everyone that Zim was an alien, they just ignored him. They think Zim's crazy too. She often talks to herself and stands on tables and stuff and yells at everyone."
Shirley nodded, "So these two got a history together, eh? Just my luck they're both loony weirdos. Remind me to dump that loser right after I win the contest...Number 2?"
Black Braids produced a folded up sheet of printer paper from her pocket, bottom left corner missing, and opened it.
"Subject Dib is straight 'A' student; or would be if he'd hand in all assignments on time and completed. Reasons for failure to do so range from 'Yeti sequestration' to 'Saving the world from Alien Invasion'. Subject has been reported to principals office for repeatedly causing disruptions in class and been sent several times to the 'Crazy House for Boys'. Has one younger sibling, female type, named Gaz, and a Proffessor Membrane as his father. No mother is listed on file. Subject is classified under 'disturbed-trouble-maker' "
"Okay, so he's a smart loony weirdo. Number 1?"
Red Curls was sitting cross-legged at the right side of Miss Sunshine, twisting a lock of hair boredly in her finger until she was acknowledged. The girl stopped then, and looked knowingly around the circle of girls until her gaze fell on her commander.
"I went to the boy, Dib's, house and found some pretty interesting things in his room."
She reached a hand down the front of her blouse and handed a sealed envelope out to her leader, "I took pictures from pages of his journal, the files on his computer, and also managed to swipe some of his own pictures he took from a shoe-box under his bed. I highly doubt he'll notice though. His room is buried in pictures."
"Of what?"
Red Curls smirked, "Aliens."
Shirley grimaced, "What? Are these blurry photos of paper plates he threw in the air or something?"
RC smirked wider, "Or something."
"...Okay, whatever...so what did you find at Zim's house?"
RC shrugged, "I didn't go there."
"What?! Why not?!"
"Didn't have to." She gestured at the still sealed envelope. "Open it. You'll see what I mean."
Shirley eyed her strangely and then the envelope. Shrugging, she tore it open and slid its contents into her hand. She looked at them for a few minutes, her look of confusion turning into an ever widening sadistic grin as she went through the stack. She stopped at one specific picture. In it was a very irritated looking green alien with huge red eyes, a pair of antennae on it's otherwise bald head, and standing next to it was a little android in what appeared to be a poorly made green dog suit.
She giggled softly, brought the photo to eye level and purred, "Looks like we're ready to move onto phase 2 of Operation Dib Snatcher."
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End Chapter 4!
The usual thanks to my proofreaders of course, you should know who they are by now. I'm also letting you know that 99.9 percent of the funny comments in parenthesis are courtesy of Proofreader Celestial Star, while Pinky Pseudonym makes sure I keep the characters as IC as possible while still being OOC, if that makes sense...
I said I was using the 50 review thing as an excuse to be lazy right? Sorry if I scared any of my HARDCORE fans out there. Wasn't aware I had any. I think I should thank them now...THANK YOOOOU! Especially Machi, OniHime, and All Apologies. :D
I also went back and added a little to Zim's reaction in the last part of chapter 3, in case anyone wants to go back and re-read that.
I notice I've been neglecting GIR and Gaz. I'll try to work them into later chapters, but it still won't be much.
Also apologize if I offended iEATfood, but you know how people tend to exaggerate on things and cultures they don't understand. But I had heard that some cultures were like that, at least they were a long time ago, and that if the women left the house uncovered, it was legal to shoot them. That might just have been exaggeration on the other person I heard it from's part though...
Hee-hee, I got called a human worm beast! That's just awesome! I feel like I've just been officially inducted into the Invader Zim fandom!So thank you ramenloverGoten for that! : D
