Chapter 6: What If We Teamed Up?
Zim lay on his now recognizable goo-free couch. He'd taken is cleansing gel shower and changed into one of the other outfits he'd bought at Pretty Pretty's; a black pair of low-rider jeans and a lavender cotton shirt with a ribbon tied at the base of its v-neck. Finally remembering that his house could clean itself, he'd left it to do that while he showered and then worked on the finishing touches to his Dance Machine. GIR had found and brought home a little squirrel friend that had been the perfect test subject! Soon after successfully downloading the Macarena into its nut loving brain, the guinea pig/squirrel and GIR had been apprehended and thrown out before any major damage to Zim's lab (and nervous system) could be wrought.
At least I know it works! he thought. And I've already installed a voice command security feature to control the act until it is needed and automatically shut off after the first song.
Although Irkens didn't need much sleep, Zim was still pretty tired.
He was going to rest his eyes, just for a second, he told himself, and had soon fallen asleep.
He was later startled awake by a sudden warmth pressed upon his lips.
Dib pulled away, looking mischievously down on him, "Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for me too long."
Zim blushed and became angry. How could he have let the human sneak up on him like that? What would his leaders say if they could see how lax he'd gotten?
"How did you get in with out me knowing?!" he demanded, "I specifically remember locking that door!"
Dib pointed behind him, "Window."
Zim brought his arm over his eyes and groaned. GIR must've come back sometime after he'd fallen asleep and left it open. That horrible little robot! When would he learn to stop compromising security?!
It was then that he noticed Dib's attire...or rather lack thereof.
Dib noticed him noticing and blushed. He was wearing a towel around his mid-drift, and nothing else.
"Eh... you're probably wondering what I'm doing wandering around your base in a towel... long story short, this morning I woke up and took a shower. When I came back to my room there was a note stuck to my bed from Gaz, saying that if I failed to bring the soda today, I'd never get my clothes back. My closet and dressers are empty. I came here hoping I could get into your pants..." Seeing the look the invader was giving him, he flashed him (another smile!), "Or fit into your pants, rather. Whichever one works for you... Do you still have those Tripp jeans and shirt from Monday?"
A few minutes later the two exited Zim's house, Dib feeling just a bit awkward that the pants were about a hand span above his ankles, but it was better than the towel at least.
Well, I did say I'd wear my enemy's clothes one day...
There was still half an hour before school started. They found an unoccupied bench/table and were about to sit down when they heard someone call out to Zim.
"Zim! Hey, Zim, over here!" A plain looking girl with brown hair was waving cheerily and came over to stand before them.
She grinned at the green girl, "Wow, Zim, you look great! Say, a couple of my friends and I were wondering if you could come talk with us and give us a few fashion tips!" Seeing the invader's doubtful look, she added, "We all just know you're going to win the dance contest, so we'd like to get a head start in being like you! Oh, won't you please help us?!"
Zim preened visibly, "Of course you do! And I commend you on having such foresight! Of course the Great Zim will do this favor for you and your little worm baby friends! A leader must keep his...or, her subjects happy, so I can't deny such a small request!" she turned to Dib, "You will stay here and wait for my return, Dib-worm! Sit! Stay!"
Dib rolled his eyes. What was he, a pet? "Fine." Then, before she could react, grabbed the invader's shoulders and pulled her into him.
If Zim wants to show off... I've got a few tricks too! "I'll just take a little something to tide me over until then..." and dived for her lips. Zim stiffened against this latest invasion and did nothing at first, but recovered quickly, obviously irritated that she'd let the Dib get to her again; she'd show the human who the invader was around here!
Dib opened his eyes suddenly, a bit startled to feel Zim start kissing him back. That was a first. So his little alien was finally catching on, huh?
Let's see her keep up...
Zim had gotten used to the pressure on her mouth, but the something sliding across her lips was new. New and oddly titillating. When she gasped, Dib took advantage of her parted lips, darting his tongue inside and exploring. He wondered in the back of his mind when he'd become so daring, especially since he'd never kissed anyone before, let alone frenched. He'd heard others talking about it and had a fair idea of how it worked, but being the social recluse that he was; you'd think he'd be a bit timid and awkward when partaking in such activities for the first time. Heck, with the rest of the world, maybe he would be, but it just felt so...natural with Zim, so right! But that couldn't be right could it?
Before he could argue with himself about it, Zim's knees buckled and she fell against him, throwing her arms around his neck to keep from falling completely. Dib staggered with the sudden shift in weight and the lip lock was lost, leaving the two flushed and a bit bewildered, a faint sweet scent lingering in the air around them.
Dib looked down at his irken, dazedly thinking how he'd been doing this sort of thing with more frequency and in between shorter intervals as time went on, becoming bolder with each encounter. He wondered if he should be worried that it didn't bother really him...
Zim still hadn't let him go, and Dib had no desire to ask her to.
An awkward clearing of someone's throat behind them, though, reminded them of the business at hand.
Dib reluctantly released his hold on the invader, but she still clung to him, a peculiar determined expression in her eyes. Zim suddenly shot up and kissed him again, a swift peck on his lips, then quickly released the boy before he could reciprocate. A confused Dib watched as Zim smugly strutted towards the waiting brunette.
"Let's go!"
Dib sat on the bench and watched them leave. Zim looked over her shoulder once, winked at the boy and added a very noticeable swagger to the sway of her hips. Dib was still trying to figure out what had happened, when a sense of doom from behind sent a chill down his spine.
"Hello, Dib," it said, "Mind if I sit here?"
Dib turned to face the newcomer. "Uh... actually, that's-"
"Thanks!" Shirley sat down across from him and propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin in cupped hands.
"So you and Zim are partners now, huh?"
Dib raised an eyebrow, suspecting her sudden arrival so soon after Zim's departure was not a coincidence. "Uh... yes?"
"You don't sound too sure about that."
He furrowed his brow. What was this girl getting at?
"I mean," she continued, "Why would you be working with an alien bent on enslaving the human race anyway?"
Warning sirens and red flags went off in Dib's head, he gaped in shock at the girl sitting before him. How could she possibly know that?!
And then, instantly he saw his error. She couldn't know! She was just guessing! Everyone knew about Dib's constant proclamation's that Zim was an alien and all. She was probably just humoring him! Maybe she thought that by doing so she could... make him do...
What?
But her question did cause a brain gear to click. Why was he working with Zim? He had told himself in the beginning it was for mutual benefit; while Zim would gain ground in her mission, so would Dib in his. His life would improve at the cost of a more influential enemy, but they'd still be playing on the same level. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that Shirley mentioned it, as long as Dib became popular, why did it have to be Zim who became popular with him? He'd never thought about asking another girl to go, seeing as how he hadn't planned to go at all, but then Zim had-
Dib stopped his train of thought and brought it back to the present. He worked with his gape, knowing it was too late to hide his surprise and improvised, "You honestly believe that? It was just a joke! You know, her having a skin condition and all. I was just... having fun with her!" (He'd been having a different sort of fun with her lately, but no need to tell Shirley that...)
Her expression didn't change, "You seem to take your fun pretty seriously... Following her home after school every day, spying on her, even spending time and money setting traps to capture her?"
Dib couldn't stop an involuntary twitch. This was bad... but whatever mind tricks she wanted to play with him, Dib was game.
"So I had a crush on her, alright? You know, the typical 'If you like someone let them know by teasing and pestering them' type deal. Besides, like I said, it was fun! So I sort of stalked her for a while, so what? She didn't seem to mind too much..."
Shirley raised an eyebrow, "So the laser shooting lawn gnomes on her front yard would be...?"
"She's very paranoid. About everyone. They'd shoot you too if you came close enough."
Shirley nodded, "I see her dog seems to have the same skin condition too," the corners of her mouth tugged up slightly, "or should I say 'robot'? You don't hear too many puppies go 'clank-clank' when they run..."
Dib could feel himself starting to sweat a little now. "Hehe... yeah. She's inventive isn't she? Her parents wouldn't let her have a real dog, so she built one instead! Sure, it's not that bright, but it's cute isn't it?."
Shirley smiled wide now, deciding the game had gone on long enough and moved in for the kill. She got up and leaned in close to Dib, lips a hair's breath from his ear. "Cut the crap, Dib." she whispered sweetly, "I know all about her mannequins on wheels for 'parents' and I've seen her without her wig and contacts on. I know she's got little feelers coming out of her skull and her eyes are red with no pupils. She's an alien, Dib, and both you and I know it."
She pulled back, pleased to see she'd broken though the boy's poker face and 'won' the game.
Dib was having a hard time keeping his panic under control. "WHY!?" he wanted to cry out.All his life he'd have given ANYTHING to have someone on his side, an ally against a dangerous enemy, a confirmation of his reality, that he wasn't crazy! How incredibly frustrating! His panic suddenly changed to anger as he continued to look at her smug face. "WHY NOW?! WHERE WERE YOU A MONTH AGO? DAMMIT!"
But he couldn't say it. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, and his tone became low and menacing, "What do you want?"
Shirley giggled, "Down, boy! I'm not here to threaten you! I want to help." she cupped her chin in her hands again, "Knowing the history between you two; I'm guessing you're not a willing participant in this little pairing, am I right? She must have some major blackmail material to force you to pretend to enjoy this."
Dib could feel his face grow warmer... and not from his anger.
She tilted her head then, "...or maybe you're not pretending? You certainly could've fooled me after that little display of affection just now. Fraternizing with an attractive enemy can sometimes lead astray the most devoted of souls, you know, and I must admit Zim's appearance is much improved. Have you really fallen for her, Dib?"
Dib's realized his jaw hurt from clenching his teeth so tightly. This girl was freaking him out, big time. Where was she getting her information from? They'd only just met less than a week ago! How could she already know so much about him and Zim? And how could she be so...so...
Dib forced himself to relax his tense muscles. He tried awkwardly running a hand through his hair, his composure lying cracked and broken in the hands of a mad woman. Or maybe a witch. Despite her claim to wanting to help him, he felt strongly reluctant to accept it. She had a definite 'Goddess of Doom' aura, something he recognized from living with his sister. She seemed much more dangerous than Zim.
Zim...
Dib decided to consider her question honestly. Had he fallen for his enemy? He'd convinced himself it had all been part of the game until then. The flirting was just a new way of taunting the alien, of intimidation! It was certainly effective in cutting off her rants and deflating her ego. She'd babble and forget what she was talking about, or shut up entirely, leaving Dib in total control of the situation. He'd never had that kind of power before. Everyone was always putting him down, pushing him around, never letting him forget his place in the pecking order, and now he'd been lifted up the ladder and had a taste of what it was like being on top! Plus this was his enemy! Having his nemesis, who was always going on about how superior she was to him and his race, become so submissive and docile under him was a huge ego trip! That and Zim's appearance really had improved with the whole makeover thing, but something told Dib it wasn't just lust. Okay, so there was a little sexual chemistry between them, but then... why was he trying to protect her? Covering up for her? Here, finally, was someone who believed him! Someone who didn't think he was crazy for calling Zim an alien, was even offering to help him!
So why did he suddenly not want to be believed?
Dib realized she was still staring at him, waiting for an answer.
"I... I can't really dance." There was no point in hiding the truth. She'd know. How she'd know, he could only guess, but he might be able to figure that out later. " The thing in the cafeteria was an accident. Zim has a machine that's supposed to download dancing talent and technique into our brains... I'm guessing it works along the same lines as the program they had in that movie about the Matrix or something..."
Now that he had said it out loud, the idea seemed incredibly silly and improbable. While she had a lot of advanced alien technology, Dib doubted Zim's race had learned to cross dimensions... and that was assuming the theory was valid...
But Shirley didn't laugh at him, she merely nodded. "So your plan is to play with your food until your meal ticket is cashed, eh?" She smiled and leaned a little closer to him, "And have you thought about who your new partner will be once she's out of the picture?"
Dib blinked. That hadn't been his plan at all. In fact, he realized he hadn't planned a plan at all. He'd gotten so comfortable with the whole situation that whatever would happen afterwards hadn't crossed his mind.
And now that it had...
Dib felt his insides twist inside of him. He knew Zim was still going to conquer the world, and he knew it was still his job to stop her. He'd always known. So why hadn't it occurred to him to betray her while under pretense of truce? A week ago, he wouldn't have given it a second thought, but now...What would he have done when the dance was over if he had no plan? Zim was probably already planning on betraying him for all the human knew, and yet he couldn't really bring himself to believe it. He was only fooling himself, of course. Zim hadn't changed. Her mission hadn't changed. Nothing had changed!
Except for himself. He'd become blind, and he had to get back the upper hand before it was too late! To save mankind! To save himself! Even if it had taken this devil woman to point it out to him... maybe he should listen to what else she had to say.
But...
"It's not that simple." Dib ran another anxious hand through his hair again, "Zim's not the best at what she does, but she's no pushover. If she was, I would've captured and exposed her a long time ago."
"That was when you were working alone though," Shirley leaned forward on her elbows and grinned slyly at the boy, "What if we teamed up?"
End Chapter 6!
I apologize for the loooong wait! Like I said, my proofreader's been gone to camp where there were no computers and she just got back and stuff! She hasn't gotten around to it, but I've decided to post this anyway!
Welcome Piale and Hiro No Tsuki! Thanks for the reviews!
Aww, you guys are such flatterers! And I love ShikamaruNoMiko's reviews! So long and she notices all the little details that I work into the ficcy. I just hope I can continue to be worthy of such lovely praise! : D
