Someone Just Like You
Chapter 3: Baby Talk
PG-13
Written by Yuneko
Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim
Author's Note: Another chapter edited. More stuff added. Have fun.
#####
Disappointed that Zim had ditched class after lunch, getting through the rest of the day was hard for Dib. He looked forward to working with the alien in hopes to learning more about the Irken soldier and possibilities of spoiling his evil schemes. Lonely without anyone to insult or have an argument, Dib picked at his lunch as Gaz continued to play on her Game Slave 2.
Quiet days like these made Dib realize how important Zim was to making his day or even his life remotely exciting. With an unresponsive sister and being the loner of the skool, Dib had no one else to socialize with. He could make friends with the rejects, but something about them didn't make Dib feel quite comfortable.
Chewing on his toast sandwich, Dib was also reminded to go shopping sometime tonight. He was tired of toast with nothing sandwiched between the two slices of bread. Almost tired of it to buy the lunch food, but not wanting to spend a good part of the day in the nurse's office he settled for prisoner food of bread and water.
From the corner of his eye he watched the other teenagers. So oblivious to what was to come, but he'd make them see. Oh yes....
"THEY'LL SEE!" Dib shouted subconsciously.
"You're doing it again...." Gaz growled from her game console.
Finding himself standing boldly on his lunch table with his "saving the world" pose, Dib got down as quietly as possible to be unnoticed. A tint of blush could be seen on his cheeks.
"That's so Dib...," one of the high school popular kids shook their head in disgust. "Why couldn't he ever be...normal?"
Lunch had ended; making Dib feel even more misplaced than ever. Wishing Zim was here even more; he quickly finished off his lunch and left the cafeteria. Gaz watching him as he left from the swinging doors. Raising an eyebrow, she stared at where Dib's figure was and then back to her game. Something was wrong with her brother and she would find out what.
The day had gone slow as Ms. Bitters drone on and on about the future of space and how it would eventually implode in on itself. Happily smashing any kind of hopes of ever being an astronaut for any children.
The bell rang and Dib sprung from his seat anxious to getting to the alien's secret base as fast as he could. He had left without informing Gaz, running as fast as his long legs could take him.
Carefully crossing the gnome field, he was surprised that none had gone to attack him. Luckily for him, Zim remembered their prior appointment. He rung the doorbell three times before the door opening, he waited with anticipation.
"HI!" Gir opened the door beaming at Dib, motioning him in. Bouncing about the house he led Dib into the living room to wait for his Master. Turning on the television he returned back to his favorite show.
Watching the small robot for awhile, Dib wonder if he even did any work at all. For an advance robot he should be able to do simple tasks. Watching television was something Dib did not count as being useful or helpful. Gir was childlike; being friendly than most, having him near was a bit of a comfort. He was annoying at some times, but you couldn't help loving the little guy.
Sitting on the couch Dib surveyed around the room. The house was obviously built for someone of shorter stature. Being three years of residency on Earth, Zim's house had not changed from day one. Staring at the ceiling he wondered how many wires were up there. He began counting before being interrupted by a loud voice.
#####
"You decide to show up Stinkbeast." Zim walked towards Dib glancing down at
the "baby." Looking at its resemblance to the filth he was surrounded by daily he turned in disgust. "What is this thing ?"
"It's our child. What did you think it was?" Dib replied sarcastically.
"Of course! I knew that! Do not doubt the superior knowledge of ZIM!" Poking the baby with curiosity. Babies had light fuzzed hair over their bodies unlike the cool smooth skin of the Irkens. Zim glanced at the baby with great interest.
"So this baby...what does it do?"
Dib laughed. Despite Zim's oversized ego, he was naive as a newborn kitten. It was almost cute.
"It doesn't do anything now, it's just a baby. All it knows is to sleep, cry, and eat." Dib described the fragile qualities of a newborn and explained the story of how babies are made. Most freshmen by now knew the process of birth, but Zim had missed it during elementary skool, skipping skool for more important reasons such as taking over the world.
Now it was Zim's turn to laugh. "Such inferior wormbabies! Us Irkens are genetically engineered in tubes making us far more better than your backwards race and are automatically programmed with everything through our paks that sustain us."
Pointing at his pak thing, he continued "How can such a weak formed human be considered one of the "most advanced species" in the universe if the child cannot even make any use till with age?"
"Truly an inferior race." He concluded inspecting the mechanical baby; he looked at Dib waiting for a response. Hopefully an angry one, for Zim took the pleasure of taking chance of rubbing in who was the superior being.
Dib remained silent in thought. He glanced at Gir, who had fun cutting coupons from a magazine. Then to the mechanical baby and back to Zim.
"Well..." He began. "Humans may not have started out with superior knowledge at birth, we learn from trial and error, admitting that we're not perfect. But can any being be truly perfect?"
Looking straight into Zim's eyes, he spoke with rationality and perhaps a bit of malice. "You may have the beginning advancements at birth, but that's because it's in your pak. So what if you didn't have your pak that programmed everything to be inside you? Would you still be same?"
Dib smirked. "You rely too much on the pak, being your only source of life, I'd say that's pretty sad. At least humans don't have to depend on such a device to keep us alive or think for us. We are self efficient to a certain degree."
Dib finished his long speech, thinking he might have struck a nerve talking back to the alien, but he had to defend his race. Even though the world as he knew it was blind and ignorant of the possible destruction and pain that might be ensued or the fact that no one believed in him. He knew his place and his pride would always stay with his planet.
Feeling quite insulted, Zim never thought of his pak as a weakness. He had seen it as an advantage to be able to run longer than the humans without rest; it's amazing abilities, and a handy compartment for stuff. The pak was for his survival, what Dib was suggesting to abandoning it was insane.
He also felt what Dib had said was a slap in the face. He vaguely knew he might have gone a little overboard with what he said, but he was ZIM. Didn't Dib understand that Zim needed the constant reinforcement that he was good, no even better than everyone else was?
"At least I don't have silly emotions that control my actions. My pak sends me all my useful "feelings" to be a true invader." Zim spat out.
"Emotions are what make us strong, Zim. With love we find ourselves with endless possibilities. Our hearts open up and we become better at what we do. It gives us a reason to live and not be a cold feeling robot with our lives. Maybe you should shut off your "emotion control" part of your pak and see for yourself."
Zim snorted getting really into the debate at hand. He wouldn't let Dib win. He was Zim, he was better and he would prove it. The conversation was going out of hand and he needed time to think. Zim was getting all riled up for nothing.
This had nothing to do with his mission. This baby had been the cause of it. What made affection towards another so special? What power could it harness for Zim? Could he use it to his advantage? For now he would let the human win, Zim needed time to think, and he would deal with the stinkbeast later.
"Get out!" Zim shouted his face flushed from being told off too many times in one day, opening the door to motion the human out.
"What about the project?" Dib asked, while being dragged out and literally kicked out of the house.
"We will do this project, but I will not see your stink face until I am ready!" Zim shrieked slamming the door in Dib's face.
#####
With the door closed on him, Dib had no choice, but to go home. Opening his front door he was greeted by his sister with a grunt, symbolizing not to be bothered for another four hours of continuous play, she was in the zone.
Walking up wearily into his room, he fell upon his bed. Letting his tired body soak into the familiarity of his sheets and pillows he sighed looking up at his fake terrestrial looking sky, he had up since childhood.
What would he do now? He wondered cradling the baby to making a makeshift bed for the thing to sleep in. Dib felt a lot safer that the doll was in his home than Zim's, knowing the importance of this project he couldn't afford any of Zim's screw ups with alien tampering on this...baby.
This baby was their connection together. Not bonded as enemies, but two "adults" having responsibility over "their" baby. He was the father of this thing and Zim....was too he guess. It would have been weird having Zim play the role of the mother, but the baby could have two dads he supposed.
Spending a moment imagining Zim as a mother made Dib chuckle at the thought. He would make a horrible mother, because Zim had lacked much emotional advancement. Zim was a soldier of destruction, not a loving mother.
There was so much to Zim, Dib didn't know. What could have Zim felt about Dib accusing him of having no emotion? Was he offended? Hurt? Sad? Anything? Dib thought aliens didn't have feelings, like they were cold-blooded beings often associated with the paranormal.
He hadn't really ever given the chance to treat Zim as a person, other than a thing. Something to show off or spark his fame. That was what Zim was to Dib those three years, but it was different now. Zim had feelings. Dib saw them, how Zim reacted to his words, Zim felt them, and that made Dib feel bad.
Dib had realized that their conversation earlier had been the first one of any kind of rational thought. Much emotion that probably overflowed into Zim's brain and the alien probably had no idea what to make of it. Dib wondered had Zim taken anything he had said to heart?
Knowing the alien, Zim was too proud to take any advice from anyone. He rather cover up his mistakes and deny their existence, than trying to fix them. Nevertheless, it was their project and he knew he would have to talk to Zim sometime.
Waiting till he was ready was not an option. The project being due in a few weeks, he couldn't wait that long. Dib decided that he would confront the alien during lunch, when he could get time alone with him.
#####
After Zim slammed the door on Dib, he sunk back against the door. Why did he feel so confused now? What were these feelings he felt now? Self doubt, despair, and warm feelings down inside him.
He sat down, unmoving for a bit, his hands folded into his lap, he rolled back everything that had happen and tried to once again figure out what the human meant when he said "feelings."
Feelings had never played a huge role in Zim's life. They were repressed, because they got in the way of a warrior's code of honor. The only feelings Irkens were allowed to have generated from their pak were all the ones that were considered useful to the mission. Including hate, confidence, loyalty, and ambitious. Feelings like love got in the way and were viewed as weak useless things.
Love made people crazy. Made them delirious, wanting, and even suicidal if used to an effect. Humans craved it like sugar. Lapping up affection like milk. It was essential for this race, but not for Zim. He found it curious in why Dib had talked about this feeling. Didn't the human know that this feeling of love brought such pleasure and pain? And why did he speak to Zim about it?
Love couldn't make you stronger. It made you weak for the person you desire. Made you do whatever you could to please that special someone. How did you know who that person was? Zim thought, getting up to sit next to Gir, who was mindlessly watching his kiddy shows.
The wheels then turned about in Zim's head. So if you love someone...you will do whatever you can to please him or her. Like a slave and master! Chuckling excitingly Zim had an idea after all. He would make the human fall in love with him. Then use the power to control Dib.
Yes....this was much better plan than the hypnotic pimple or creating some sort of slave crown. Zim now understood the powers of love. It brought obedience and loyalty. Which Zim understood quite well. With this new idea Zim felt reenergize. Feeling like his own self again after a while of confusion made him quite relieved. He had sorted it out and now he would put it to action.
Yet there was one more thing that still egged on his mind. Dib had called him weak because he had this pak. Sure his pak did everything for him, but he didn't really need it that much did he?
Glancing down behind his pak, he knew it would be foolish to try to live without the pak. It gave him energy and surged him with renewed confidence every time he felt troublesome by something.
Zim couldn't trust himself with his new emotions that he had discovered to then try to experiment them on himself. But Dib had called him weak for not ever knowing them and Zim refused to believe that he was weak. He could live without his pak's generated reassurance 24/7. He never thought of it that way, his pak being a possible weakness of Irkens.
But then giving up his pak's feeling generator would be quite different for the Irken. He would know the full extent of pain, happiness, and even perhaps love. Now it wasn't just a dare. It had gained Zim's curiosity to explore what made humans think and feel such irrational thoughts.
Besides it would help him on learning more about his enemy and learning its weaknesses despite their physical appearances. Zim concluded that his Irken strength could easily break a human's arm, but what about a human's mind...What made it break? Zim wanted to know so he could take vengeance into what Dib had told him.
Pondering more about it, Zim resolved that maybe there would be a change in how his pak should run. He would disable the regulator and allow himself to feel for awhile....just awhile.
#####
Walking into the lunch hall with his bag lunch, Dib scanned across the room searching for Zim. Gaz walked up behind him motioning to their usual spot of solitude for her game play.
"Not today Gaz, I've got business to attend to." Pulling his trench coat collar importantly as he made it across the table to Zim, who sat secluded prodding at the cafeteria food with his fork. Under his arm was their "child," which hung limply to his right side.
"Dib's back to normal." Gaz noted, somewhat relieved after watching her brother pacing around his room muttering things under his breath for a few days. Somehow she knew all of Dib's maddening ravings had to do with Zim.
"How are you doing Zim?" Dib inquired.
This time Dib would show that he could have a normal conversation with the alien. He wouldn't treat Zim like a thing, a possession yet to be won. He knew that even Zim didn't view him as a friend. He did view Dib as a formidable opponent, which was much better than being treated like a slave.
Stopping from the middle of his "meal" Zim looked up at Dib, surprised that anyone would want to associate with such an admirable person as Zim. Looking questionable at Dib, he squinted his eyes trying to send a death glare to the human, but failed. He couldn't help, but be happy to see him. Noticing he was smiling Zim quickly turned his head into a downward position to look like he was busy.
Getting no answer from Zim, Dib decided to take the initiative by trying to strike some kind of conversation.
"Our project is doing good...don't you think?" Dib sat rocking the baby in his arms.
"Of course! With such a parent as ZIM, all worm babies will be lucky to know such a superior one as I." Zim replied without glancing from his organizer. He continued, " You are so lucky to have been partner with Zim, without me you would have done....not so good."
"You're still as stuck up as ever." Dib mumbled his hand fumbling around a rubber ball in trench coat pocket.
"You're still as stupid as ever." Zim shot back still looking down at his organizer.
Noticing Zim not glaring, pointing, shaking his fist, or even throwing his food at him, Dib looked down trying to find what had captured the interest of Zim so much to not even give Zim the time to look at Dib.
Down on Zim's face was a slight pink look upon his face. Was Zim blushing? Thinking that made Dib turn somewhat red around the ears. Maybe the alien was sick or something.
"Hey Zim. Are you....okay? Your face is a bit flushed."
"I'm perfectly okay!" Zim snapped putting his gloved hand against his face.
He was burning up. But why? He looked at Dib and his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies. Why was he so nervous around the stinkbeast? This was Dib, everyday Dib nothing special and yet he felt something racing. Was this love?
"Oh okay....so..when do you want to get together to do the project, because we didn't get anything done since yesterday's incident."
Together? Zim thought. The human and I together? The idea seemed absurd, and Zim was trying so hard to put out the idea of loving Dib. Without his pak regulating his emotions Zim was out of control. He felt desire to want to be with Dib instead of his usual hate for the human.
"Fine we shall work on this project together, but we will meet at your house this time." With that Zim got up from his seat to throw away the remains of his lunch and proceeded out the door leaving Dib with the baby once more.
#####