By animeninjaNIPPON

"What?" Dib cried. "I'm not going to dig all the way back to the remains of my house!"

"You'll do as I SAY, stinkbeast!" Zim held the spork up to Dib's eye.

With a reluctant sigh, Dib yanked the spork out of the alien's gloved fist and pressed it into the semi-firm soil that made up the nearest inner wall. "You stink, Zim," he muttered.

Since Gir was busy digging a hole of his own in a cup of POOP pudding, five minutes went by in virtual silence. By this time, Dib had created a dent in the wall about one inch deep, although wide enough to fit his head through.

"Can't you DIG any FASTER?" Zim complained.

"This was your idea," Dib shot back, "and it would go a lot faster if you helped me."

"Help the likes of a filthy HUMAN like YOU?" Zim laughed at the very idea. "YOU will be my SLAVE when I take OVER your filthy little PLANET! ZIM would NEVER help a slave!"

Speaking of slaves gave Dib an idea. "Why don't you just get your robot to do it?"

Zim glanced casually over at Gir, who was working his way through a third cup of pudding. "Gir's intelligence is set for HIGHER, more ADVANCED purposes!" Dib made a "humph" sound. "What's THAT, Earth-monkey?"

Dib was dirty, tired, confused, and annoyed. And Zim's attitude didn't help at all. "I don't think that robot is very 'advanced.'"

"Shut UP!" Zim drove his fist into the dirt wall, causing the shallow hole to cave in. "Dig, or be DOOMED, you smelly Earth – huh?"

Dib rose from the dirt pile, and in one quick motion pinned Zim to the wall with one hand. "Look," he growled, mere inches away from the shocked expression on Zim's face, "my name is DIB. Not 'Earth-monkey' or 'stinkbeast' or 'worm baby.' I agreed to help you just this once, and the least you can do is get my name right, you…Zim!"

Zim closed his eyes halfway, showing blatant lack of amusement. "Very well, DIB-MONKEY."

Said "Dib-monkey" sighed in annoyance, picked up his spork, and began to pick around the loose soil. Much to his surprise, Zim took out a spork and followed in the human's example.

"Never send a HUMAN to do a job much more suited for the IRKEN ELITE," he muttered, throwing a scoop of dirt over his head.

"You're not elite," Dib corrected. "You were banished. You said so yourself."

The Tallest will take me back once I take over your dirtball!" Zim stood up indignantly. "THEN I will become SUPREME SOMETHING-OR-OTHER!"

Unable to think of a decent comeback, Dib sporked his way through the new hole, tossing dirt over his shoulder. He heard a faint sound of sand hitting a solid object, and then –

"AAAGH! My eyes! I'll go 'splody!"

Both beings whipped around to see Gir screaming in agony with his little metal hands over his eyes. The Irken managed to gasp out "Oh, NO!" before Gir went into his aggressive mode. He released a set of razor-like spider legs that neither Zim nor Dib knew he had, then squeaked out evilly, "It's begun!"

Gir charged directly at the duo, kicking up his jets and spiraling uncontrollably. Zim and Dib screamed and jumped apart, allowing the malfunctioning SIR unit to pass right through the wall, drilling his way through the Earth's crust and leaving a tunnel behind him.

"Hmm, I suppose he's a worthy little minion after all," Zim muttered. He pulled an Irken tracking device out of his PAK and looked over at Dib. "Follow me, HUMAN! We have to find that ship!" He got down on his hands and knees and entered the dark tunnel. There was plenty of room to move, and just enough room for Dib to crawl beside him. But Zim wouldn't let the worm baby move too close to him, so Dib was forced to crawl with his head near Dib's torso. And so they proceeded into the underground path ahead.

End of part twelve