I wrote most of this chapter while eating my lunch at my desk. I smell
like peanut butter.
~*~
**Chapter 4**
**(Another Ally)**
I sighed, rested my head on my hand and looked down at Gir, once again on my beanbag chair. He seemed to have claimed the thing for himself, and now wasn't even letting me sit on it without his permission. At the moment, the robot was out of his disguise and staring unblinkingly at me, which I found just a little unsettling. I flopped back down on my bed, at a complete loss of ideas. I was feeling slightly sick at the moment, either just from the thought that my DNA was being destroyed at that very moment, or from the Pak's affects taking place. It was hard to tell.
The reason I was lying on my bed, not really doing anything productive was because I was contemplating an idea I had. A stupid idea, sure, but an idea none the less.
My idea, as idiotic as it was, was to go to Zim's house and act as pathetic as I could until he gave me answers. Then, I don't know, escape somehow before he ate me, or whatever he was planning.
Yep. Pretty stupid plan.
But hey, it WAS a plan, and at the moment, it was all I had. So why not go for it?
"Why not?" I jumped out of bed, looking at Gir and talking to him like he lad just asked that question. "Why not? I'll tell ya' why not! It's 'cause I don't know what the hell I'm doing! SURE I could just waltz right in there and demand answers, but who KNOWS if I'd even come out with my HEAD still attached to my neck?! This isn't WORKING Gir! I need HELP!!"
Gir stared up at me, looking like he wasn't sure if I was going to kill him or just yell in incoherent sentences some more.
"I need help…" I repeated. "Help… Dib can't help me. All HE wants to do is use me as some kind of secret weapon. No WAY am I telling mom that all this stuff is happening… I'd just be put in one of them 'Crazy Buckets'… So who's left?… no one…"
No one, that was, except for 15.
I smiled at the little idea that was forming in my head. After all, 15 was only mad at me because he thought I was abandoning him for Zim, right? All I had to do really was show him what Zim did to me and PROVE that Zim really was an alien, and he'd KNOW that I had good reason to stalk Zim! Woo! Genius!
I grinned and practically hopped over to Gir, pulling his dog disguise up over his head and tying the jump rope around his neck once again. "Okay Gir, we're going out."
"Out where? We goin' to masters? He still gots taquitos!"
"Nope, we're going to see my friend 15"
"Ooh….." Gir said, looking awed. "You friends wit' a number? Neato!"
"Erm, yeah. I just need to bring YOU as some evidence."
"Okie Dokie!!"
I lifted Gir up, stowing him under one arm and holding the end of the leash in the other. I walked across my room, out the open door and down the stairs, babbling to Gir about nothing in particular. I was glad my mom was still at work, because if she caught me having semi-intelligent conversations with my dog…
Eh… not good.
Anyway, once I got out the front door, I put Gir down and sauntered along the cement path, trying to look as inconspicuous as I could at the moment. I wasn't really sure why, though. No one else was outside on my block, and none of the neighbors ever really cared what went on anyway. Ah well.
In about five minutes, I was hiking up 15's walkway to his house, praying that he was home. I stepped up to the door, rang the doorbell, and prayed some more that he wouldn't slam the door in my face.
Without warning, the door opened.
"Er… Rem?" said 15, looking confused. Suddenly, his expression turned to anger. "What do you want?"
"I…" I looked at 15, punishing myself in my head for not having planned what I was going to say. "Um… I need help… With stuff…"
15 glanced down at Gir, whom he had just noticed, and looked at me blank-faced. "Stuff?"
"Yeah."
15 sighed. "Jeez, just come inside Rem."
I nodded unnoticeably and followed 15 inside the door and down the stairs to his room in the basement. I always loved 15's room. On the walls going down the stairs were various posters of 15's favorite bands and video games. The door to his room was criss-crossed with caution tape, and various signs that made no sense were duct-taped up. I read the largest sign on my way in:
POSTED
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Hunting, fishing, trapping or trespassing
for any purpose is strictly forbidden.
Violators will be prosecuted.
I smiled ever so slightly on my way in. 15 and I had gotten that sign for 25 cents when we were goofing around at a home improvement store. The very same sign was taped up on the door to my room as well.
The interior of 15's room was almost exactly the same as the last time I visited, except maybe a little messier. The walls were pasted with video game posters, and a GS2 lay on top of a black inflatable chair, which was painted on with white permanent marker. His bed was unmade, and strewn with magazines.
"So…..What is it?" 15 asked me, still looking a little angry.
I sighed and put Gir down. This was turning out to be quite a day. "Well, I know he's probably the last person on earth you want to talk about, but… I've been following Zim and I found some stuff out about him…"
"Oh God, not more stuff about Zim…"
"YES more about Zim. 'Cause this stuff is important! Now just listen, okay? Zim's an alien."
"Augh, You're just as psycho as Dib is!"
"No! Just listen to me, alright? You know that backpack thing that Zim wears?"
"…Yes…"
"Well, look." I pulled up the back of my black sweatshirt, which was getting kind of hot.
15 blinked at the metal Pak on my back, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he didn't believe me.
I pulled the sweatshirt back down and looked15 in the eyes. "I found Zim's robot on the windowsill and it gave me this thing. It kind of… drilled into my spine and now I'm turning into an alien."
I looked deeper into 15's eyes, searching for any sign that he was believing me.
15 frowned and stepped back. Nope. He didn't believe me. "God Rem, what's wrong with you?!? You're doing all this crap just to make me believe you?!? What the hell is this thing anyway?" Before I could stop him, he reached up the back of my sweatshirt and pulled hard on the Pak, trying to yank it off.
"AAAUUUUUUUGGGHHH!!! Damn, 15, STOP!! THAT HURTS!!"
15 finally let go and took several more steps backwards, until he was up against the wall. "Wh- what is that thing?" He whispered, trembling at the same time.
I backed up as well, suddenly scared. Suddenly, the whole reality of what was happening rushed at me, flooding my senses with dread.
"I- it's called a Pak. When I found Zim's robot on the windowsill and took him home, he gave me this thing. The more I was around it… the more it felt like I HAD to be around it. Until….. It just connected with me." I sniffled, and I realized I was crying again.
"Oh," I said. "Zim's robot. I brought him with me…" I paced over to the black inflatable chair where Gir had settled himself and scooped him up.
"This is Gir… Zim's robot." I mumbled, unzipping Gir's costume and pulling back the hood to reveal the smiling robot. Gir jumped out of my arms and scrambled over to 15 and grabbed onto his pant leg.
"Is you da numbah?!?" Gir squeaked.
"Aah! What the hell is this?!?" 15 asked, looking to me frantically while trying to shake Gir off his leg.
I smiled slightly. "That's just Gir."
"Gir?" 15 asked, scrunching up his nose and now tugging frantically at Gir.
"Yep!" Gir shrieked "You smell like potato chips!"
"Gir, sit!" I yelled to Gir, hoping that he would listen to me. Instead, Gir let go of 15's leg and scrambled up onto his bed, bouncing up and down and scattering the magazines everywhere, laughing insanely the whole time.
"He's… a little destructive," I sighed
"A little?" 15 hissed at me. "I know atomic bombs that are less destructive than that thing!"
I shrugged. "So, will you help me?" I asked desperately to15.
"But… Jeez, HOW, Rem? How the heck COULD I help? I don't know anything about aliens or any of that crap! I don't even know--"
"You don't have to." I interrupted 15, looking him in the eyes again. "I just need you to… kind of stay with me. Until I get a plan. That's all that I need right now. That's all."
15's shoulders drooped, and I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to do more, but knew he couldn't. He looked to the ground. "Alright. I'll help."
I nodded, and without saying a word I picked up Gir, zipped up his costume, and walked towards the door. Just as I was reaching for the doorknob, 15 stopped me.
"Wait! I just need to know… what are you going to do about this thing first?"
"Well…" I said. "I'm going to go to Zim's house. I need some answers. If I'm not back in half an hour… go find Dib and tell him. He should know what to do."
**Chapter 4**
**(Another Ally)**
I sighed, rested my head on my hand and looked down at Gir, once again on my beanbag chair. He seemed to have claimed the thing for himself, and now wasn't even letting me sit on it without his permission. At the moment, the robot was out of his disguise and staring unblinkingly at me, which I found just a little unsettling. I flopped back down on my bed, at a complete loss of ideas. I was feeling slightly sick at the moment, either just from the thought that my DNA was being destroyed at that very moment, or from the Pak's affects taking place. It was hard to tell.
The reason I was lying on my bed, not really doing anything productive was because I was contemplating an idea I had. A stupid idea, sure, but an idea none the less.
My idea, as idiotic as it was, was to go to Zim's house and act as pathetic as I could until he gave me answers. Then, I don't know, escape somehow before he ate me, or whatever he was planning.
Yep. Pretty stupid plan.
But hey, it WAS a plan, and at the moment, it was all I had. So why not go for it?
"Why not?" I jumped out of bed, looking at Gir and talking to him like he lad just asked that question. "Why not? I'll tell ya' why not! It's 'cause I don't know what the hell I'm doing! SURE I could just waltz right in there and demand answers, but who KNOWS if I'd even come out with my HEAD still attached to my neck?! This isn't WORKING Gir! I need HELP!!"
Gir stared up at me, looking like he wasn't sure if I was going to kill him or just yell in incoherent sentences some more.
"I need help…" I repeated. "Help… Dib can't help me. All HE wants to do is use me as some kind of secret weapon. No WAY am I telling mom that all this stuff is happening… I'd just be put in one of them 'Crazy Buckets'… So who's left?… no one…"
No one, that was, except for 15.
I smiled at the little idea that was forming in my head. After all, 15 was only mad at me because he thought I was abandoning him for Zim, right? All I had to do really was show him what Zim did to me and PROVE that Zim really was an alien, and he'd KNOW that I had good reason to stalk Zim! Woo! Genius!
I grinned and practically hopped over to Gir, pulling his dog disguise up over his head and tying the jump rope around his neck once again. "Okay Gir, we're going out."
"Out where? We goin' to masters? He still gots taquitos!"
"Nope, we're going to see my friend 15"
"Ooh….." Gir said, looking awed. "You friends wit' a number? Neato!"
"Erm, yeah. I just need to bring YOU as some evidence."
"Okie Dokie!!"
I lifted Gir up, stowing him under one arm and holding the end of the leash in the other. I walked across my room, out the open door and down the stairs, babbling to Gir about nothing in particular. I was glad my mom was still at work, because if she caught me having semi-intelligent conversations with my dog…
Eh… not good.
Anyway, once I got out the front door, I put Gir down and sauntered along the cement path, trying to look as inconspicuous as I could at the moment. I wasn't really sure why, though. No one else was outside on my block, and none of the neighbors ever really cared what went on anyway. Ah well.
In about five minutes, I was hiking up 15's walkway to his house, praying that he was home. I stepped up to the door, rang the doorbell, and prayed some more that he wouldn't slam the door in my face.
Without warning, the door opened.
"Er… Rem?" said 15, looking confused. Suddenly, his expression turned to anger. "What do you want?"
"I…" I looked at 15, punishing myself in my head for not having planned what I was going to say. "Um… I need help… With stuff…"
15 glanced down at Gir, whom he had just noticed, and looked at me blank-faced. "Stuff?"
"Yeah."
15 sighed. "Jeez, just come inside Rem."
I nodded unnoticeably and followed 15 inside the door and down the stairs to his room in the basement. I always loved 15's room. On the walls going down the stairs were various posters of 15's favorite bands and video games. The door to his room was criss-crossed with caution tape, and various signs that made no sense were duct-taped up. I read the largest sign on my way in:
POSTED
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Hunting, fishing, trapping or trespassing
for any purpose is strictly forbidden.
Violators will be prosecuted.
I smiled ever so slightly on my way in. 15 and I had gotten that sign for 25 cents when we were goofing around at a home improvement store. The very same sign was taped up on the door to my room as well.
The interior of 15's room was almost exactly the same as the last time I visited, except maybe a little messier. The walls were pasted with video game posters, and a GS2 lay on top of a black inflatable chair, which was painted on with white permanent marker. His bed was unmade, and strewn with magazines.
"So…..What is it?" 15 asked me, still looking a little angry.
I sighed and put Gir down. This was turning out to be quite a day. "Well, I know he's probably the last person on earth you want to talk about, but… I've been following Zim and I found some stuff out about him…"
"Oh God, not more stuff about Zim…"
"YES more about Zim. 'Cause this stuff is important! Now just listen, okay? Zim's an alien."
"Augh, You're just as psycho as Dib is!"
"No! Just listen to me, alright? You know that backpack thing that Zim wears?"
"…Yes…"
"Well, look." I pulled up the back of my black sweatshirt, which was getting kind of hot.
15 blinked at the metal Pak on my back, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he didn't believe me.
I pulled the sweatshirt back down and looked15 in the eyes. "I found Zim's robot on the windowsill and it gave me this thing. It kind of… drilled into my spine and now I'm turning into an alien."
I looked deeper into 15's eyes, searching for any sign that he was believing me.
15 frowned and stepped back. Nope. He didn't believe me. "God Rem, what's wrong with you?!? You're doing all this crap just to make me believe you?!? What the hell is this thing anyway?" Before I could stop him, he reached up the back of my sweatshirt and pulled hard on the Pak, trying to yank it off.
"AAAUUUUUUUGGGHHH!!! Damn, 15, STOP!! THAT HURTS!!"
15 finally let go and took several more steps backwards, until he was up against the wall. "Wh- what is that thing?" He whispered, trembling at the same time.
I backed up as well, suddenly scared. Suddenly, the whole reality of what was happening rushed at me, flooding my senses with dread.
"I- it's called a Pak. When I found Zim's robot on the windowsill and took him home, he gave me this thing. The more I was around it… the more it felt like I HAD to be around it. Until….. It just connected with me." I sniffled, and I realized I was crying again.
"Oh," I said. "Zim's robot. I brought him with me…" I paced over to the black inflatable chair where Gir had settled himself and scooped him up.
"This is Gir… Zim's robot." I mumbled, unzipping Gir's costume and pulling back the hood to reveal the smiling robot. Gir jumped out of my arms and scrambled over to 15 and grabbed onto his pant leg.
"Is you da numbah?!?" Gir squeaked.
"Aah! What the hell is this?!?" 15 asked, looking to me frantically while trying to shake Gir off his leg.
I smiled slightly. "That's just Gir."
"Gir?" 15 asked, scrunching up his nose and now tugging frantically at Gir.
"Yep!" Gir shrieked "You smell like potato chips!"
"Gir, sit!" I yelled to Gir, hoping that he would listen to me. Instead, Gir let go of 15's leg and scrambled up onto his bed, bouncing up and down and scattering the magazines everywhere, laughing insanely the whole time.
"He's… a little destructive," I sighed
"A little?" 15 hissed at me. "I know atomic bombs that are less destructive than that thing!"
I shrugged. "So, will you help me?" I asked desperately to15.
"But… Jeez, HOW, Rem? How the heck COULD I help? I don't know anything about aliens or any of that crap! I don't even know--"
"You don't have to." I interrupted 15, looking him in the eyes again. "I just need you to… kind of stay with me. Until I get a plan. That's all that I need right now. That's all."
15's shoulders drooped, and I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to do more, but knew he couldn't. He looked to the ground. "Alright. I'll help."
I nodded, and without saying a word I picked up Gir, zipped up his costume, and walked towards the door. Just as I was reaching for the doorknob, 15 stopped me.
"Wait! I just need to know… what are you going to do about this thing first?"
"Well…" I said. "I'm going to go to Zim's house. I need some answers. If I'm not back in half an hour… go find Dib and tell him. He should know what to do."