I am the Enemy pt 3

The graffiti on your local public toilet seat by Invader Sideos. AGGGG this is so HAAARRRDD! (Turns to the guy hanging upside down from the wall)

"WHY IS THIS SO HARD?"

"I don't know pleaaase let me go I have a wife and child"

"FOOOOOLISH human!" Have you ever heard Ludwig van's 9th? It comes with everyone's P.C and it's a truly beautiful piece of music. Set's you up for a bit of the old...Fan fic writing! I've been putting off writing this bit all night. WRITE WRITE WRITE!

I don't own Zim. Bugger

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It was soon after the skool bell went for the end of the day that Dib began to feel it. At first he just put it down as part of the pain he was experiencing because of his body's change, but it soon began to become worse. It started in his stomach slowly as a dull ache, but it soon began to build up. By the time he as halfway home it was beginning to cripple him. He couldn't breath properly and he could feel his intestines churning. His heart was beating slower and thus his arms and legs felt heavy. He pushed himself as hard as he could against the pain.

"No, must fight...must get home...must find cure for...transformation."

Dib was still standing, but his legs were refusing to work properly. He staggered a little further down the street before falling down again.

He cringed and moaned at the immense pain. "It...hurts...so...much"

Dib looked around him for anyone that could help. Then, he noticed where he was. He was sitting at the entrance to a small col-de-sac and at the end was that ominous green house. He's the only one who can help me now...he has the technology...NO I cannot ask the one who did this to me for help! But what choice do I have? Dib dragged himself towards Zim's house. All the while he was wishing for an alternative, begging his mind to think of something, anything but this. By the time he got to the front of Zim's house he was almost crawling. He dragged himself up to the door, silently noticing that the garden gnomes didn't attack him. They must think I'm another Irkin.

Dib didn't even need to knock on the door; it swung open to reveal Zim, grinning like a psychotic cheshire cat.

"Look what the earth-worms dragged in."

Dib internally shook his head. "Zim...please...help me...insides turning...the pain."

Zim put a hand up to his chin and looked thoughtful, but still grinned with horrible joy at seeing his enemy suffer. "Looks like you're at stage two, my foolish enemy."

"Stage...two?"

Dib could hardly speak now the pain was so bad. It was all he could do to stop himself from falling into unconsciousness.

"Yes, Dib, stage two. You see, stage one was only your appearance changing, stage two is your insides changing. After this you will have developed a fully functional Irkin heart and squeedly spooch. The pain you are feeling is the worthless human organs fusing into one superior organ. However, without proper medical care you will die during this stage. So, I present to you, Dib-worm, an offer to join me. Do so and maybe I will work on an antidote, don't and you will die on my doorstep." Zim held out his hand with the smile replaced with a very serious look. "What do you say, Dib?"

Dib knew this was it, death or dishonour, one might say. He calculated the results of what could happen. If he joined Zim he could escape, but he doubted if anyone would accept him. Even his own father and sister would probably not believe him and would turn him over to the government for testing. But if he did join Zim he could use his labs to find a cure. It would be hard to stop Zim finding out, but it was his only chance. Dib looked into Zim's red eyes and held out his hand. Zim grasped it and Dib finally blacked out.

Dib slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry and he felt sore in his stomach and around his neck and back. He reached a hand up to take off his glasses. The moment he removed them everything slid into perfect focus. He was amazed at what his new vision granted him. He could see perfectly and almost zoom in to the distance. He hopped down off the table he was lying on, to find that he was only dressed in his pants. Everything else had been removed, even his boots and socks. He tried to ignore the coldness of the floor and the weird feeling of his antenna rising in response, as he wrapped his arms around him and hurried to the door.

It was strange feeling his three fingers against his skin. Even stranger were the claws on the ends of his fingers. They were like the claws of a cat, but they could move like normal fingers. Looking around for any security, he found none and so scurried down the corridor. He backtracked to a room, however, when he saw what was inside.

There were several Zim-like uniforms in different sizes along with boots and gloves. He ran in and quickly grabbed what he could, finding most of the clothes fitted him perfectly. He had just put on the gloves and was about to leave, when he spotted his long black trench coat in what looked like a garbage bin. He quickly snatched it up and wrapped it 'round himself, mumbling about how Zim could dare to throw away his most favourite coat. He turned round to view himself in a mirror at the side.

Dib was amazed at how he looked. His eyes were now totally chestnut brown in colour, with a slight shine to them. His skin was a pale grass green and his tongue looked like a worm. He found that he could now stretch it quite far. His ears and nose had gone, but he could still hear the humming of machinery and smell the strange fabric he was wearing. He had two antennae poking up from the top of his head, which he found reacted to his mood.

As he turned to go, he noticed something on his back. His voice was filled with a curious wonder. "Hey its one of those pack-things Zim wears...cool. I wonder how he gets those spider-leg things to come out."

Dib tried, but the PAK stayed motionless. "Maybe it's broken. Trust Zim to give me a broken pack-thing, I'd better take it of and have a look."

"I wouldn't, if I was you."

Dib turned 'round suddenly to see Zim leaning casually on the doorway. "We Irkins cannot survive without our PAK's, but you wouldn't know that, would you? You know, not being a 'real' Irkin and all." There was a strange malice in Zim's voice that he had never heard before. A mix between pity and anger.

Dib was already on the defensive and he shouted accusingly "How long have you been there?" Zim had surprised him when he had been admiring his new self. This wouldn't help him in his plea to be turned back to normal.

Zim narrowed his red ruby eyes and the anger in his voice heightened just a notch. "Long enough. So, you want to know how to operate the PAK? To do so I will have to teach you all my military training, but I don't think I will be doing that any time soon." He walked into the room until he was standing in front of Dib. "So, now can you see how we Irkin's are more superior then the humans?"

Dib quickly retaliated, the old anger and rivalry showing in his face again. "No way. My people are so much more better. The Irkins are scum" Zim smiled, Dib had walked straight into that one.

He sounded amused as he said. "If my people are scum then so are yours." Dib suddenly remembered what he was again. "Yea well...I don't care. You have to turn me back to normal, Zim."

Zim quickly advanced, that strange malice rising in his voice again. "Why? Just because you say so? Do you even think for a moment anyone even cares that you're gone?"

Dib took a step back, worry showing on his face. "Of course they do, I bet Gaz and Dad are already wondering where I am."

Zim chuckled again. "You really think so? Come with me." Zim walked out the room and down the corridor followed by a nervous looking Dib.

They walked into a room Dib had seen only once before, when they watched the message recorded by Tak. Zim walked over to a key bored and immediately began typing up commands. The giant screen suddenly exploded into life and it showed Dib's living room.

"Wait, you have spy cameras in my house!" Dib sounded horrified at the thought of Zim being able to watching him 24/7.

"No, it's just my latest invention. The robot bee spy camera!" Zim posed a usual 'Zim victory pose' before carrying on. "And let's just see what's happening in the Membrane household, shall we?"

Gaz walked into the living room and parked herself in front of the TV. She was about to start up her 'Pilot moon 5. The revenge of the moose' game, when her farther walked into the room. He sounded curious, but not worried. "Daughter, where's your brother? He didn't come home from skool today."

"Don't know, don't care." Gaz sound annoyed at just the mention of Dib. Membrane went back to his unworried stance. "Well, he really shouldn't be home this late. I'll send someone out to look for him."

He went to turn away, when Gaz looked up from the TV. "Aren't you gonna go looking for him yourself?"

"I can't, I have very important work to do. The bunny experiment needs to be more entertaining by Thursday, or we will have to perform more HORRIBLE tests on him."

Gaz razed an eyebrow. "Don't you make him more entertaining by torturing him with tests him anyway?"

The professor shifted uncomfortably for a second. "Well, yes, but...These will be even MORE horrible then usual!"

"Meh." Gaz turned back to the TV and the professor walked out the room.

Dib stood, emotionless. It was true. My family really doesn't care about me. My sister couldn't care less if I was dead and my own Dad wont even make the effort to find out where I am. I bet he won't even send out someone to look for me. He collapsed onto his knees with his head held down. He wanted to cry but no tears would come, he could feel his eyes watering but something was holding them back. He shuddered violently in sorrow as the face of his situation hit him. He had no family, he had no friends, he didn't even have a purpose any more. He had become everything he had ever hated, and he couldn't even cry about it.

Dibs voice was sad and defeated. "God...why can't I cry. I just want to be something again. Please, Zim, give me something to be."

Zim stood at his side. He wasn't grinning, but a terrible idea was now forming in his mind. It shone through his eyes as his mind worked on the final unplanned details of his new idea.

It just might work.

He stood in front of Dib with his hands behind his back. His voice no longer angry or mocking but steady with cold resolve. "Do you truly want a new purpose, Dib? Are you willing to surrender everything you have ever been taught to become? Everything you have ever been taught to believe in? Are you truly willing to throw humanity away forever and surrender to my way of life? To a supreme way of life?"

Dib felt a hand grip his chin and gently lift his head. He looked into Zim's red eyes and for once saw not hate, or anger, or malice. Instead, he saw hope and a strong determination. Whatever Zim was offering he truly wanted to help Dib. Dib knelt there on the cold floor, everything around him seemingly slowing down for a moment that seemed to last forever as he looked into those deep crimson eyes. And in that moment his mind was made up.

"Yes."

Zim smiled warmly, something Dib had never seen him do before. "Then come with me." Zim walked out the room with Dib following closely. His tone quickly changed to a more commanding, but no longer hateful, voice. He marched in front of Dib, who silently followed behind, no longer full of sorrow, but not exactly full of joy ether.

Zim spoke up suddenly in an unusually informative tone. "I will begin to teach you everything I know about my...our way of life. You will learn to be a solider, use your PAK and above all," Zim stopped, swiftly spinning 'round and looking at a startled Dib with a stern expression. "Love the Empire." He began to march ahead again.

Behind him, Dib was bursting with questions. "Wait, will this take long? Do I have to go through training? How soon till I can use my PAK? How do I 'love' an Empire if I don't even know who runs it?" Dib could hear Zim begin to growl in annoyance in front of him, so he quickly changed his question.

"Why can't I cry?"

Zim stopped, but he didn't turn 'round. His voice was hollow as he answered. "No Irkin can. We can't cry because if an Irkin is ever tortured by an enemy and not cry, it is thought to give them a psychological effect over said enemy. To show that we are the bravest of all warriors."

Zim started walking swiftly again, and again he startled Dib. His voice was back to the commanding tone. "By the way, if you're going to be staying here you're going to make yourself useful."

Dib suddenly realised that he had given no thought to where he would be staying now that he was Irkin, speaking of which... "Hey, why don't I feel tired? I mean, with all the stuff I've been through I should be exhausted."

Zim formed a sly grin. "Thank your PAK. There hasn't been a record of any Irkin sleeping since the PAK was invented. It keeps us going forever, or at least until we die. And it prolongs our life for a very long time."

Zim turned into the room at who's door they had been standing and began to type away at a keyboard. Dib took the chance to look around the room. The smell of sterilized equipment filled the air, how he smelled it he had no idea, and the machines around him were still shining with freshness, like they had never been used. He walked over to a strange looking chair with many wires coming out of it. At the side was a strange headset which also had many wires attached to it. In front of the chair were many, currently blank, screens with one large one in the middle of them. Dib circled the chair in inquisitive wonder.

Zim's voice came from over the other side of the room. "Sit in the chair, Dib. The quicker we start this, the quicker we finish." there was something in Zim's voice that Dib couldn't quite put his finger on, a strange reluctance, yet at the same time a heavy acceptance. Dib looked at the chair again; apart from the strange wires it looked safe enough. The moment he sat down pieces of metal quickly wrapped round his chest, legs, ankles, wrists and arms. A piece of metal also wrapped itself round his head, so all he could do was to stare straight forward at the screens. The metal was tight on him and deathly cold, but it did its job as Dib could no longer move an inch.

"HEY, what the? Zim let me out of thing now!"

He could hear Zim walking towards him. Zim's voice was hollow and emotionless. Something nasty told Dib that Zim had done something like this before. "Sorry, Dib, but you agreed to stop being human, and this is the best way of showing you how to be Irkin."

Zim walked in front of him and placed the headset on him. Zim had a hard, determined look, making sure his face showed no other emotion. He took a step back so Dib could now see him and every screen.

"Now, Dib, it is time for your re-education."

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Stone cold my friends…stone cold. For this and the on-coming chapter you may find references to 1984, my favourite book. By the way if anyone can guess what Membranes 'bunny' experiment is I'll give you a shiny penny.