Chapter 5 1/2 of I am the Enemy

Signed on a fan girl's face by Invader Sideos: Woo yea this is great isn't it? Isn't this great? Yea. Lets linger a moment on this...woo. Sideos, my OC for those un-educated about him, is ticked off at me for not including him in this fic. I explained to him that this has no room for him, still he is not pleased. In the end I had to draw a new picture of him to appease him. He is now happy. Anyway, I've decided to explain more into the politics and history of the Irkens, which is what, happens here. Dib and Zim will be much more in character in this chapter then they have been in the last few.

I don't own Zim. I cry myself to sleep over this.

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Dib landed the voot cruiser into the attic of the house perfectly while Zim looked on, both impressed and jealous. The red eyed Irkin tapped a few notes into his video notepad and hopped out of the cockpit of the small ship. He then walked over to the attic trap door. Dib leaned over the edge of the ship.

He hopefully called out "So how did I do?" Zim mumbled something angrily causing Dib to jump out of the ship and quickly catch up to him to only repeated his question.

Zim looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Very good, for a smeet."

Dib jumped in front of Zim and crossed his arms with a smug look. "I passed, didn't I?"

Zim shorted. "Not yet, Dib. I've got to send this to the head office of Irken flight licences, so don't get any ideas about taking the cruiser out any time soon."

He pushed past a suddenly defeated looking Dib and called the trap door elevator up. A part of the floor opened and he stepped inside. Dib sighed and followed him. The elevator began to drop and some casual music began playing from the roof of the lift.

There was an uneventful silence for a few moments before Dib spoke up. "What about school?"

Zim raised an antenna in confusion "Eh?"

Dib rolled his eyes and began explaining "School, they'll soon realise that I'm not there, what if they come looking for me? They could alert the police."

Zim smirked. "I don't think so. I've taken plenty of days off from that place of stink and filth. They will not come looking for you."

Zim suddenly raised an antenna again. "That is, unless you want to go to school."

Dib looked almost offended at the idea. "Go back there? No thanks." Dib didn't notice it but Zim grinned slyly for a second before suddenly looking overly casual.

He placed a clawed hand in front of him and made it look like he was inspecting his fingers. "Well, what are you going to do all day then? You're not just mooching around this place doing nothing."

Dib's antenna flattened on his head and he narrowed his eyes. However, he also smiled curiously. "What do you suggest I do?"

Zim smiled knowingly "I thought you'd never ask." The elevator stopped and opened to a room which, at a first glance, seemed totally empty.

They walked in with Dib falling back slightly as he looked around. All that was in this room was a strange machine that hung from the ceiling like a spike. It had a mass of cables hanging down from it and a small panel next to it. Zim gestured to Dib that he should come closer. Dib wondered up to it, staring at the machine curiously while Zim simply stood aside.

Dib took one of the cables in his hand as he asked. "What's this?"

Zim's smile twitched slightly. "This, Dib, is an Irken education plug." Zim tapped a button on the panel and the wires from the machine sprang into life. They flew behind Dib and into his PAK, lifting him off the floor in the process.

Before Dib could say anything in protest Zim began to explain. "The machine will be like the one I used to download my military training into you, but it will run simulations in your mind to show you more about Irken history, our language, everything an Irken needs to know about our species."

If Dib was not hanging in the air then he would have jumped for joy. Zim was going to show him everything he had ever wanted to learn about the Irkens. Their whole existence laid out for him to see.

Zim turned and began walking out the room. Dib raised an antenna in annoyance and shouted. "Aren't you going to turn this thing on?"

Zim didn't turn around and casually shouted back "Do it yourself, lazy smeet." Dib was about to argue that he couldn't when he suddenly remembered that he could.

He looked up at the machine. "Right then, how do I get this working? Err, work." The machine stood immobile and silent. "Activate?" Again nothing.

He sighed. "Ok think, Dib, how do you get an Irken machine to work?"

Suddenly a very bored sounding voice came from around him. "Well, you could just say please."

Dib looked around panicking. "Who said that? Gir? Zim?"

The voice spoke again, still sounding bored. "Actually I'm the house computer, nice to finally talk to you...I guess."

Dib raised an antenna "The house computer?"

The computer began to explain. "Yea, I'm the thing that runs everything in this base. If Zim didn't have me, he would have probably been revealed by you by now."

Dib went to say that he could have revealed Zim at any time, but then decided against it. He didn't want to argue with something that he was now living in. "Err...so could you run the program please?"

He could have sworn he heard the computer sigh. "Sure, why not?"

Dib jolted backwards and shut his eyes as a stream of information rushed into his head.

It stopped suddenly and Dib began gasping his breath. "Whoa." He looked up to no one in particular. "I know Irken..."

The computer now sounded strangely curious "Do you want to learn more?"

Dib grinned widely "Oh yes."

Dib was standing in the middle of an endless field. Orange flowers stretched everywhere, from horizon to horizon. He looked around him, but there was no one, he was alone. He began to walk through the flowers and as he did he looked up. The sky was pink, so he knew he was no longer on earth.

He was surprised to find that he didn't care, this new place felt more like home then earth did. The smell of the strange flowers was so peaceful and he could feel the warmth of the alien sun on his back. He stretched out a claw and, despite his gloved fingers; he could feel the soft texture of the orange petals.

He was surprised when a feminine, rather girlish, voice from behind him said "What would you like to know?"

He jumped and spun around. Standing there was an Irken girl. She wore a standard uniform and had bright red eyes. She was a few inches taller then Dib and would have looked to be about thirteen or fourteen by earth years.

Dib jumped back and immediately went on the defensive. Some old habits die hard. "Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"

The Irken girl smiled sweetly and giggled. "Silly, you're still in Zim's base. This is all in your mind. You chose to learn more so the computer ran me!"

Dib's antenna raised in confusion. "And you are?"

The Irken giggled again like a small girl. Dib wished she would stop that, it was beginning to get annoying. "I'm the program. Well, really I'm just part of the program. My name is Vee and I'll be your guide through Irken history."

She blinked her large eyelashes as Dib looked around him. "So this is Irk? It's not what I really imagined."

She bobbed on her toes. "Oh the bump mapping hasn't finished loading yet."

Dib looked at Vee worriedly "o...k"

Suddenly the ground bust up around them. Dib's eyes darted about as he watched the strange buildings rush up from the ground. The field vanished and was replaced by the harsh feel of concrete. In seconds the beauty of the orange fields had been replaced by the omniscience and oppression of a dark city.

It was almost spooky. It reminded Dib slightly too much of the city near him, the only difference was that the streets were filled with Irkens and not humans. As he looked around at the filthy state of the city he noticed something odd about the Irkens. They were all supremely depressed and not one had a PAK. He also noticed that some of them held hands and cast weary smiles to each other. Some of the younger ones followed older females or males like a child would follow a parent. He saw that the shops where worn down or almost decrepit. He walked up to the window of what looked like an Irken book store, taking in the drudgery of the place.

Dib turned to Vee, but she replied as if reading his mind. "This is Irk before the PAK was created. Back then Irkens were still on our quest for perfection, but where far from it. Our people still reproduced naturally and mated like other species. The world of Irk had just been unified under the mighty rule of the glorious warlord Alez who had one dream, that of a perfected Irken people. It was under his genius that the first ideals of a life support system to aid and help all Irkens was drawn up. In the end he created the first ever PAK."

Dib looked, wide eyed, as an extremely tall, thin Irken appeared next to Vee. This one seemed golden in both eyes and armour colouring, it reflected off the light and made the Irken seem to glow. The figure was awe inspiring to look at. His eyes were cold and determined and his stance seemed so strong and powerful. It was like looking upon some great divine figure.

Vee noticed Dib's open mouthed expression and commented. "Yes, this is he, the first true leader of the Irken race. After he took over he changed his name from Alez to almighty Tallest Qinshi, which means-"

"First emperor," Dib slowly interrupted.

Vee smiled "Yes, correct. He practically created modern Irk, he ordered the building of the birthing halls, organised the increasing of the Irken military and created the rank of Invader. He made us strong."

The figure slowly fizzled away and so did the filth and the darkness of the city. Suddenly everything so bright and cheerful, the Irkens changed to have PAK's and they where smiling but he also noticed that they all wore the same basic uniforms with few exceptions and no Irken was with another.

Dib looked around for a couple but after finding none he turned back to Vee. "What happened to the families?"

Vee giggled. "Silly you. All backward practices were destroyed. It was realised that families, mating and the like were distractions from serving the Empire and the Tallest. There is no room for things like that on the road to perfection."

Dib looked around him in an amazed stupor. They're united for one common cause, yet totally divided for their own personal cause. Dib turned to look back at the book store, but found that it had been replaced by a fast food outlet. In fact, many of the old stores had been replaced by fast food shops or simple gift shops.

Dib looked thoughtful and, glancing at Vee, he questioned. "Why does everybody where the same clothes? And what happened to all the shops?"

Vee giggled in her childish manner. "There's no need for things like books, they have shown to only cause disunity and arguments amongst your fellow Irkens. We must enforce collectivity; the uniforms are just another way of reminding all Irkens that we are all one and the same."

Dib suddenly felt very aware that he was wearing a trench coat that made him stand out. "Err, what about this?" And he pulled on the sleeve of his coat.

Vee smiled and bobbed on her toes again. "There is no law against looking different. There are very few laws now, we are a free people."

Dib nodded, but still looked suspiciously as a group of tough looking Irkens on hover bikes zoomed over them with 'For your protection' written on the sides of their bikes.

Dib turned back to Vee. "What happened after this?"

Vee grinned, almost too wide. "I'm so glad you asked."

The world fizzled away to reveal a small compact hall, in the middle of which was a massive looking machine which had wires streaming out behind it. It had several blank, lifeless, screens on the front of it and it towered over the small group of Irkens around it. Dib walked over to see that the majority of them seemed to be advisers, however one of them seemed to be much taller then the rest of them and was dressed in a bright red Tallest uniform. One thing that they all shared though, was that they were all looking extremely sad.

He turned back to Vee, but before he could ask, she had already started to explain. "This is a very important moment in Irken history, look."

She pointed to a door on the other side of the room. Dib turned to see a large group of sad looking Irkens pushing a long floating tray which was covered by a long, rather ceremonial looking, cloth. The air seemed heavy with sorrow, and even Dib felt that this was not the time to begin asking any more questions.

The cloth was drawn back and Dib gasped. There laid the body of the Tallest Qinshi. He went to question Vee, but she just pointed back to the machine, and so Dib looked back.

The dead Tallest was drawn to the front of the machine and the Tallest Irken took hold of a large wire and slowly plugged it into the back of the body. At first nothing happened, but suddenly a massive surge of electricity erupted through the cable and into the golden Tallest. Dib shielded his eyes from the arches of lighting coming from the machine, as did all the other Irkens in the room. He began to hear a great rumbling that grew louder and louder. Soon the rumbling was so loud it was shaking the room, and then it began to change into a roar, a shout of a conscious being.

Dib looked back to see the machine beginning to glow with a dark light. It radiated and pulsed like some living thing. The rumbling stopped and all eyes were now on the great glowing machine, the screens began to flicker into life.

Then it began to speak. Its voice was deep and electronic, but held with it a sense of great power and knowledge. "I am control brain zero-one. I hold all knowledge of Irk and beyond. I am Irk, I am its past, present and future. You no longer need to worry about anything, I control everything now."

The Irkens standing around the machine looked worried, like they had just brought some horrific monster to life.

Suddenly the bright red Tallest put his two clawed fist to his heart in salute and shouted "Hail the Irken Empire! Hail the control brains!" The Irkens in the room immediately copied the action, as did Vee. Dib looked from them to the control brain, to Vee and slowly did the same.

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The name Qinshi comes from the first emperor to unite all of China. I thought it would suit well here...I've got a headache...I just drew an amazing picture of Dib in a straight-jacket. I love the fact that Dib is coming back round to being Dib again with his superbly inquisitive nature and his knack of finding faults in a seemingly ok thing. If he weren't such a conspiracy theorist, this fic would never work. P.S the bright red Tallest isn't Red. This all happened years and years and years before they where even born so...yea. Until next update, Toodle Pip.