"Clark?" Dib poked his head into the apartment and was instantly greeted with the blaring sound of his computer's alarm. That was louder than he remembered and honestly, he was surprised he hadn't gotten several angry phone calls after he promised he would return.
Clark was actually Dib's fourth attempt at a roommate- the other three having lasted about one month combined, and Clark having lasted one moth in total. Dib had a way of making people pack up and leave pretty quickly, whether it be his unusual hobbies, odd hours, or the fact that he did his research (which some called "borderline stalking"). But so far Clark had been more or less indifferent too all of Dib's little quirks and side projects.
"Lovely sound, isn't it?" Even now as an alarm pierced the quiet two-bedroom apartment, Clark was simply sitting with headphones on, reading a book on the couch in the mutual living space. He pulled off the headphones, upon seeing Dib, leaving his curly black hair somewhat ruffled by the movement. He took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes, exhausted. "Been a really fun hour."
"Sorry about that. I should probably put a sleep timer on it. I didn't realize how loud it was. First time it's gone off." He opened the door to his room and took a seat at his computer. Clark followed along behind him watching him log in and finally put a stop to the piercing wail.
"Thank you, I forgot what peace and quiet sounded like." He breathed a sigh of relief closing his eyes for a moment as Dib began looking at the source of the issue. The program he had designed took (not-so-legal) footage from various space probes. Dib was using them to monitor Earth, keeping an eye out for any other possible invaders. Zim had many enemies, after all; the Irken was quite proud of that fact. So, Dib had to be safe.
"I'm surprised you didn't just go to the RA. Get them to unlock my room for you." Odd, the time stamp on the alarm didn't sync up at all with when Dib assumed Skoodge had arrived. When the alarm was triggered, Skoodge was already here.
"You're kind of a private person. I didn't think you'd want me going through your stuff when you aren't here."
"Oh... thanks." He was a bit surprised that he was so considerate.
"So, what is all this anyway?" Dib had found the footage after some deep investigation. Turns out not too long ago, a blurry shape had plummeted toward Earth's surface far too rapidly to have been an intentional landing. Skoodge had never once mentioned a crash... this was definitely something unrelated.
"Huh?" Dib hadn't really been paying attention to Clark; he was so enthralled by what was before him that he had nearly forgotten the other was in the room. "Oh, um... it's just kind of a side project." He ran the footage back, more slowly. It didn't look like anything he had seen before on Earth, that was certain. Then again, the footage was blurry...
"What kind of side project? Is that real?" Clark's bright blue eyes squinted at the screen. "Looks like something out of a movie."
"Yeah it looks like something fell not too far from here." Dib ran the coordinates as quickly as he could. "I'll be heading out again." He sent some screenshots to his phone. Zim would want to check this out too, but Dib had found it first. He pushed his chair back out and rolled away from his computer desk, getting to his feet quickly. "Sorry about the noise."
"No big deal, this actually looks kind of fun." Clark followed Dib out into the main room. "Mind if I come with you?"
"W- wait, what?" Dib wasn't sure if he had heard the other correctly.
"Can I come with you? I mean, it's kind of late. You shouldn't go alone. Plus, it is all pretty crazy! It reminds me of something that would have been on that old mystery show... Mysterious Mysteries ! That was it! They had reruns on yesterday."
Now Dib was thoroughly confused. "You like Mysterious Mysteries ?"
"Yeah! It was a pretty crazy show. Why is that surprising?" Dib looked Clark over. He was shorter than Dib, pale skin, freckles, dark curly hair. He dressed in a flannel over-shirt with a T-shirt and jeans. He looked like a country boy (save for the sneakers rather than traditional boots)- which was expected given the thick accent. (It had taken some adjustment on Dib's part just to understand whatever Clark was saying at any given point in time.)
"It's just... I figured you were out on the ranch when you were younger- lassoing buffalo or whatever you used to do." Dib was mostly teasing, and Clark laughed. He didn't want to admit that Clark just didn't look like the kind of person who shared his interests.
"My parents are military. You are aware Texas isn't just one big ranch, right?" He seemed genuine amused. "So, you want to take your car or my truck?"
"You seriously want to come along to find some unidentified thing that fell out of the sky?" He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to deal with hiding information, just in case this was Irken. However, it was the first time someone had seemed genuinely interested in his hobby and, honestly, it felt kind of nice to hear the offer.
"Yeah! It could be military, if it is, I can tell my moms. They can report it to their superiors. But who knows," he wiggled his fingers dramatically. "Maybe it's aliens~"
"Do you not believe in aliens?" Dib raised an eyebrow.
"I find it a possibility. The universe is infinitely large and it is just unlikely that we are the only planet capable of developing intelligent life." It was a vague answer, but it wasn't an immediate shut down. Dib would accept it. He would also have to accept that he was bringing his roommate along on this possible recovery mission. He would have killed for an opportunity like this back in school- so why was it after he had made his peace with Zim that he found someone who might be willing to give his cryptid talk and actual chance?
It was frustrating to be sure.
"Come on, we can take my car." He wanted to make sure he would be in charge of the stereo. "I have the directions programmed in my phone already."
"This is going to be fun!" Usually Dib went alone on these sorts of "hunts for the unknown". Occasionally, he would be able to convince Gaz to go with him, but Clark's up-beat and energetic attitude was a far cry from Dib's usual company. Even Zim was mostly just one to complain about everything when they went out investigating together. It was so common-place that Dib wasn't sure how to handle enthusiasm.
"Yeah... sure." He headed down the steps to the car, Clark right behind him. "You seem really excited about finding something that may turn out to be a hoax."
"I mean, hoax or not, it'll be fun to actually hang out with you for once." Dib blinked, looking completely floored by the comment. His hand had frozen on the door handle of the car. "Dude, you okay?" Clark looked over at him, seeing Dib just freeze. "You look like I just punched you."
"Y-yeah..." he shrugged off the compliment, not really sure how to handle it. "I'm fine. Let's just get going." He opened the door sliding into the driver's seat. Clark slid in next to him. "Are you sure you want to get dragged along? You have an early class tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'm sure! I'm surprised you know my morning class schedule though; you're never up when I leave in the morning." Dib looked down at his phone, checking his GPS before whipping out of the campus parking lot. It was already late, so aside from the streetlights and the occasional window lights, the campus was smothered by a heavy darkness.
"I know all of your classes. I did research on you when you moved in." Dib glanced over at the other boy as he started to play his music, turning up the volume quite a bit. The expression on Clark's face was difficult to read, but that might have just been because it was dark in the car and the only light that would sweep in from the streetlights would cause a glare on Clark's glasses.
Finally, Clark gave an awkward laugh. "That's a little weird; did you do that for all your roommates?" He didn't seem upset, just surprised.
"Of course, I did. And it's not weird!" Dib replied defensively. "I'm not living with someone that I don't know without checking them out first."
"So, you looked up my schedule?"
"Yeah, I wanted to see what you were taking. You're a pre-med major so at least I know you like science. And since your grades are good you have to be at least somewhat intelligent."
"You know my grades ?" Clark sat up a bit more in his seat.
"Okay that may actually be a bit weird. BUT the guy before you was actually failing out and he tried to steal one of my research projects so I was concerned ." Clark was quiet for a moment, seemingly weighing the action against the reason Dib had provided.
"Okay... that makes some sense I suppose. But how did you get my grades? You can't exactly ask for them."
"The how isn't important. Just know that our school has mediocre cyber security."
"Right." There was a hint of a smile on Clark's face in the darkness. "Anything else you researched about me before hand? Or was this all strictly academic?"
"Just the basic things you put on your social media, also your blood type and allergies, and that you're adopted and all of that."
Clark looked at him in complete shock. "I'm ADOPTED !?"
"W-wait..." Dib quickly looked away. "Y-you knew right I mean-" He found himself back tracking as his roommate just stared at him, bright blue eyes wide in utter disbelief. "Y-you had to have known. I mean... Clark... you have two moms ."
There was a moment of silence before Clark burst out laughing. Dib nearly slammed his foot on the break not sure what to make of the situation. "S-sorry, I thought it was funny."
"You were joking ." It clicked with Dib and he gradually got the car back to its original speed. He was glad no one else was one the road. "I thought I had just ruined your life!"
"Sorry, sorry." He was still laughing. "That was poorly timed- I shouldn't scare the driver."
"I almost drove off the road! Jesus fuck , Clark!" Dib swearing seemed to only make Clark laugh harder. Dib surprised himself as he let out a little chuckle. He couldn't believe he had bought into Clark's disbelief for even a second.
"Well it's the least I can do to repay you for looking up my grades."
"Fair enough." Dib actually grinned.
Dib was starting to actually enjoy having company. They had left the city limits and had ventured into the outskirts of the surrounding area. The suburban houses were growing scarce and the darkness of the night was settling in more heavily, casting everything around them in dark shadows. The strange UFO his computer had picked up had fallen close enough to be an easy trip, but far enough away that Dib felt they would be fairly isolated. It might be nice not to be totally alone on the off chance some shadowy government organization tried to take him hostage.
Eventually, the car slid off the highway into the side streets and eventually onto a dirt road. Dib stopped the car peering into the darkness. He could see trees ahead and his car was a little too expensive to risk on a night time forest drive. (Not that his father wouldn't just buy him a new one- but still that would involve having to go home and admit he crashed it). "We'll have to continue here on foot." He stepped out of the car, peering into the darkness ahead.
"Is it far?" Clark hopped out beside him. "I cannot see a thing. Wow."
"It's not... too far." Dib checked his phone before opening the trunk of his car and pulling out a bag he had stowed away just in case of a situation like this. He reached in, tossing Clark a lantern. The dark-haired man fumbled to catch it, only barely succeeding.
"Please warn me before throwing light sources at my face." Clark flipped the lantern on as Dib fished around his bag to find his flash light. Clark leaned toward him, holding the light so he could see. He retrieved the flashlight with ease and turned it on as well, taking the lead.
"You caught it." Dib dismissed his complaint. Now, on the off chance he was going to find alien life- he was going to need to start manufacturing excuses to cover for Zim. (He silently was pleading with himself that Zim was not going to be the cause of this particular wreck- despite the fact that he had been with Zim at the time of the alarm so it would be nearly impossible for Zim to have caused it. Still, if there was a way to cause a disaster while at home- Zim would be the one to find it). Back in the old days, Dib would have been happy just to out Zim as the alien monstrosity he was, however, things had changed. Dib had come to realize, in his maturity, that Zim was not a real threat any longer. Outing him to the general public would really just bring Zim to harm.
"Dib careful!" Clark grabbed his shoulder rather suddenly, snapping Dib back to reality. Dib blinked, looking uncertainly at his shorter roommate. Clark held the lantern down and illuminated that the ground took a sudden, sharp dip.
"How did you see that?" Dib took a step back before carefully starting his way down.
"Yow shown your flashlight right on it. Then you just kept walking like you didn't see it. I was concerned." Clark slid down after him, not quite as cautious as Dib had been, but to be fair, Clark wasn't the one carrying equipment. He took a few steps to regain his balance as he reached the bottom, before squinting in the distance. "Hey... you see that?"
Dib did not see much of anything. He held up his flashlight, but Clark lowered his hand back down, shaking his head. Dib squinted, taking a few more steps ahead, then a few more. Finally, he saw a vague glow in the distance. It was incredibly faint, but it did not look like the stagnant light of something electrical, it looked more like the dynamic light of a fire.
"Woah..." Dib picked up his pace.
"Hey wait!" he could hear his heart racing, drowning out the thud of Clark's footsteps as the two college seniors stumbled their way into a devastated little clearing. It looked like, at one point, trees had been standing there. However, something had crashed through them, limbs and brush were carelessly strewn about and badly singed. The area smelled like fire and there was a slight smoke that was hovering in the air. At the very end, there was a very large, odd looking, white vessel. Dib burst into a run to get a better look. The outside had taken major damage from the fall, the door had popped off and was tossed somewhere out of sight. There was a strange symbol painted on the back of the ship something that looked like a many-ringed planet with a few moons. There was strange writing underneath. Dib snapped a quick picture with his phone.
"Holy shit..." Clark breathed. He leaned over in an attempt to catch his breath, coughing as the smoke hit his nose. "What is this thing? Looks like some kind of military drone..."
"It could be..." Dib was completely enthralled, taking more photos with his phone. He started to poke his head in where the door had come off. The interior was even more enthralling, panels and lights smashed but not beyond recognition. There was wiring hanging from the ceiling, sparking ominously as Dib put one foot in. He felt Clark grab his arm.
"Bad idea." Clark shook his head. "I don't think this thing looks stable at all."
"It's fine." It probably wasn't, but safety be damned. Dib needed to see this closer. He slid his arm out of Clark's grip and stepped inside, ducking under some of the misshapen tiles that were sagging from the ceiling. Something sparked a little closer to his ear than he would have liked and he rubbed his piercing trying to make sure he hadn't burned his ear.
"Dib come on. This place looks ready to fall apart..." Dib looked back to see Clark had only stepped half way in himself. Dib turned back to the area ahead. There was, what appeared to be, a primary computer in the center of the ship. He could see a lot of labeled buttons and nobs. He did not, however, see anything like a chair or a living space in the rather small ship. He was beginning to think it was unmanned, which was for the best as a pilot might not have survived such a volatile crash. His shoe crunched on a shattered, glass like substance as he pushed his way in further. Heat burst out from a panel that crashed near his shoulder, He jumped back as the smoke wafted into his face.
Dib hunched over for a moment to cough and as he did so a blinking light caught his eye. This was the only thing that seemed to be in, mostly, one piece. It was a red, round button decorated with the same logo from the side of the ship. Dib pulled his phone out to get a video of the rhythmic blinking. As he did so, the ship shuttered and more contents clattered from the ceiling.
"Dib!" He heard Clark call to him again as he covered his face with his arms only to be pelted with bits of the tiling from above him. "Please! This isn't safe!"
"I'm fine!" He called back quickly. He was starting to think it was time to back out but a new sound had grabbed his attention. The button had stopped blinking and a small, holographic figure was floating in the air. It wasn't human, that much he was sure, the eyes were too large and too rounded- though it was bipedal. He could see (what he assumed was) its mouth moving- it looked vaguely humanoid, complete with lips and hair though the language coming out of its mouth was nothing he had heard before. He squinted, the little uniform on the hologram bore that the same symbol from the ship (he was so glad he was recording this all).
The ship shifted again as Dib leaned in closer. The figure talking had a pale blue skin tone. The eyes were convex and were more of a bright, unnatural blue not often found in nature. The hair was a fire engine red, long, and tied back. The uniform itself was a black and white- he doubted it was Irken and- from what he had gleaned from Tak's ship- he doubted it was Meekrob. He started to see if there was a way to disconnect the video source to bring it with him.
The ship shook again and smoke started to pour in a little more quickly.
The blue skinned figure was still talking, unphased. Dib had long since figured it was a recording and not a live feed.
"Dib!" Clark sounded a little more desperate. Dib thought he saw where the source of the projection might be stored. He opened his bag, pulling out a few of his tools and kneeling down to dislodge the panel. Whatever material constructed the ship paneling was something tougher than Dib had expected. His crowbar bent with ease.
There was a larger rumble under his feet and he briefly lost his balance. This time the rumble didn't really subside. Figuring time was limited, he began working more quickly. He was listening to the recording as best he could but he wasn't understanding a word of it. He tried hammering at the panel that housed the recording but it didn't even dent.
There was a more violent rocking. Dib could barely hear Clark over his own heavy breathing. He wasn't sure when it had gotten so hot... he could feel his trench coat sticking to his skin, the piercings in his face were starting to sting. His eyes were watering and it was getting distinctively harder to see as the smoke had caused a thin, grey film to form over the lenses of his glasses. He managed to use some leverage to peel up a small corner of the paneling. In just a moment he could have the recording in his hands to bring to Zim.
What happened next left Dib's head spinning.
The ship had given one more, violent shake. The ceiling had begun to cave in and he had felt himself pulled by his shoulders to the small exit where he and Clark were forcibly ejected as the ship completely collapsed; a shock-wave of force sending the two humans careening out. Dib slid across the grass as the smaller framed Clark flew back first into a nearby tree. Dib managed to pull himself up onto his elbows, phone still gripped in one hand. He shoved it into his pocket, his arms and shoulders burned with the movement and it sent him hurtling into coughing fits, struggling to catch his breath. He squinted, his glasses had been dislodged in the explosion, as he tried to see if his roommate was okay. He had, fleetingly, seen the nasty hit Clark had taken when he crashed into the tree.
He saw Clark on his hands and knees as well, coughing violently as smoke continued to billow around them from the wreckage. Dib found himself to be relieved that he hadn't accidentally caused the death of a fellow human, and he managed to pull himself to his feet.
He stumbled his way over to Clark, kneeling down to help him up. "Can you walk?" Clark tried to answer but words couldn't surface their way through the stream of violent coughing. Dib slid Clark's arm over his shoulder and helped him into a standing position. Together they managed to limp away from the worst of the smoke and try to catch their breath.
"Are you fucking crazy!?" Clark looked genuinely upset. "You could have gotten killed!"
"But I didn't." Dib pointed out. He paused for a moment, his breathing finally starting to even out. He remembered the hands on his shoulders dragging him out moments before the vessel was engulfed by flame. "Thank you for that... by the way..."
"I wasn't going to let you die! I mean for fuck's sake! What were you thinking!?"
"I wasn't..." Dib admitted. "I just... wanted to see if it was some kind of spy drone. You know how it is." He felt a little bad about lying, but he was fairly certain Clark had not seen the recording and it was better to just let him think he was crazy than deal with the alien discussion tonight.
"That was not worth your life. I promise."
"I mean... you're probably right." Dib forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. Clark seemed to finally be catching his breath.
"Well... that was quite an adventure at least. Is this how all your little late-night escapades end?" Clark wiped the ash from his freckled cheek.
Dib shrugged. "Only most of them."
"How are you alive?"
"With considerable effort." Dib probably would have found a way out if Clark had not tagged along, but he couldn't be sure. Perhaps, perhaps not. The company hadn't been too terrible, but Dib wasn't sure if it was worth all the secrecy that came with having someone on his alien-hunting quests who wasn't already aware about the alien presence on Earth.
Speaking of alien presence...
Dib fumbled with his phone. "I'm going to let my dad know something crashed here just in case this is one of his weird side projects." He figured he should give Clark some kind of explanation even if it was a fake one.
"Yeah this does kind of seem Membrane-esque. Especially the part where it exploded..." Satisfied his explanation had passed, he sent one quick message.
To: ZIM
ME (2:14 AM): I need to talk to you. Do you know what this symbol means?
[IMAGE ATTACHED] .
This chapter marks the beginning of the first major arc in the story! HURRAY! For the next ten or so chapters, the central narrator for the story will shift over to Dib. The focus of the story will go back to the Irkens once this first arc is complete! I have really been enjoying reading all your comments and hearing your feedback it means a lot! I hope this chapter- despite its length- was enjoyable for you!
