REUPLOAD: Sorry that it might have looked weird and coded to some of you guys, I don't know why is doing that. I'm uploading it as a doc instead of copy and paste so hopefully that fixes it. If it's still weird let me know!

Chapter 25: Cruise Recovery

Dib laid on the platform that had held Zim's Voot Cruiser. It was set to the side of the room to allow Dib to stargaze and enjoy the night air. Zim had joined him after a few minutes, curious as to what was so appealing about laying down under the stars. Dib glanced over at him. The Irken was sprawled out like a star, staring up at the sky calmly. It was a rare occurrence, though admittedly it was one that was becoming less rare, to see Zim when he wasn't energetically shouting or running around. Dib hadn't noticed right away that the Irken was starting to mellow out. He wondered, idly, if that was because he wasn't chasing after a mission anymore.

He shifted his arm and leg lightly. They had started to become incredibly sore after the anesthesia Zim had injected wore off.

"It is because your body is healing rapidly." Zim had explained. Dib had been, admittedly it was a little cartoonish, rolling on the floor groaning.

That had been a few hours ago. While his arm and leg had stopped being quite so sore, it still flared up when he stretched or moved. It wasn't as harsh, but it was still making him very aware of its presence. He looked back up to the sky, tracing the constellations with his eyes. After a while he heard Zim sigh.

"Zim will admit this is a relaxing activity. But, would Dib-stink not prefer something more?" Zim asked.

"Like?"

"A trip." Zim offered. Dib looked over at him, puzzled.

"To where? Get ice cream?" Dib asked. Zim laughed at him. He sat up, motioning to the Voot Cruiser.

"No, to the sky."

Dib started at him for the entirety of half a second before he was vaulting himself up and towards the Cruiser. His leg hurt; but he couldn't have cared less—he had a space ship to hop into. Zim was chuckling at his enthusiasm as he trailed behind him. Dib was scrambling inside and bouncing in his seat before Zim had even grabbed the side of the hull.

Zim closed the window, booting the Cruiser up and hovering it over to the opening before lifting it out and into the sky. He raised the Cruiser straight up until he was sure they were high enough that no one would be able to make them out. He coasted over the town, moving towards the amassment of lights that made up the city. Dib was pressed against the glass, looking over the town.

"I've never seen it with a birds' eye view before. Dad never takes us on vacation, so I've never been in a plane to see it," Dib was explaining. He coo-ed once they passed the park and he saw the sprawling nature below them.

Once they'd started to enter the city space even Zim had to admit it reminded him of the odd and specific beauty of Irken cities. The lights and the shapes and metal and glass reflections were their own brand of beauty that Zim couldn't quite explain. He doubted that Dib could, either.

"This is awesome."

"Zim thought you might like it."

Dib scoured his eyes over the city, taking in every detail. He flipped to the opposite side of the Cruiser as they passed the bridge. Zim was content to fly him over the city, banking and turning to get every inch into his line of sight. Eventually Dib sat back as they started to enter the country side, where the darkness of the night meant he couldn't see much.

"Hey…"

"Hm?"

"Can we, um… see planets again?" Dib asked. Zim smirked.

"Does Dib wish to see the ones he had not been able to before?"

"Mercury and Venus," Dib confirmed eagerly.

Zim pulled up, flying through the atmosphere. "Computer. Set a course for Venus."

Dib watched as the on-board navigation calculated their course. Zim banked to the side, drawing them up in line with the trajectory. The atmosphere faded away to the expanse of stars. Dib was content to look out at the unfiltered universe when he caught Venus in his peripheral.

The smaller planet was oddly rust colored over its landscape. Dib made a note of mentioning the trend of reds to his father before dismissing it. He'd be safer telling Gaz. If she'd care. Dib couldn't imagine she wouldn't want to come with him in the Cruiser one day. If Zim would allow it. Dib would have to ask him later. Meanwhile, he looked out over the planet's surface. He spotted something curiously white on the south cap and started to laugh. Zim looked at him curiously as they passed by.

"What?"

"Venus has ice! It has a polar ice cap in its south!" Dib explained. Zim failed to see how that was amusing, but left Dib to it. Mercury was coming up next to them within the hour. Dib tore his eyes away from Venus and looked back forward to the last planet. It was difficult to see it with the sun so close in view. Zim flipped a switch, a darker layer of the Cruiser's glass sliding down over the clear pane. It blocked out the sunlight effectively. Dib turned his attention back to the planet. It was… grey? That couldn't be right. Every image he'd seen of the planet was colored.

"Why is it grey?"

"What do you mean?"

"Mercury. It's grey. It's supposed to be red, isn't it?"

Zim laughed. He set the ship to float in the empty space and slipped beside Dib to look over the planet. Dib watched him, not noticing any difference in the Irken as he observed the planet. He didn't pull out any devices or squint in his eyes. Dib did notice something shift in Zim's eyes. He couldn't decide what it was. It was as if something within the gelatinous make up moved or adjusted and suddenly Zim was nodding.

"Zim sees the issue." He said, taking up his spot in the pilot's seat again. "Dib-stink, humans cannot naturally see in infrared, no?"

"No…"

"That is your issue. The planet is red when seen with infrared vision." Zim explained.

"Oh. Wait, how did you know that?" Dib asked, forgoing the planet for now. It wasn't going to move.

"Irken eyes. I can switch vision modes. It's like pulling on a small muscle and Zim's vision will shift. The planet is red in infrared, as Dib mentioned it. Humans must have been using images of that nature to see the planet. Zim suspects that is why Dib would assume it was red."

"Well, yeah. That's cool! You can just shift vision modes… that's interesting. Is it like switching modes on a camera?"

"It is… similar, Zim would say." Zim explained. "If one could switch the modes with their own brain and muscle structure rather than use of their digits."

"That's one way to put it."

The Voot Cruiser skirted the outer atmosphere of Earth. Zim was scanning the horizon for the right continent. Zim wondered if they looked like a shooting star to the humans below them. He watched the ocean give way to beach, then fields, valleys, forests, cities and towns scattered within the landscapes, and finally their own home coming in from the horizon. The Voot slowed down considerably. Zim had kept them out for almost an entire day. It was unintentional, he'd planned to bring Dib home hours before. When they'd neared the planet, however, Zim had slowed so Dib could look at the moon as it orbited the planet. He'd fallen asleep in the Cruiser when they hit the atmosphere.

He hovered over his base for only a moment until the top opened and he could lower them into the hatch. It slid closed above them, a dull thrum accompanying it. Zim unlocked the front, the glass sliding away. He looked idly at Dib, who was still unconscious. Zim perked his antennae. He couldn't hear Gir. Either the robot was out at a rave or he was under the ground level of the base. Zim didn't particularly care if it meant silence.

His metal limbs slid out of his PAK, hoisting him up and out of the Cruiser. He lowered himself down into the cabin of the Cruiser, scooping Dib up in his arms. As he carried him down to the living room Zim was surprised to find how light Dib was. He knew the boy wasn't very muscular, compared to the football jocks, but he'd expected a little more weight with how Dib had grown over the years fighting with him. Zim made a mental note to get Dib on a work out routine. He will not have his only friend—who wasn't a robot—getting mugged when he was alone because of his small frame. Zim laid him on the couch. He could be sleeping until the sun rose, for all the Irken knew.

Zim thought for a moment in the silence before his PAK produced a small hand held device he was sure Dib would just call a 'tablet'; regardless that it was the Irken equivalent. This outing was something to document. He could occupy his time until Dib woke up this way.

He was almost finished when he heard something break and Gir's loud screech from the lab. Zim's antennae fell limp as he sighed.