Revenge
Waking to the familiar scent of bacon, Dib rolled over on the couch. With a heavy yawn he sat up to stretch out his muscles. "Man I hope Dad's making his special holiday breakfast again." He inhaled deeply to allow the sizzling aroma to fill his nostrils.
Looking around the room, he was a little surprise to still find Zim's robot companion still sitting in front of him. The little robot was in his dog suit and had the tv remote in hand flipping through channels.
Still exhausted from the previous night, the boy slid off the couch and groggily dragged himself to the nearby bathroom. After brushing his teeth and taking care of other morning duties, he made his way back to the the kitchen.
"Ah, good morning son!" he greeted in his usual professional manner. "I hope you're hungry enough for our annual holiday family breakfast."
Dib let out another heavy yawn and took his seat at the table. "Sure Dad. What are we having?"
The professor strolled over and proudly placed a full plate of food on the table in front of him. "My special homemade pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs, ham, and bacon."
Dib's mouth watered at the plethora of food laid out before him. "Wow thanks Dad! You almost never have time to make us breakfast in person before leaving for work." Choosing to try the bacon first, he picked up a crispy slice and dug his teeth into it.
The professor smiled. "Well, usually I have Foodio 3000 whip us up a batch, but he's been malfunctioning ever since I uploaded that new omelet program into his software program. But thanks to the help from your little friend there, I was able to finally get him repaired."
He held out a hand towards Zim who was preoccupied with frying some pancake batter in the waffle maker. Dib instantly spat out the bacon. "Dad, he's the enemy! You can't just trust him to cook for us!"
The professor waved his index finger back and forth. "Now now son, there's no need to be rude to your guest." A beeping sound on his wrist caught his attention. He checked his watch. "Ah. That must be the lab," he said, clicking away the notification. "Looks like they need me to analyze some unstable reactions before they get out of hand. You three go ahead and enjoy breakfast. I should be back in a little while."
Gaz, who was sitting silently at the table, frowned. "But it's Christmas," she complained sorely, tearing her attention from her Game Slave.
The professor chuckled and bent down to rest a hand on his daughter's head. "Not to worry honey. I should be back before noon. After all, good science doesn't wait!"
Dib watched his father exit the kitchen, then turned his attention towards the Irken. "Don't think I'm not on to you space boy," he warned, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Zim turned around to face his rival while removing his freshly made waffles. "What are you talking about Earth stink?"
"You think I'm stupid enough to fall for your tricks?" the boy questioned, pointing a finger in his direction. "You put something in the food didn't you?"
"I did no such thing!" Zim shouted back, resting his hands on his hips. He cast an arm toward Gaz. "Just take a look at your angry sibling there. She's eaten plenty and is still appears perfectly normal!"
Dib shot a look at Gaz. Sure enough, she was rapidly shoveling scrambled eggs into her mouth while clicking away on her Game Slave. She looked perfectly fine.
"Well, you still could have at least done something to mine," he muttered skeptically.
Zim frowned. "Nonsense! What strategical value would I gain from tampering with your food?"
"Uh gee, I don't know Zim. Poisoning me and then running free to take over the world? Just a guess."
Zim eyed at him blankly for a moment. "Oh, yes that. Well I guess there IS that." He chuckled sheepishly. "But in all seriousness, it seems I have lost interest in destroying your puny planet for the time being Dib-worm. At least until I can finally get back to my base and formulate a new master plan."
Dib raised an eyebrow. "You know what Zim? I am starting to think you don't even HAVE a master plan. It's been months now and other than that pathetic attempt yesterday with the cannon, you've done nothing but sit in your base and watch TV."
"Lies!" Zim shouted back in denial. "Nothing but filthy, dirty lies! You DARE accuse the great invader ZIM of such mediocrity?" He clashed his stack of waffles down on the table on front of him and pointed his fork at the human. "Just you wait and see Dib. I will come up with a new plan so great and so massively evil that you will soon realize just how wrong you really are. All I have to do is- huh?
Catching wind of the buttery scent, Gir was at his master's side in seconds. Zim looked down at his robot apprehensively, knowing what was going through the SIR unit's mind. Before he could lunge in to stop him, Gir hopped up onto the table with a delighted squeal and proceeded to rapidly scarf down the entire plate of maple-covered goodness.
Once gorged to satisfaction, the robot let out an obnoxious belch and with a happy, high pitched giggle, childishly dashed back into the living room to continue watching TV.
Zim's head and torso covered in waffle chunks and syrup, he growled in frustration. "GIR!"
Dib eyed over the Irken intrigued. "Huh. Since when did you start eating human food?" he asked casually.
"None of your business pig meat!" Zim shouted back, slamming his fists on the table. He was still angry his precious waffles had been stolen from him.
Unfazed by the insult, Dib continued to study his rival. In the last few weeks, he had grown more suspicious of Zim's behavior. Under normal circumstances, the Irken would stop at nothing to destroy his arch enemy. He had once hid in a toilet for several months just to trick him into thinking he had given up. But as far as Dib could tell, Zim hadn't bothered formulating any new plans in weeks. Ever since the end of the science fair, he had done absolutely nothing productive at all.
The young paranormal investigator stared down at the plate of food in front of him. Stomach growling, he decided to go ahead and try another bite. Applying pressure with his fork, he separated a portion of the pancakes and scooped it up to his mouth. Chewing carefully, he tried to detect any unusual flavors or irregularities. But to his astonishment, it tasted perfectly fine.
Sensing it was safe to finish his meal, he began shoveling whole fork loads into his mouth. The food was quite tasty, and even though they had snacked the night before, he was still very hungry. "So if you weren't trying to poison me," he asked between bites, "what WERE you doing cooking with my dad?"
As if he were about to recite a lecture, Zim straightened his posture. "If you must know, Earth-stink, I was evaluating recipes for what you filthy apes refer to as breakfast foods. I have found waffles to be quite enjoyable and not EVERYTHING on this miserable planet has been solely miserable. Except for that HORRIBLE food in the school cafeteria. That was disguising."
Dib let out a mild chuckle. "Well, to be fair, even most humans can't stomach that stuff."
"It's repulsive! Even the vile swill they give to Vortion prisoners is more bearable than that filth!"
Dib paused a moment. "Hey, I remember reading something about planet Vort. Isn't it like a military prison or something?"
Zim, trying his best to wipe away the sticky chunks of leftovers from his uniform, briefly explained. "Yes, yes. It's an Irken military prison. One of the first planets to be conquered by the Empire and where most of our advanced weaponry is researched and engineered."
Dib gave a puzzled look. "So, you're species enslaved a whole race to build and design all of your most important and valuable technology? Doesn't that seem like a bad idea? I mean, what if they install back doors in your operating systems. You know, codes that only THEY know how to override?"
Zim stared back at him with a cold glare. "Foolish, naive, dirt-child! Machinery engineered on Vort is examined and overseen by top Irken engineers. Absolutely nothing can go wrong!"
Dib raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What about the time you stole the blueprints of your leaders' ship just to bring it to Earth and land it on my head?"
Zim felt his pulse quicken. "Yes, well. That was different. Something else entirely." Suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the discussion, he set his unused fork down and drummed his claws across the table. "Well Dib, it has been an interesting fourteen hours, but Gir and I have much work to do and will be going now."
Dib watched as he stood up from the table. "You're leaving?" he asked, his tone sounding a bit more disappointed than he intended. "But what about the snow pack outside?"
Zim made his way to the front door. "I assisted your parental guardian in clearing the path hours ago. Now that the storm has passed, I longer see no reason to reside here."
He was just about to reach for the knob when Dib stopped him. "Wait. Hang on!"
Zim paused and turned back around. "What is it now human?"
Dib quickly dashed over to where the Christmas tree was set up and started digging through the overly festive pile. Grabbing a small, but neatly wrapped package, he climbed out and brought it over to him. "Here."
Zim studied it suspiciously. "What's this?"
"It's called a gift genius. It's what you're supposed to do on Christmas day. I was going to give this one to my Dad, but he probably wouldn't find much use for it anyway."
With a puzzled expression, Zim took the package and ripped away the decorative wrapping. Left with only a brown box, he carefully opened up the lid.
His eyes grew wide. Inside was none other than his precious, robotic bee.
Speechless, he let the empty box fall to the ground and stared at the gift in his claws. "I...I don't understand," he muttered, a strange, foreign emotion stirring within him.
Dib shrugged. "I found it in Tak's ship while making repairs. You said you wanted to learn more about human traditions so...this is what today is all about."
Zim shifted his focus up and down around the bee. Deep down he felt the gurgling urge to thank the human, but his pride kept it suppressed. Besides, it's doubtful the pitiful meat creature even knew it belonged to me in the first place, he thought privately. Shoving the robot bee in his PAK, he straightened his posture. "Well I must admit human, staying here wasn't AS terrible as I had anticipated. But make no mistake Dib. This changes nothing. Once I return to my base, I am going to come up with a plan to destroy you AND the Earth once and for all. You can count on your ultimate demise at the hands of Zim!"
"Whatever," Dib mumbled, gambling on it being just another empty threat. "Hopefully you can make it home without getting caught in another snow storm this time."
Insulted by the human's sarcastic remark, Zim shot him a contemptuous look. "Come Gir! It's time we go home!"
Obeying the command, Gir hopped down from the couch and eagerly sprinted over to his master's side. Without another word, Zim turned on his heel and proudly marched away from the Membrane residence.
Dib watched until they were well out of sight before shutting the door behind them. He wasn't sure why he had chosen to offer Zim the gift, but for some reason, it seemed like the right thing to do. Other than his own family, he had never given anything to anyone else before. He didn't have any real friends of his own, and his peers weren't exactly lining up to exchange presents with him. In a weird way, it felt kind of gratifying to spend the holiday with someone else, even if it was a destructive alien hell-bent on taking over the world.
Coming to his senses, he shook his head. What am I thinking? For all I know, Zim used the whole night to learn more about my family and exploit my house for weaknesses. He brought a hand to his chin. But then again, he had been given the perfect opportunity to poison us and didn't take it. That HAD been weird. And what was the deal with him destroying his own base? I never DID get a straight answer about that.
As Dib thoughts ventured deeper, he came to the conclusion that even if Zim truly had given up for the time being, it didn't change the fact that he was still an alien. It was clear he was loyal to his own kind, and that in itself was enough to remind him he needed to remain diligent.
Dismissing the conflicting thoughts from his mind, he left the entryway and went back to the comfort of the couch to enjoy the rest of the morning. The bizarre turn of events were too overwhelming to think about, and he was still far too exhausted to dwell on it any longer. Picking up the remote, he switched the tv over to the paranormal channel and dozed off while the sound of the narrator's voice gravelly lulled him to sleep.
Feeling equally conflicted about the previous night's events, Zim marched back home with Gir at his side. He knew he shouldn't be feeling the way he did, but he had actually enjoyed spending time with his so-called enemy. For the first time in his life, he had experienced a sense of acceptance and belonging, something that as an invader he had been conditioned to go without for so long. After all, it wasn't wise for potential conquerors to befriend the very people they were trying to overthrow. Mixed emotions only complicated everything and made taking over a planet a whole lot more difficult.
He reached the front yard and commanded Gir to clear a path through the freshly piled snow that collected in his doorway. Obeying his master, Gir fired up his jets and sliced an opening through to the front door. Unfortunately the robot miscalculated the amount of thrust needed and slammed into it head-first before falling to the ground with a metallic thud.
"Good work Gir." Zim strolled past his minion and cleared the rest of the way with his boots before opening the door to step inside. Unaware of the potential danger below, he marched toward the elevator and traveled down to the main part of his base. When he reached the lab, he entered through the the parting double doors and approached a large, egg-shaped machine attached to a nearby wall. Stepping onto the designated platform, two large oval shaped spheres sprung to life and with a faint hissing sound, automatically enclosed around him in a maroon, oval-shaped shell. A few seconds later, the two halves separated and he casually stepped off the platform.
His uniform now cleaned and dried, he approached one of the work stations. "Gir. Come here! It's time we perform your regular upgrades!"
He waited for his minion to dash over at his command, but nothing happened. Annoyed, Zim asked again. "Gir! Come here now!"
There was still no response.
Growling, Zim pushed away from the station and stood up, angrily marching to locate his minion. It wasn't the first time his SIR unit had defied him. Often times the little robot just wanted attention or to play a game of hide and seek. Unfortunately, Zim was in no mood for games.
"Computer! Lock onto Gir's homing signature and guide me to his location."
The computer's voice responded. "SIR unit's signature located."
"You here that Gir!?" Zim shouted to the ceiling. "You better come out before I find you. Or you'll lose today's TV privileges."
He waited to see if the little robot revealed itself from its hiding place. Usually the threat was enough to persuade the eccentric robot to listen. But hearing nothing but silence, Zim impatiently pulled out a small tracking device from his PAK.
It was roughly the size of a human cellular device, but more oval shaped and had two pointy ends tapering toward each other on the bottom. Gir's location appeared as a beeping dot on the radar screen. He walked in the direction of his lost henchman.
"Seriously Gir. Now's not the time for games. Where are you!?"
The tracker led him out of the lab and into a large, maroon hallway. He stopped in the middle of the narrow metallic platform. "That's strange," he muttered, examining the tracking device. "Based on these readings, Gir should be right here."
Suddenly, the tiny robot's body plunged from the ceiling. Zim recoiled as it landed directly in front of him with a thud.
"Ah! There you are Gir!" he called out, approaching the Sir unit. "Now enough your games! We need to get back you to the lab and work on your upgrades."
Gir did not move. With an agitated expression, Zim took a step closer. "Gir?"
He turned his minion over, only to find the cyan blue that usually filled his eyes replaced with a lifeless grey. Zim huffed in annoyance. "Broken again. How many times do I have to tell you not to jump head first from the ceiling? Now I'll have to spend all afternoon fixing YOU on top of installing the new additional upgrades for the base." He bent down to collect the robot in his arms, but froze when he heard a metallic clattering sound above him.
An intruder? Here? But who-?
Before he could look up, a small turquoise burst from a plasma weapon hurled down from the ceiling and struck his right shoulder. The substance knocked him back. It began tearing away at his flesh after eating away through his uniform.
Groaning in pain, he frantically looked up to pinpoint where the burst had come from. "Computer! Locate the intruder and activate the base's defenses!"
A few seconds passed before a discouraged series of beeps was heard. "Intruder not found. No threat detected."
"NO THREAT!? How is that even possible!?"
Suddenly, another plasma burst whizzed passed his head. With no time to evaluate, he decided to make a run for it.
As expected, the enemy fired down on him in his attempt to escape. Dodging multiple plasma bursts, he sprinted toward the exit, but was forced to skid to a halt when the security door unexpectedly slammed shut in front of him.
"Hey what is this!? Computer! Open the door!"
"Manual override in effect."
"MANUAL OVERRIDE? I AM YOUR MASTER! Open this door at once! I command you!"
The door didn't budge. Pushing from the center, he did his best to pry it open with his claws. His shoulder screamed at him, but it was no use. The door was bolted shut.
Hearing a dark, feminine laugh behind him, he wheeled around to face his attacker. "Who dares infiltrate the base of ZIM! Show yourself!"
He did his best to conceal the growing uneasiness in his voice, and was immediately answered with another plasma blast. This time, the substance made contact with the main part of his arm. Wincing from the excruciating pain, he instinctively brought his hand to cover the area. He opened one eye to assess the damage. It wasn't good. His right arm was now completely useless, and if he didn't treat the injuries soon, some of the nerve damage may even become permanent.
He glanced up through the searing pain and noticed a green and purple figure graciously swoop down from the overhead ceiling. A menacing set of spider legs shot out and forcefully pinned him against the door. He recognized her immediately.
"Tak!" He spat her name in disgust, wrestling to get her off of him. "I should have known. Only another Irken could have managed to sneak through my defenses."
She glared at him bitterly. "Your defenses? Your base is a joke Zim. You should have never made our kind unrecognizable to your own security systems. Only a fool like you would leave such a large gap in your own security systems."
"My only mistake was letting you get away the last time we crossed paths," Zim responded callously. "So what is it this time Tak? Are you here to try and steal my mission away again? You know I'll just stop you like I did last time."
Tak's eyes narrowed in response. "Your mission? No Zim. I know that the Tallest stripped you of your rank and revealed the truth to you about your so-called mission. You were exiled here and left to rot on this nasty rock. I couldn't care less about stealing it away from you."
Zim eyed the female skeptically. "Then why come here?"
Tak closed in on him darkly. "The Tallest sent me to ensure you never set foot off this miserable planet again. Getting an opportunity to extract my revenge on you is just an added bonus."
Zim narrowed his eyes in disgust. "The Tallest would never do that," he blurt out smugly. "Besides, I thought you said your mission wasn't about revenge."
Tak's expression hardened and she stiffened one of her spider legs above him. Before he could say anything further, she shot it through his leg.
Zim yelped in pain as the metallic spike dug into his delicate flesh. He struggled to break free, but her grip on him was too secure. "Get away from me! You'll regret hurting the likes of ZIM!"
"Oh, I highly doubt that." Enjoying the agony she was inflicting on him, she retracted the spider leg and stabbed him a second time. This time through the midsection.
His eyes went wide and he began to cough up blood. Shaking from the pain, he gripped his claws around the metallic appendage and struggled to pull it free.
Tak smiled darkly as she watched him squirm weakly under her grip. "You should have given up Zim," she hissed, her voice thickly laced with her accent. "Originally, I DID only want your mission and to have you discover what it felt like to have everything stolen away from you. But instead you made things worse. And now, you are going to repay me with what I so rightfully deserved to be...by SURRENDERING YOUR LIFE."
"But I didn't..." Zim managed to sputter, but found he could barely talk without choking on his own blood. "Wasn't...my fault."
"Wasn't your fault?" Insulted, Tak moved the plasma gun and aimed it directly at the open wound on his right leg. "It was ALL your fault! You RUINED MY LIFE!"
With the last word, she fired the weapon directly into the wound. Zim screamed in agony and the acidic blast fused with the open flesh of his newly created exposure. The pain was almost unbearable. Like a thousand flaming knives, it felt like something was piercing the inside of his body.
He gritted his teeth to withstand the pain, but wasn't sure how much more he could take. He could already feel his PAK kicking in to prevent the loss of blood. if this kept up, he would be dead within the hour.
Tak lifted her weapon a third time and was just about to fire another round into his chest when suddenly something collided with her skull.
"GET AWAY FROM MA MASTER YOU MEAN OLD LADY!"
Gir flew in from the side of her head and latched onto Tak's antennae. She screeched in agony as the little robot yanked on the sensitive extensions. It caused her to release her grip, giving Zim the opportunity to grab her plasma rifle from her grasp. He fired the last few remaining rounds into her chest, causing her to immediately recoil as the burning sensation began to eat away at her flesh.
Zim winced as the metallic extensions from her PAK were yanked free from his body. Using the remainder of his strength to stand, he pushed himself up and with the help of his own metallic legs, blasted an escape route through the jammed door behind him.
Struggling against his injuries, Zim sprinted as fast he could toward the elevators and took the express route straight to the upper level. He emerged from the incongruous toilet in his kitchen and climbed down from the porcelain bowl, limping as best he could to the front door. He was almost there when he heard Tak step off of the elevator behind him.
She a scowled at him furiously.
With a yelp, he thrust open the door and wheeled around to dash outside. Slapping on his contacts and wig, he did his best to increase his distance, but the gap between them was closing in fast. Now that he was out in the open, he could no longer use his spider legs, and with his injuries slowing him down, she was sure to catch him in minutes.
Panic settling in, he struggled to pick up the pace, but his breathing had become heavy and labored. The loss of blood was catching up with him, and he began to feel his strength draining rapidly.
He stopped and hunched over to catch his breath, but it was pointless. He would never be able to outrun her. She had him cornered and he would need to find an alternative solution, and fast.
Suddenly, he flinched when a small drop of liquid landed on his forehead.
He looked up. Rain?
Curious, he studied the gloomy, overcast sky. The clouds were ominous and dark, and weighed heavily with impending saturation.
He smirked. Perfect.
Hearing a clash of thunder, Zim watched in confidence as a heavy downpour dumped around them. Within seconds, he was soaked to the bone, but his protective layer of paste kept the icy layer from penetrating his flesh.
Off in the distance, Tak stopped in her pursuit. She seemed puzzled by the odd sensation and held out her hand to analyze the strange phenomenon. As the first couple of rain drops made contact with her skin, she felt only a slight sting.
She glanced up at him, her face twisting into a smirk. That was it? That was his brilliant plan to stop her? What a pathetic excuse for a hindrance.
Taking a few steps forward, she felt the raindrops getting worse. The burning sensation begin to pick up, and within a few seconds, she found herself curled and collapsed on the ground.
Fighting the searing pain, she screamed and flailed about. "What is this?!" she shouted, the water gradually seeping into her skin. The sensitivity almost unbearable. "W-what is happening?"
She looked up at Zim who appeared completely untouched.
W-what?! How is this possible?!
He glared back at her with a toothy grin, his smile creeping out of a place of sheer arrogance. "Poor innocent Tak," he conned, approaching her smugly. "You weren't aware of the danger the Earth's weather patterns presented to us were you? A shame you had to find out under such unfortunate circumstances."
She squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth in response. I don't understand, she struggled while trying to concentrate on anything but the pain. Why isn't he also suffering? Why isn't it affecting him the same way it is me?
Confused, she glanced down at her body, afraid to see what the horrible liquid had done to her skin. Everything was already blistering with rapid agitation, and her disguise had long since flickered away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable in the center of a public street.
As the droplets continued to bombard her, she noticed her breathing becoming increasingly more difficult. She made an effort to stand, but her limbs were unresponsive. It was clear her PAK was diverting all its energy just to keeping her alive, and with no end to the storm in sight, the damages would only get worse.
Zim watched her struggle with his trademark smirk. "Ha! Foolish Tak!" he shouted, towering over her proudly. "Once again you have proven my superiority by being defeated at the hands of ZIM! Only someone as ingenious as me could have come up with such a brilliant solution to counter Earth's pitiful weather patterns. You know, being trained as an invader and all. What a sad and pathetic end for you."
Tak clenched her teeth trying to endure the pain. She wanted nothing more than to tighten her claws around his flimsy little neck and rip his arrogant throat out, but the harsh sleet continued to bombard her. It dug into her flesh like violent acid and with every last drop, drained her strength little by little. She could only glare at him weakly while the hammering liquid continued to beat down upon her body.
Sensing her various systems beginning to fail, she felt her body tremble from the extreme cold. Her emotions began to change. How could he beat me again? Him? An overconfident, egotistical moron! Her PAK started emitting various sparks as the water gradually leaked into its components, and her arms twitched as the system tried its best to keep her alive.
Sadness overtaking her, she shut her eyes tight. So this is it, she thought miserably, still struggling against the excruciating rain. I am really going to die here at the hands of the universe's biggest idiot. She tilted her head to look up at him. His vengeful expression still stared down, mocking her.
She felt tears form in the corner of her eye and looked away. She did not want to die yet. Not like this. She had worked so hard in life only to have everything taken away and thrown back in her face. All she had ever wanted was to prove to the Tallest how valuable her skills were. To show her leaders her true potential. Had that really been too much to ask?
Defeated and exhausted from fighting against the pain, her eyelids began to grow heavy. Feeling the life slowly drain from her, she rested her head back down onto the pavement. It shouldn't be long now, she wept as the droplets continued to bounce around her. She wasn't sure if she could even feel them anymore. The sadness began to overtake her as the reality of the situation began to sink in. I didn't want this. I just wanted...I just wish...
The sound from the world around her slowly faded away until the only thing left was the fleeting thump from her weakening pulse. Then finally, with one final exhale, she surrendered to the impending darkness.
Zim stared at the now lifeless body on the ground before him. He wanted to crack a smile, but for some reason his facial expression remained rigid. He didn't understand it. Se should feel happy about the situation, but something about the scenario wasn't quite right.
He took a moment to glance over his injuries, noticing how much damage she had actually done. He knew he should have been grateful for her demise. She had very nearly killed him, and would certainly still try to do so if allowed a second chance. He tried to convince himself that her death had been justified, that he had every reason to walk away.
She tried to kill me! She got what she deserved. Only a fool would be careless enough to feel sorry for her.
He folded his arms and ignored the gnawing feeling digging at his core.
This is all her fault. Zim did nothing wrong! I was defending myself!
Stealing a glance at her withering body, he felt guilt overriding him. He squeezed his fists, hoping the desire to help her would fade away. But the sensation only grew stronger.
He glanced down at her lifeless body, the scent of burning flesh crudely invading his senses. If it had been a human or anyone else, it would have been easy to turn his back on them. But Tak was one of his own. He knew what it felt like to get caught trapped in the rain, and despite everything that she had done in the last few hours, he wasn't sure if he had the right to watch her die.
Sighing heavily, he knelt down to examine the severity of her wounds. The plasma bursts had eaten away deep into the layers of her skin, and the distinct popping of organic tissue could be heard as the chemical toxicity reacting against the charred tissue.
He rested a gloved finger on her neck, checking for a pulse. His eyes widened.
She was still alive!
Without dwelling on it further, he carefully scooped her up, doing his best to position her onto his back without worsening his own injuries. The dead weight caused his muscles to scream at him, but he ignored them. Pushing himself up, he did his best to maintain his balance. Then, using the cover of the storm and his two spider legs for support, he slowly, and very painfully, carried her back to his base.
Author's note: So Zim's conscious finally got the better of him. Perhaps he really has spent too much time around humans after all. Sorry if this chapter seemed rather brutal or depressing for some. I just wanted the interactions to seem real in the eyes of the characters. And yes, I know in the Christmas special they mention that the santa suit returns every year to attack Earth, but I felt like that ending was similar to the time they ended up as bologna or when Zim's ship was programmed to fly into the sun. I think it was just a joke way for the writers to wrap up their episode and we are all just supposed to forget about it. Stay tuned for the next chapter!
