Realization
Dib gazed up at the titanic spectacle in awe. The building was massive. Like a wide, cylindrical cement tube, it rose from the base of the sea to the top of the main laboratory. Toward its end, the design tapered off bluntly, giving way to the main operating level where busy engineers scurried about.
"Wow! This thing is enormous!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms wide apart for emphasis. "But I don't understand. Dad said they wouldn't be starting construction until next week. This looks nearly complete."
Zim, who was standing next to the boy, shrugged in indifference. "Eh, who knows with you filthy Earth creatures. At the rate you construct things, it's astonishing anything gets accomplished."
Dib's expression wrinkled at the remark. He was about to reply with a snappy comeback, but their conversation was cut short when a large, muscular security guard stepped between them.
"You're the professor's son right?" the large man asked. He was dressed in a tight, black shirt and rugged pair of jeans.
Dib looked up at him uneasily. "Uh, yes?"
"Please follow me."
The two of them were brought backstage of an arena where a vast audience had gathered. Dib peered through the thick curtain out of curiousity. His eyes widened.
There were easily over a thousand people in the stands. Some were seated toward the back on basic bleachers, while others were gathered around on more comfortable seats in the front. Not only were news reporters present, but a majority appeared to be regular civilians, some of which even touted special "Professor Membrane" hats and other kinds of merch from his popular tv show.
The security guard who was leading them stopped and turned to instruct them. "The professor will be here to greet you shortly," he explained, standing in front of them. "In the meantime, please do not touch anything."
"What happens if we do touch anything?" asked Zim arrogantly.
The security guard bent down. "You'll have me to answer to," he said dauntingly.
Zim puffed out his chest. "Zim fears you not, you bulbous Earth beast! Let's see what you got. Prepare to be defeated by the hands of Zim!"
Saying nothing and not intimidated in the slightest, the huge security guard simply pulled out a small hand taser. In one smooth motion, he jabbed it into the side of the Irken's neck.
Zim immediately fell to the ground, t shock of electricity surging through him. Before he knew it, he was twitching face-first on the loose gravel.
Dib snickered quietly at the Irken's stupidity. Then he peaked through the curtain again to take a look at the audience.
He had to admit, the thought of exposing the Irken HAD crossed the boy's mind. After all, with all the reporters and cameras around, this would be the perfect time to prove his sanity and show his father that the paranormal wasn't just a complete waste of time.
He glanced over at Zim. Contemplating the idea. Unfortunately, there was a problem.
Unlike when they first met, defeating Zim now came with its own set of consequences. He would be expected to turn over Tak's ship, along with all the potential adventures he could have exploring the universe. He had seen things no other human had ever seen and experienced technologies most other people couldn't even begin to fathom. If he exposed Zim now, he would no longer have the opportunity to learn more about the Irken race. All the wondrous tech he had been granted the privilege of toying with would be gone, or taken away far out of his reach. And most importantly, he would be dooming the only individual who had ever bothered spending any significant amount of time with him.
Suddenly, the sound of his father's voice shook him from the disturbing thoughts. "Why, hello son." He stood erect and had his hands held elegantly behind his back. "Glad to see you two were able to make it."
"Oh, hey Dad." Letting go of the curtain, Dib allowed it to fall neatly back into place. "So what is all this anyway? I thought you said you weren't starting construction until the beginning of the New Year."
The professor chuckled warmly. "I'm glad you asked! You see son, I was so thrilled to hear you were finally taking an interest in REAL science that I secretly started this project months ago. I was hoping to present it to you as a gift for all the hard work you've done. But I decided I just couldn't wait!"
"You-you were?" Dib stuttered, unsure how to respond.
The professor nodded and knelt down to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I knew one day you would abandon those INSANE theories and other whimsical nonsense to turn your attention to REAL science! This desalinization plant was very impressive accomplishment for someone your age, and as the future of Membrane industries, I have no doubt that you'll go on to produce even more wonderful ideas like it!"
Dib cringed a little while trying his best to show his appreciation. "Uh thanks Dad. I uh...don't know what to say."
The professor smiled and just pat him on the back. "Just keep up the good work son!" Giving a classic thumbs up, he rose from his kneeling position. "Oh, and that reminds me. I was hoping the two of you would join me on stage soon to unveil the news to the public. It's only fair that you get to stand up there with me. It was your invention after all. "
Dib's ears perked up a little at the thought of standing on stage next to his father. "Really?! You want us up there with you?"
Suddenly, the announcer from the overhead speaker echoed throughout the area. "AND NOW, put your hands together for the man who brought you SUPERTOAST and the everlasting INVISOCREAM. The one, the only, PROFESSOR MEMBRANE!"
"Well that's my cue," the professor replied. He turned his around toward the security guard. "Send them up once I give the announcement."
Acknowledging the professor's request, the guard nodded.
The audience erupted into an epic collection of loud cheers and whistles as the world famous scientist comfortably took his place on stage. Lifting a hand up, he briefly greeted his fans before waiting for the crowd to settle down.
"Thank you all for coming. As you know, our planet is on the verge of a population crisis and is being strained for its limited resources as we speak. The most valuable thing being of course, water."
There were another series of cheers before he spoke again.
"Our goal was to construct a more efficient system to grant access to freshwater while generating as little waste as possible. So, as of today, I am excited to reveal to you a brand new desalinization plant design that has successfully accomplished that."
More cheers followed and a rapid series of cameras flashed on and off. A couple of reporters pushed their way forward, doing their best to shove their microphones closer to the stage.
"Could you tell us a bit more about the new invention Professor?"
"Will this increase the access of drinkable water for everyone?"
"When will the plant be fully operational?"
"Is it true that there's a secret donut room hidden somewhere underneath the labs?"
The professor placed his hands together as he often did when explaining things. "Combined with our new Marc-Four processing technology, the plant is completely solar powered. The saltwater is pumped directly from the ocean through the main central pipe and from there, is sent to the processing chamber. The salt is separated and packaged for further storage and consumption. Construction of the project is nearly complete and everything should be fully operational within a few more weeks."
One lengthy female reporter in a trendy business suit shot her microphone in the air. "What inspired you to come up with such a revolutionary design Professor?"
Membrane smiled. "Ah, I'm glad you asked that. Well, you it may interest you to know, I was actually not the one who came up with it."
There was a unanimous gasp followed by a series of scattered murmurs. Behind the curtain, the security guard mumbled a few words into a walkie-talkie.
Professor Membrane held an arm out in the direction of the curtain. "I would like to introduce you all to my son, Dib, who along with his fellow classmate came up with this successful prototype for their school science fair project. It is my honor to relay all credit to them for the idea and them alone."
The two rivals were pushed forward and the audience exploded in applause as they set foot to join Prof. Membrane on stage. Dib waved back awkwardly, forcing a smile as he looked out at the many faces cheering him on. Never before had he felt so welcomed and yet, so out of place. The feeling was strange to him. He had always imagined crowds cheering for him, but under much different circumstances. He wasn't even sure if he fully deserved it.
Zim, on the other hand, soaked in every moment. He waved his hands charismatically as if it were competently natural. "Thank you! Thank you! Yes, it is amazing isn't it? But of course it is. It was made by ZIM!"
The reporters quickly bombarded them with new questions.
"Can we expect the same great accomplishments from you in the future Dib?"
"It it true that you're really Dr. Membrane's son?"
"How did the two of you come up with such a brilliant idea?"
Sensing the crowd was getting a little too riled, Professor Membrane stepped forward. "Now now, let's not get too excited. They're only kids after all." He stood up, placing his hands together one more time. "Well that is all the time we have for today. I hope you enjoyed the presentation. Thank you all for coming."
After guided the two of them offstage and behind the curtain, he turned around to congratulate them. "Excellent job you two. You really know how to handle a crowd." He then faced Dib. "And a personal congratulations to you too son. I always knew the day would come when you decided to join me on my everlasting quiet for SCIENCE! Here, I got this for you."
He held out a small, but sturdy laminated card key.
"But Dad, this is... You're granting me access to your lab?"
"It's just to the basic amenities," added the Professor. "But I think you're finally ready. And it IS about time I introduced you to my work. Please, come with me this way."
He led the boys through a security gate and on to the main doors of the lab. They were followed by a team of highly equipped specialized personal. The body guards walked beside them with stoic diligence and made it their primary mission to ensure no one came within a few feet of the traveling group.
Once they entered the lab, Dib gasped at the sheer size of it. Inside was a massively large room with a sizeable cement hole dug out in its center. He thought it reminded him of the Roman Colosseum he'd learned about in school, but instead of a man-eating lion at the center, there was a lone scientist dressed in a collection of safety equipment. He was testing some sort of new mechanical product. A safe distance above him, the other scientists stood around carefully, jolting down their notes.
Dib looked over at Zim, curious how the alien was handling being under so much intimidating pressure. From the outside, he could see the Irken's body language appear withdrawn, and his face was stern, as if trying to bluff his way through a high stakes poker tournament.
Dib leaned over quietly. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper.
Zim shot him a contemptuous look. "I've never been better Dib-stink. Why do you ask?"
Rolling his eyes, Dib turned away. "Nothing. Never mind."
After hours of touring the lab, the Irken finally returned to the sanctuary of his base.
"Gir, I'm home!" he called out into his living room, removing his wig and eye contacts. As if on cue, his loyal minion hopped up from the couch to greet him.
"Master! You're back! And you brought da big-headed kid over to play!"
"Dib is not here for play Gir," he responded, looking down at his minion. "He is here to help me analyze some important human technology from his father's lab. I have agreed to see if it can be compatible with anything of the devices found down in the lab."
Gir stared at him blankly. "Ohhhhhhh."
"You have no idea what I am talking about do you?"
"Nope!"
Zim sighed. "Never mind. Just stay up here and guard the house. I'm going to go down to the lab to-" He froze when he realized who was missing. "Gir. Where is Tak?"
Gir shrugged. "I unno."
Zim felt the panic rise. "How could you not know Gir? You were supposed to keep an eye on her!"
Realizing he did something wrong, Gir cowered into a small ball as his master approached him.
"Tell me," demanded the ex-invader. "Which way did she go?"
Like a small, frightened child, Gir pointed over to the elevator.
Zim rushed over frantically. He impatiently waited for the decoy furniture to clear.
When the furniture was finally clear, he stepped onto the platform. Dib followed suit, but was halted abruptly when Zim held his arm out. "Hey, what-"
"This is not a game Dib." Zim cut him off with a serious look. "Tak is dangerous, and she won't hesitate to kill both of us if you get in the way. I can't have you messing things up."
"But I can handle myself!" assured Dib, rather childishly. "Besides, wouldn't it be better to have two pairs of eyes looking around the base than just one?"
Not willing to waste any more time arguing, Zim growled in annoyance. "Fine. Just stay out of my way."
When they finally made it to the ground level, Zim immediately jumped off the platform. "Computer! Where is Tak's location?!"
"Tak located in Storage Bay 4."
His antennae perked up. "The medicine stash!"
Dib scrunched his face in confusion. "The what?"
Ignoring him, Zim bolted down the corridor in a panicked frenzy. He cast out his spider legs, hurrying down the hallway at a frightening speed. Dib tried his best to keep up on foot. Dashing madly around corners, Zim eventually reached the corridor that led to the storage bay.
The door opened automatically, revealing the gaping entrance into the poorly lit room. He paused.
Inside was a complete mess. Various machine parts were completely destroyed with their components scattered around the floor. Glass was shattered all over like an ultrasonic blast had torn through. The metal piping that usually lined the walls was chaotically tossed about as if she had done it on purpose. And he could tell she had utterly ransacked every last storage container.
And in the middle of it all, there lay an unresponsive, unmoving purple and green Irken.
Instinct taking over, Zim hurried to leap forward, but a familiar black-coated arm stopped him. "Are you insane or just stupid?" Dib spat, completely out of breath. "This is obviously some kind of trap."
Zim ignored him and glanced over at Tak anxiously. Trap or not, his gut was telling him she was badly hurt. She needed his help immediately.
Disregarding the boy's warning, he swiftly ducked under his arm and scampered over to where she was lying. He approached her cautiously, keeping in mind that this, it fact, COULD be a trap. When he determined it was safe enough, he knelt down at her side and began to examine her.
He could tell she wasn't fully conscious and pased on her posture, he had experienced some sort of obvious pain. Her face was disgruntled and her breathing was short and rapid. As he inched closer, he could feel her warm, gentle exhales brushing lightly up against his left knee. The feeling sent a fluttering sensation through his stomach. Snapping back to focus, he glanced over at her face. Her skin was pasty and appeared to be a rather pale shade of green. Lifting the palm of his hand, he pressed it down to feel her forehead. Her body was hot, like she was overheating from the inside out.
Startled from the sudden sensation, Tak suddenly woke unexpectedly. Her eyes shot open and her expression grew frightened and dark.
"Get your filthy hands off of me!" she shouted, attempting to weakly push him off. Her threatening tone did nothing to deter him since her attempt to claw at him had been slow and weak.
Saying nothing, he continued to study over her, curious how she had gotten in such a condition. Her body was heated with a fever so bad that it was clear she had been suffering for quite some time. And her skin was pasty and pale, which meant she had hardly enough strength to fight back.
"What were you doing down in my storage room?" he questioned sternly, pretending not to already know the answer.
Tak glared at him angrily. "I was...-" She placed a hand over the area covering her abdomen with a groan. "Gir's honey. Infection..."
With a puzzled expression, Zim looked down to where she was pointing. Assuming she had indirectly granted him permission, he slowly lifted lifted the lower part of her uniform.
His eyes widened.
The severity of the infection was not only bad, the plasma wound extremely inflamed. The honey had soaked its way into the raw, exposed tissue causing a reaction with her skin cells. It had combined with bacteria and other microorganisms to form a nasty biofilm, and her body had tried to fight it off, but to no avail. The infiltration was so deep that if he hadn't been home in another two hours, it was likely she wouldn't have survived.
Tak winced as the sticky, pus soaked fabric slowly tore away from her delicate, grimy flesh. Zim winced while studying her pained expression. His own feelings of hatred slowly beginning to melt away. She was in obvious discomfort, and even with her crude scowl, her sullen eyes gave away her true emotions.
She was scared, and for some reason, something about the way she was looking at him made him feel very uncomfortable.
Just like the moment in the rain, the urge to help her gradually resurfaced. He tore his gaze away from her eyes and stood up, hurrying over to one of the empty cabinets. He placed his hand against the back wall where a scanner appeared and picked up his familiar biosignature. A beep was heard, along with the activation a latch. The door behind the scanner swung open, revealing the hidden stockpile of medicines he had cleverly stowed away.
After briefly scanning them over, he quickly grabbed the one and hurried back over.
Tak watched suspiciously as Zim dispensed a portion of the medicine onto his glove. He brought it close to her, but she turned her head away. She would not allow him to help, even if it was her only chance. Being saved by him in the rain was insulting enough, but to now have to accept that help twice? She wasn't sure if she could withstand the humiliation.
Knowing it was for her own good, he tried applying the medicine a second time and unsurprisingly, she shied away again. He tried a third time, but this time hesitated and looked back up at her, as if asking permission to continue. His eyes caught her own for only a split second. Realizing that she didn't have much other choice, she nodded and reluctantly allowed him to continue.
Grimacing from the pain, she cried out only briefly as the medicine first made contact. It reacted violently with the skin, causing the tissue to sizzle and pop while helping the immune cells rid the body of the nasty bacteria. When the sensation finally died down, Zim went ahead and applied the second dose. She winced again, but this time it was not nearly as painful. She gritted her teeth to bear it, but mostly to get the idea of him touching her erased from her mind.
Eventually the pain dissipated altogether and her expression finally relaxed. As he spread the medicine carefully, she started to find the sensation rather pleasant. The weakness she had been experiencing was finally gone and the pain became only a fleeting memory. She closed her eyes and relished in the welcomed relief. He was being surprisingly gentle, and as a result, she found herself slowly drifting into a meditative state.
Zim looked up at the female Irken to see how she was handling treatment. As his claws drifted slowly across her skin, he found himself getting lost in her facial features. She was rather pleasant to look at, and despite the absolute nightmare of an attitude, she seemed so calm under his touch. he smiled at the effect he was having on her. It was difficult to imagine her as the same deadly assassin who nearly killed him a few weeks ago.
He continued to spread the medicine carefully while watching her chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. Her eyes fluttered back open slowly.
He froze and they remained that way a moment while the air between them seemed to stand absolutely still. Their gaze locked upon one another, each with an uncertainty about what to do next.
Tak looked away immediately while Zim went back to focusing on the applying medicine to the wound. Blushing, they both did their best to avoid eye contact.
What was that just now? Tak wondered, trying her best to control her obvious flush. The way he was looking at me, it was almost as if he was...
She shook her head vigorously. No. That's now impossible. Even invaders like him must have had those instincts subdued through rigorous training. Elite soldiers are far too busy to even consider such things.
But he wasn't an elite soldier any longer. Was he?
Tak felt her face flush as the most obvious explanation for what was going on came to light. Zim was a demoted ex-invader who now had no mission to keep himself preoccupied. He was alone on an unforsaken planet with nothing to do but tend to an Irken female who was now stuck there with him until further notice.
There was probably a lot more on his mind than just survival.
Embarrassed and disgusted, she tried to shove the thought out of her mind when an idea struck her. Hold on. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage! She smiled maliciously, cooking up a new scheme. Maybe if I play along, he'll let his guard down enough for me to make my final move! It couldn't be any worse than the original plan right? I'll make him feel safe around me and then strike when he least expects it! It's brilliant!
She smirked, liking the idea of toying with him. Like any male Irken, he should be ridiculously easy to manipulate.
Lightly placing a hand under his chin, she gently lifted his gaze back up to meet hers. At her sudden touch, she felt his body go rigid. Pleased with the reaction, she watched as his eyes grew wide, and then brought him closer until he was only inches from her face.
Zim could do nothing but remain still while her seductive gaze captivated his attention. What was she doing? he wondered, trying ignore the sound of his own thumping pulse racing inside his chest. What is this feeling? Fear? Excitement? His mind was desperately to grasp a the situation, like cat trying to unravel a tangled up wool ball. He had never felt anything quite so exhilarating in his life! It was thrilling, yet terrifying, just like the time he had completed his first rookie mission as a junior invader.
He stared at her wide-eyed, waiting for something else to happen. She continued to hold him steady until all of his weight was eventually centered on the base of her palm. Then, without warning, he felt the full force of a dense metal pipe suddenly slam against the side of his head.
Skull throbbing and recoiling in pain, he rubbed the side of his temple.
"I suppose I should thank you for saving my life," said Tak proudly, tossing her weapon of choice casually to the side. She approached him again and grabbed the cuff of his uniform. His breath caught as she lifted him a few inches from the ground. "But if you EVER touch me again, I will slice your arms off your torso and shove them down your throat while I roast you alive. Understood?"
With only one eye open and the side of his head still throbbing in pain, Zim nodded nervously. Satisfied, she released her grip on him, causing him to fall back onto the floor with a thud. Confused and fighting some other emotion he wasn't at all familiar with, he watched bewilderingly as she exquisitely exited the doors of the storage room.
