Chapter 7: Rats in the Attic

Dib groaned and slowly sat up, his hand automatically reaching for his head. For a moment everything was blurry … except for two dewy eyes. Dib squinted one of his own eyes and softly grumbled, "Zeem … eh thah yooooh?"

"Zim says you put it in wrong!" came a voice, the blurry eyes pushed out of the way and replaced by another pair of orbs. The new voice waved a green blur in front of Dib's face, but he couldn't quite discern what it was.

"I did not. You may not believe me, but I was once an Invader too, Zim. I know how paks work!" replied a deeper, angrier voice.

"Do you have the brain worms! Even I can tell that you two did something wrong to him. He can't even communicate!" yelled the first voice again.

"Don't get on my nerves, banished smeetling! I was fixing paks before you were created! He's fine!" said the older voice.

"Lies! You lie to ZIM! You just want to destroy my plans and take me back to Foodcourtia!"

Dib merely blinked in confusion as the two blurry figures suddenly merged into one, the sound of yelling and thrashing filling the area. Yet, just as Dib's vision started to come back into focus, another pair of eyes, hidden behind goggles, came into his field of vision. Dib blinked, his mind's fuzziness starting to come to an end.

"Just ignore them," said the new figure, a familiar one. He knew that voice ... for it was associated with pain for some reason. What kind of pain? His mind was still disoriented like his memories had been gobbled up by some beast of the night.

"Now," said the voice again. "Just hold still while I examine you. You see this light."

There was suddenly a flash of bright light in both of his eyes, making him draw back slightly with a hiss.

"I'll take that as a yes. Now, do you feel light-headed? Is it hard to respirate? Any pains at all?" asked the examiner.

Dib blinked back his confusion, wiggling his fingers and toes. He was immediately disturbed when he noticed he was missing half of his digits. Yet, before he could properly panic, memories slammed themselves into the back of his mind as if being offered up by another party. No, no, his hands were supposed to be that way. After all, Zim had turned him into an Irken. An Irken that needed a pak to survive.

Ah, that explained the nagging in the back of his mind he supposed.

A light groan escaped the changeling as he recalled the painful surgery and the invasive little tentacles that crawled into his flesh, making him cry out. Then, he was beaten into the ground a little while later by some freak that wouldn't let him leave. Irk, no wonder he was in pain. Everyone was trying to kill him.

Groaning again, Dib slowly reclined down onto the berth, covering his eyes with his wrist.

"I hurt all over. I think I'm going to take a nap. Tell me when Zim shows up … so I can beat him with his own disembodied antennae," grumbled Dib as he closed his eyes, his mind less foggy now but still exhausted. He knew Zim told him Irkens didn't need much sleep. So, apparently, they could sleep. Thus, he was going to sleep even if it took him hours to figure out how to initiate sleep mode. He needed to dream away this hell he was in, even if it was just for a couple of hours. Mindless bliss was probably the closest he could get to happiness right now, even if he now had a piggyback reviewing his thoughts like a voyeur.

"There will be no napping, Dib-worm," came a growl, the examiner roughly pushed away. Next thing Dib knew, he was forced into a sitting position, warm red eyes glaring at him.

Still slightly disoriented, Dib blinked … before he promptly punched Zim in the face.

Just like old times.

Sizz-Lorr immediately guffawed while Gritt cringed in the background, Zim falling to the floor with a bruised jaw.

Confused, the ex-invader sat there on the floor for a moment in shock. He then wiped his bleeding lip, looking at the green blood on his sleeve before he bounced back to his feet, yelling, "Do you have the brain worms, flesh-beast?! Why did you hit me?"

Dib sat up on the berth, feet still hanging over the edge of the table as he glared down at his companion, "For putting me through all that pain and then not telling its not sufficient. That I might die anyway with this new pak! Then, to top it off, you hired some local goon to babysit me with his fists when I tried to leave!"

"I was practically born with my pak on so how would I know how bad it would be?! And we'll fix your pak. It just isn't powerful enough for your height. As for goo, what goo? Zim hired no slimy goo to watch you!" shouted the invader as he rose to his feet, teeth bared and his fists ready.

Dib shook his head, still a little fuzzy, but at least he could breathe. He also felt … strong, if not a little numb. His pak was making him stronger though he could feel exhaustion grip at the back of his mind like the pak was struggling. It continued undauntedly forward regardless, removing genetic traces of his past life. It was removing what genetically made him human, while at the same time seemingly recording every human thought he had.

It felt like a juxtaposition.

Sighing, Dib pushed backed all the feelings of discomfort, numbness, hate, and rage, and focused on the one thing he truly wanted: revenge.

"I said goon, and you deserved that punch to the face!" snapped Dib, more harshly then he meant to, making Zim stare at him in surprise. Sighing again, Dib strangely found himself regretting his sour disposition. It was unwise to push away his only allies.

Rubbing his eyes, Dib pinched the place where his nose use to be and tried to collect his thoughts. He could do this ... He had to do this. Okay, so the pak wasn't up to par. It might give out on him. That's fine. As long as it lasted long enough for his revenge. After all, when embarking on a journey for revenge, you were supposed to dig two graves anyway, or in this case, three. It was just very literal in his case.

"Where were you anyway, Zim?" finally asked Dib as he reopened his dewy white eyes, the first traces of color starting to form into a pale blue. "We obviously are on a tight schedule if this pak is failing me already. I honestly don't care if the stupid pak gives out, I guess. As long as I get to drag the Tallest down with me. I suppose I will welcome death gladly."

Zim's antennae rose in confusion. D-did the Dib just welcome death?

Yes, it was an honorable thing for a soldier to accept termination when it called for it. All Invaders knew this, but not the Dib. Dib was far too noble of a warrior to end it in such a way. Zim hadn't dwelled on what would happen to the Earthling once this was all over, but he would not allow that! Stink-meat was his rival, his constant. He just presumed that Dib would remain in his service or something. What else was the changeling going to do anyway?

Well, it seemed that he had underestimated the changeling once again. The Dib always had a way of surprising him.

Straightening, he bit his tongue to keep his inner thoughts just that. He didn't need Sizz-Lorr seeing his weakness, his admiration for such an opponent. He'd just fix the pak and change Dib's mind when this was all over… one way or the other.

"We'll see about that Dib-worm, but right now let's move on from your melodrama-dramas because we need to go over the plan that could only come from Zim's magnificent brain meats!" said Zim, a grin rising to his face as he tried to regain his status as the leader of this small band of misfits.

Everyone groaned in the room, knowing that this was going to be a long day of stupidity, but Zim surprised them all by … pulling out a small purple orb.

"And this is the key to Zim's success," added the tall Irken as he showed off the thing as if it were a treasure. Gritt seemed confused, Dib slapped a hand over his mouth as if trying to protect his teeth from something, and Sizz-Lorr's jaw dropped in surprise.

"H-how did you get a hold of that? Only the Control Brains or their repair drones have those," commented the fry cook in disbelief.

Zim's grin grew.

"Zim has his connections. Plus, I've been audience to the Control Brains more often than you, fry cook! They did not even notice Zim's brilliance. So, Zim prepared. Of course, Zim always thought he'd get Taller on his own … not because of Dib's human food filth!" shouted Zim, his glare very obvious before he immediately calmed down with a wave of his hand. "No matter now. Dib-stink, come here. This is for you."

Dib shook his head, his legs shakily hitting the floor as he dropped from the examination table. Those things were disgusting. He would not allow another one to squirm about in his mouth. "No. I'm not putting anything in my mouth."

For some reason, both Zim and Sizz-Lorr stalled before immediately laughing.

Dib put on a confused, slightly hurt expression. He didn't like where this was going. Standing up straight, Dib stood his ground. "What's so funny? If it's not braces, what is it?"

Sizz-Lorr was now laughing so hard he was leaning against one of the walls. Zim had stopped laughing though, his grin splitting his face, "So scared of such a good thing, Dib-monkey. This is a core-height-circuit. It is the necessary upgrade that only certain tall Irkens are eligible for. It is the upgrade needed for all Advisors so that they can become a temporary Tallest if something horrible suddenly happened to the current Tallest."

Dib did not miss the way Zim's eye's brightened at that comment, the red-eyed Irken drawing closer so that Dib got a good look at the device.

"You see," added Zim as he carefully handed the device over to Dib like it was a shared treasure, "This is your ticket onto the Massive, Dib-meats. The Advisors can come and go freely on the Massive since they must always collect and recommend the names of all tall Irkens that can qualify to be new Advisors ... and thus new Tallest."

Zim then clicked one black claw against the device's glossy surface, his words like poisoned honey, "So, this is the price you must pay Zim for your revenge, Dibs. You must put my name up for nomination given my height ... and convince the other Advisors into nominating none other than me as the next Tallest."

Sizz-Lorr stopped laughing, his eyes almost going as wide as Dib's. "What?! You never said any of this to me, smeetling. You just mentioned revenge. You're a food service drone! You don't qualify!"

Dib also voiced his distress at the plan, his voice squeaking, "You never said anything about becoming the next Tallest! I thought this was just revenge. You never said anything about …"

"Silence!" Zim shouted as he shifted his eyes into a low gaze, staring almost longingly at the height device, "I technically do qualify, fry cook, despite being a food drone. The Control Brains look at service records, not reputations. I have filled all the obligations for a candidate: science, battlefield experience, exploration, public services, and I know I'm well over the height of any of the current Advisors. I will be the next Tallest as long as Dib puts me up for a recommendation."

He then turned a cold gaze to Dib, the human slightly frightened by the determination in them, "And you really have no room to complain fleshling. I'm giving you your revenge, but the only way I can save the rest of humanity is if I am the one giving the commands. Now, be a nice little changeling and come here."

Here …

Here …

Here ...

"He-here, give me this wire. No, yes, that one. Move. I know what I'm doing. The Tallest is stable," said a voice. Blue wanted to shy away from it; to scream at it to be silent, but all he could do was embrace the darkness as a warmth crawled up his spine. He'd just be still for now. Everything hurt and he needed his rest.

"Are you sure he's alright?" asked Interrogator Nave as he resisted the urge to shift. The Tallest's weight was finally starting to settle on him with his ruler's head on his shoulder while the medic continued to work with Blue's pak. Nave wouldn't complain though. The medical drone, Lepo, was in a really foul mood. It wasn't often that a Tallest was in need of his services, but when a Tallest just up and collapses, he is to be called in immediately. No one but the medical officer and his direct underlings were supposed to be snooping around in the Tallest's pak unless the Tallest was dying. Not even General Sizz-Lorr who had thought that Tallest Blue was merely having a case of organ exhaustion and tried to turn it back on before the wait time was over.

Lepo grumbled and glared at the General who now was sporting a shiner: from the medic personally when he had tried to check his Tallest's pak mere moments ago. The General, in fact, kept looking back at Tallest Blue nervously as he continued his onslaught of the Ark, trying to keep the Armada in one piece. The medic would acknowledge that Sizz-Lorr was a good General, but not a good a medic. The fool had almost turned back on Tallest Blue's pak! The mountain must have turned off his own pak enough times fighting the Ark to know what organ exhaustion looked like and the symptoms didn't include screaming at the top of one's lungs in agonizing pain and collapsing. At least that's what the Advisors and the Interrogator had told him. In fact, from the claw marks on Blue's head, it looked like he was in mental agony: something that happened from time to time if the memory core of the pak was affected.

"You two!" barked the medic as he slammed the Tallest's pak shut, glaring at two of the Tallests' large elite guards. "Hurry and take his Tallest to his quarters and plug him into his bed's life support. I think his pak has been damaged by the magnetic attack."

All the Advisors gasped as well as half the room … the ones that could spare the breath that is, being that the wait time was still in effect. But none were quite as surprised as General Sizz-Lorr, the large mountain nearly tumbling over to the medic.

"I-I turned off his pak! I know I did!" he said in near hysteria.

Lepo glared at the shaken Irken and simply said, "No one said you didn't. You did the proper procedure to turn off a pak from what I can tell … but it seems that Tallest Blue had special upgrades. There were a few components that were programmed not to turn off."

The Advisors all threw around worried looks, their sights all landing back on the medic, wanting more of an answer. Finally, Advisor Pixen spoke, voicing everyone's concern, "W-we don't have any spare paks for an Irken the size of the Tallest, and we can't get to planet Irk in time to get a new one… Are you telling me he is going to die?"

The medical drone sighed, shaking his head, "I-I don't know. I need to look over the pak a little more. Maybe it isn't as damaged as I think it is. Either way, I won't know until I get him back to his room for a proper examination … which won't happen if you two keep standing around like dim-witted florgal beasts! Get over here!"

Sizz-Lorr could only stand there in horror as the two bodyguards slowly slung their ruler over their shoulders, shuddering as a realization started to grow in his chest. The pak hadn't turned itself off completely … because that was the only way to keep Dib at bay. It would make sense that part of the pak never turned off nor took a rest. The closest thing it probably got to cool down was when Blue went in sleep mode, which explained the dreams. It also explained why Dib woke so often … even paks would wear out or overheat if they never got a rest. That's why berths were equipped with added life support, to give paks a partial rest.

The ex-fry cook didn't know if that realization was a good or bad thing. Perhaps it meant that only the inhibitor that kept Dib at bay was destroyed and that Blue would be fine physically. But that left another problem: would the medic notice the deceit? If Lepo did, the Control Brains would be informed and there might be an inquiry on Tallest Zim for trying to influence his co-leader. That's why there were usually two Tallest, after all. They were supposed to keep each other in check.

And, not least of all, would Blue discover his origins?

Tightening, the General took a step forward, ready to think up a reason as to why he had to come along when one of the Advisors suddenly stepped in his way, his nearly black eyes becoming sharp slits.

"I believe the Tallest's last command is still in effect, General Sizz-Lorr," said Dimm, the eldest Advisor, as he rose to his feet and took a stance in front of the bulky General.

Dimm knew something wasn't right here. He had been thinking that since the two current Tallest had taken rule. Something had always been off about Tallest Blue. He couldn't put a claw on it though. It was not uncommon for creative Irkens to have unruly minds even during sleep-mode, but his strange characteristics were unsettling. It probably was due to prolonged exposure to an alien species he was observing or conquering, but there was something more to it. After all, just minutes ago, Tallest Blue had sacrificed over his own command of the flagship knowing what was best for the Armada.

Tallest Zim would have been an idiot about the situation and tried to fend off Membrane by himself. Then again, Zim probably knew some secret weakness about the humans. It had been his planet that the resistance had originated from after all. Yes, Dimm still remembered that. He was the oldest Advisor here and he remembered Earth. He couldn't help but wonder if all Zim's secrets led back to that long-gone planet. In fact, Zim had gone through exhausting strides to make sure that the planet's existence was almost completely removed from the databanks, except for a few lingering reminders like Membrane. In fact, the human might be so persistent in his vow to destroy the Tallest not just because of the loss of their homeworld but because of something personal. Something that the slimy monkey would spill with a little torture. His Tallest had asked for the specimen to be alive after all.

"Did you not hear me?" asked Dimm as he took a step forward, his robes shifting as he drew in closer to the hulking form that was Sizz-Lorr. He barely towered over the other Irken but he knew his cold eyes would get the job done anyway.

"Yes, I did," finally replied Sizz-Lorr, his shock being replaced by irritation. "But I need to make sure his Tallest is-"

"You don't need to do-"

"INCOMING!" came a cry from the pilots' den, one of the small Irkens turning around and looking at Sizz-Lorr with wide eyes. "The Ark just sent a barrage of small armor ram ships towards the Massive! They are going to try and infiltrate us-"

The ship suddenly lurched, beeping exploding from the pilots' dens. Soon, one of them was crying out which sectors had been breached and that they were trying to get those areas cut off. The Advisors that had rushed over to their Tallest reluctantly departed back to the stations they abandoned. Advisor Dimm continued to glare at Sizz-Lorr, but before he could even demand anything of the bulky Irken, he was back at the reins, his voice echoing over the walls.

The dark-eyed Advisor glared for a moment more before he rallied the large guards to take their Tallest away. He was going with the medic because he knew that Blue's pak was going to reveal some hidden truths, and he was going to be there to witness it.

He only hoped that he got all the information he needed before Tallest Zim returned. Knowing him, Zim already knew about the attack on the Massive and was burning out an engine in a rush to get here and hide whatever it was that he did to Blue. Yes, he knew Zim was doing something to Blue's pak, and if Zim was the cause of this present catastrophe, there'd be flork to pay. It was practically treason to admit that an Irken liked one Tallest over the other so Dimm never said anything … but Tallest Zim could easily be replaced. In fact, Dimm was the Tallest Advisor on the ship. He could always take Zim's place if he wanted too.

…

There was absolute chaos raging through the halls of the Massive being that the ship itself was under attack and just rammed by a multitude of armor-piercing mines and small crafts. So it would be understandable that no one would notice the clang from overhead or see that the kamikaze pilot was no longer in the ship that had rammed through the armor of the Massive. No, the pilot was one of the Resistance's best. She was quick in her actions, seeming to come and go with the very shadows. She was also cold-hearted, lacking any emotions except that glint of hate in her eyes. Some said she was a demon given the half-mask she wore. Others said that she was a spirit of a human that was still wandering the universe for revenge. She was darkness incarnate. She was fear. She was going to be the end of Tallest Blue.

Kicking out one of the air vents, she fell to the floor soundlessly. Slowly, she rose to her near full height, her purple hair and goggles glinting in the artificial lights from above. Gaz pulled her hands into fists, her eyes narrowing as she looked down the hall. Dad had wanted to send another agent on this task, but she had told him … I want them to suffer the way I did. Dad did not stop her, because he knew she was the best, and she was going to get retribution for her brother.

"I'm going to make you pay," she whispered as she took a step forward, her shoes barely making a sound as all the lights seemed to dim due to her very presence. "I'm going to take everything from you, Zim. Everything ... Including Blue."

XXX

Paw07: Yep, its been forever ... but I had Invader Zim on the mind and he must be obeyed.

[Revisions June 2020]