-1Chapter one

A black gloved fist connected with a boney jaw and Dib felt his world fade, he was forced a couple of steps back, yet stayed standing. He forced his honey glazed eyes to stay open and hesitantly opened his bloody mouth to speak.

"Is- is that all you gah- got, Space Boy?" he taunted with the usual cockiness, wiping a drop of blood from his bitterly smirking mouth.

Zim growled and stuck his arms up in an odd fighting pose, one probably from his little Irken Academy, and snorted "You look like shit, Dib Stink. Don't you think it's time for you to turn tail and run away like the whimpering, pathetic human you are?"

Dib's vision became blurry; Zim had broken his new glasses. With a grunt he cast them away from his being and narrowed his eyes, not in anger but, in a failed attempt to try sort everything out. All he was able to make out was a green and crimson blur, everything ran together. "Neh- no way, alien scum. I-I'll never suh- submit to…to you!" he grunted with much difficulty, the pain in his stomach was edging on unbearable. But he couldn't run away. Not again…

Zim simply grinned and threw a punch at Dib's abdomen, sending him to his knees. He coughed harshly and spat up blood. Dib's eyes watered and he brushed a thin arm across his face to wipe away the blood and the slight chance of tears. Zim's lithe body loomed over him, eager to have a height difference over the defenseless human. After all height was might, right? With an ironic smirk he kicked Dib in the ribs without warning and his head connected with the cold metallic floor with a sickening 'thud!' Dib groaned and let out a shaking sob. His thin, slender body shook from the pain. He was on the edge, he felt as if he'd fall over it any minute now.

"How about now, Human? Had enough of the MIGHTY ZIM?" he screeched, lightly clawing the air in his excitement.

Dib grunted and sat up with effort. When he talked he wheezed slightly. "Mighty how…? And I'll neh-… never let… let you have err- earth. Never…" his voice was breathy, and thick with pain.

Zim stopped for a moment and looked thoughtful. His face looked conflicted with hate and concern, although if you asked him, he'd deny it on the spot.

"But…why risk your life for meat bags that don't care about you. You could die here and no one would notice. Not your sister, nor your parental unit.

Why, Dib-Stink? Tell meeee!" his voice was an angry shout and when Dib looked close enough, he swore he saw a slight concern in his face. But he highly doubted it, probably just his messed up vision right now.

Dib's mouth opened, but just to close again and he glanced at anything but the body looming over him. As if he could find the answer anywhere but there.

He snorted and chuckled, wincing when excruciating pain hit him hard. "I…I don't know the answer to that…but…if I was to submit to you, Zim, what would you make of me?"

Zim's blood red orbs took on a sly light and he clacked his serpentine like tongue against the roof of his mouth. "You would be my slave, of course. Cook, clean, helps me with world domination and some odd jobs..." he rattled off on his claws.

For once, Dib had nothing to say. No snappy comeback, nothing. It was kind of a bummer. His eyes glazed over and he lowered his head.

"Then…I wo- would be…ah- a traitor. Wouldn't I be, Space Boy?"

"I suppose you would be, wouldn't you? From what I see, it wouldn't matter in the least. They treat you much too horribly, I must admit." he commented, tapping a gloved claw against his chin.

Dib's eyes widened from shock. Zim was exactly right! No one did care, and he had realized it before. Soon afterwards he tried to swallow a harmful amount of pills, but his father had gotten him to the hospital in the nick of time. Soon after that, his father sent him to the 'Crazy House for Boys'. Of course, he had soon escaped, but the memory of that day was still fresh in his mind. He barely got any sleep knowing that no one cared…so he pushed the thought from his mind; banished himself from thinking like that and convinced himself that people did care. Yet, the memory still lurked in his subconscious.

"God…Zim. You…how could I have not missed it? It's not like it wasn't obvious, you know!" he yelled, his voice raspy from the pain in his lower abdomen and he clutched it hard, trying futilely to ease the pain. "I did know, Space Boy, I really did. I did my best to ignore it, but now hearing someone actually say it, especially you, makes it that much more…I dunno, final."

"Then submit to ZIM! You can get back at them; punish them for their, err, wrong doings! Like…with…horrible robot weasels! With lasers! And a tank or…or more! Maybe…even making your parental unit pay for his…offenses in the past, hmm? Or that scary sister of yours, I always did hate her…" he said inching his lithe and flexible body closer to the others, until he was on his knees, close to Dib's face, grinning maniacally.

Dib had winced at the shout in his ear, but he had perked up at the thought of harming the sister that hated everything, especially him, and a 'father' that never had time for them, even called him 'his poor insane son' time and time again. "Ah…Alright…" he smirked wryly, and then said harshly "Killing off the people I had once wanted to save." With a snort he said "Maybe I have gone insane."

Zim had jerked back a bit from the choice of tone in the boy's voice. He had never heard that tone come from the easily excited and eager young boy. He narrowed one eye and said "You submit to Zim?" he scoffed "That was pretty easy, just break your spirit and body…pssh, anyway. But how can I be sure you're loyal to Zim?"