Disclaimer: Truthfully, I never would have thought up Invader Zim. So…no, I do not own.
Summary: Zim has finally thought of the perfect way to stop Dib from interfering. But Dib isn't going to stop trying, even as he tries to find a way to reverse what Zim did to him.
'thought'
"speech"
-0-0- is a scene/character jump
Chapter4
Groaning under his breath, Dib resisted the urge to bang his head against the desk. He was feeling worse, his insides were twisting on themselves. And he still wasn't any closer to finding a cure.
He was having difficulty breathing, and he feared that soon he would have to use the Pak to continue living…and then it would be even more difficult to cure himself. He had come to think of the time to use the Pak as a way of crossing from being mostly-human to mostly-Irken.
And that scared him.
The air…it seemed heavy…hard to get enough into his lungs…or whatever Irkens had for lungs.
The Pak…where did he place it? Suddenly anxious, he got up from his computer, both antennae arching up in panic. He couldn't breathe…where was it?
There! He had left it on the desk after examining it in hopes that he could figure out how to work some of the more useful functions, like the spider legs that helped Zim climb up walls, and hang from the ceiling.
Picking it up, he flipped it over, examining the flat underside. How does it work? How do you attach it? Chest heaving in an attempt to draw the suddenly thick and heavy air into his altered lungs, he growled in frustration and threw it across the room in a sudden fit of anger.
It did not hit the wall, but rather stopped and floated there for a moment, before flying back towards Dib with surprising, and frightening, speed.
Letting loose a yelp of shock, he attempted to dodge, and the Pak flew around him and with a loud and painful snap, attached itself forcefully to his back and into his actual body. Letting out a cry of pain, he collapsed to the floor, a fire overwhelming his nerves as the Pak settled itself into his spine and connected to his nervous system.
Then, the pain was gone, as if it had never been there. Blinking, he sat up and felt his back. The Pak was there, as much a part of him as his own hands were now. But he could breathe…that was the important thing.
Blinking when he realized that the holographic projector had turned off during the brief collapse he had, he realized he must've landed wrong and it had switched off. Oh well, Gaz was asleep and his father was at work, doing a late-night study again. He didn't bother turning it on again, finding the slightly hair-raising feeling of static that the hologram coated him with when it was on uncomfortable.
Heaving a relieved, yet shaky, sigh, he stood up cautiously and went back to his computer in an attempt to continue his research. But now his scientist side was alive, itching to try and work some of the Pak's other functions. The spider legs…he could try to get the spider legs operational! Then he could catch Zim by surprise, and maybe get the way to reverse the process from him! The Invader wouldn't be able to flee anywhere, because Dib would be able to follow!
Yes, he will try to figure out the Pak's abilities, and make them work! Then, he will go to Zim's and get the cure from him!
Now…he had done extensive studies on the Pak a few days ago, as well as compiling all the notes he had taken on Zim's Pak, and what he had been able to do with them. From what Dib could tell, it was a force of will, like flexing your fingers or tapping your foot, that made a lot of the Pak's abilities work.
Closing his eyes tightly, he focused his thoughts into making the four metal legs emerge from the Pak.
Nothing. Maybe he wasn't putting enough effort into it?
"Having fun, Dib?"
Jerking around in shock, Dib saw Zim perched on his window sill, grinning smugly. He wasn't even bothering with a disguise, and pretended to admire the stars that were out on this dark night.
"Zim! What are you doing here? What have you done to me?" Dib cried, pointing an accusing finger at Zim, his antennae in their usual positions, one arched up by his hair and the other flat along his head.
Zim didn't answer, but merely examined the irate mostly-Irken before him. Irken…yes, he was mostly Irken. The only things that told him apart right now was his hair, and he still had ears. Both of those won't last long. The concoction was nearing completion, and soon Dib would be 100 Irken.
"I did nothing at all," Zim exclaimed, but he was immediately interrupted by a loud "LIAR!" from Dib, who was pointing at him accusingly.
"Very well, Dib. I have merely done you, and myself, a favor." Zim said, and jerked back slightly as Dib leaped up onto the window sill next to him, anger evident in his body posture, the furious glow of his amber eyes, and the tense twitching to his antennae.
"A favor?? This is not a favor to me!" Dib howled, shaking a fist in Zim's face.
"But it is!" Zim cried, taking immense enjoyment out of his enemy's anguish. "You are now, or soon will be, one of the superior! I have merely given you, my worthy opponent, a gift! A gift of being one of the incredible Irken race!" at this Zim let loose one of his cackles. "and, of course, now you can't expose me to the human-filth without giving yourself away! Haha, now my plans will be executed without interference!"
His laugh was cut off by a sinister grin on Dib's face.
"Wrong, Zim! Just because I may be…this…does not mean I'm going to stop trying! I will stop you at every turn, and I will not give up! I may not be able to expose you myself, but if something happens during one of your plans that exposes you to the world, then you are still going to the autopsy table!" Dib proclaimed, laughing at the Invader before him.
"Oh really?" Zim said, a little bit surprised that Dib was going to jump right in and continue to interfere. Wait…this was Dib…never mind, he was not surprised.
"Yes, really." Dib said, and he took a step closer to Zim. But then…his foot slipped on the sill and with a cry of surprise he fell, plummeting down the two stories into a crash that was probably going to hurt a lot.
He clenched his eyes shut as he heard Zim laugh at his misfortune, before his fall was stopped abruptly. Zim's laughter cut off, and Dib dared to open his eyes.
He found himself hanging several feet below the window, with a surprised Zim looking down at him. He looked to either side to see why he was not falling, and was quite surprised to see the four long, metal spider legs that he had been trying so hard to make appear stretched out on either side of him, holding him up.
"I…I did it!" Dib exclaimed, distracted momentarily, until Zim spoke up again.
"Hmm. You learn quickly, Dib-human." The Invader paused. "No, that is not accurate anymore." He mused, his grin turning wicked when Dib shot a glare and began to walk up towards him, his spider legs clinking against the hard surface of the wall.
"You turn me back, Zim! Turn me back to normal!" He said, shooting forwards, the legs striking the surface hard enough to produce sparks in his anger.
Zim produced his own legs, and scurried up out of the window and towards the roof. Dib was quick to follow, but was not nearly as graceful as Zim was, having just gotten his legs and still getting used to the feel.
They paused, facing each other, on Dib's roof.
"Turn me back!" He demanded again, taking a step closer.
"No, Dib. I don't think I will. You're better off this way, and less of a threat to me." Zim said, examining his hand before brushing it on his uniform in a careless gesture. Dib growled, advancing another step towards his nemesis.
"Give me the antidote!." He gritted out from between clenched teeth.
"Sorry, Dib-thing! I will not!" Zim laughed, skittering back a step on his spider legs.
"Then I will find out how to on my own!" Dib shouted, shaking a fist at Zim.
"Ha! Good luck with that! You want to know the truth? There IS no cure!" Zim said triumphantly. "Your DNA is destroyed! Taken over by Irken DNA! There is no way for you to reverse it, to try and do so would kill you!" Zim gave a victorious pose as Dib stared at him.
"You destroyed my DNA??" he moved closer, eyes glaring certain death at Zim. "Why did you do this? Why give me the Pak? I would have died!"
"Ah, but where would the fun in that be?" Zim asked simply. As Dib stared at him, eyes wide and confused, Zim gave a mocking wave. "You may have learned how to use a part of the Pak, but it will take you YEARS to learn all of its functions without training!" With a final, wild laugh, Zim's legs took him off the roof and bounding away to his own lair.
Dib did not follow, too caught up in his thoughts to really care to follow right now. Turning, he skittered across the roof and down, towards his window. Crawling inside, he retracted the legs to his Pak, and sat at the end of his bed to think things over.
-0-0-
End Chapter
Hmm. One thing that has always intrigued me in the Invader Zim episodes is Zim's antennae. Their positions altered his expression, and emphasized his mood. So don't be surprised if I mention them a bit, as I think they are a great way for the Irken's to show emotion and all that.