Rest In Peace

It was a race between the three. Whoever could find Simmons first.

Whoever could kill him.

Zim was ahead. He had experience. He knew how to find someone and then what to do to kill them. He had it all planned out. After that, he would find Dib and drag his stupid head to the hospital. Curse him if Christmas he was not allowed to try to take over the Earth just because Dib had not recovered.

It was almost like the family he never had. Never would.

Dib was behind. He pushed himself forward, using Bill to help him go. He thought it would be easy to find Simmons, but did not know that Gaz had chased the scientist away. He was going to take revenge for his father and then go home. Take time off. Try and pull things together before Christmas.

Oh yeah... Christmas... that was soon, wasn't it?

Gaz was unnoticed. She had experience, but the wrong kind. She didn't know what she was doing, but it came so naturally. She was so used to getting away with things, the police officer did not even notice her stealing his firearm. Torture was her specialty, but this required a more permanent ending.

Guns... easier to hit you with.

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Zim studied the scientist's file.

"Aaaoooowwwoooowww!!!!!" Gir screeched at a passing couple. They quickly averted their walk to the other side of the street. Zim frowned as he looked at his disguised servant.

"Silence Gir!" he hissed, wondering why in Irk he had invited him to come along in the first place.

Gir only shut up as he darted after the next group that walked by them. Zim ignored the chaos as he continued down the street. Glancing around himself quickly, he scampered up the tree and waited.

"What is the report?"

"We haven't found him yet, sir. The entire area surrounding the labs was secured and we checked all of the addresses of his current residences. He's not in any of those places."

"Idiot! Those labs had so many tunnels, even destroyed someone could hide in there! That Membrane was a genius, but he had way too many wings to that building."

"You want me to send a team in there?"

"No, it would be suicide. Most likely he'll get himself killed down there. Anything else?"

"There's a strange dog assaulting random people in the city."

"Not our problem. Just secure the grounds."

Zim had stopped listening as the police officer mentioned the tunnels. So, that Simmons is still in there? He examined the situation. If he was still in the labs, it wouldn't be hard at all to finish this. He doubted that it would take much to kill this man. Simmons couldn't even kill correctly, so Zim didn't expect a fight to ensue. But- why was he doing this?

What has happened to Zim? I used to not care... only a week ago we were trying to kill each other! Death has never been... this... eventful before. How will this affect Zim's mission? It won't! I will take over Earth... and...

Zim is confused.

The labs were practically swimming in police forces. Zim was trying to find out how he would get inside when one of the officers passed him without seeming to see him. Zim groaned.

Spent too much time with Gaz... I'm forgetting how stupid this race is.

Zim slipped down into the lower levels of the the third wing when he realized that he had already checked there. Zim growled and kicked the wall, causing a part of the ceiling to come down a few meters away.

"Too many places!" Zim shouted at the hole in the ceiling. The ceiling didn't respond and so Zim continued out of that room and tried to remember where he had not checked so far. "This-"

Zim stopped as a shot rang out. Narrowing his eyes with irritation, he looked in the room he was about to step into. A scientist was there, seeming prepared for a bombardment of some sort. Zim grinned evilly as he took off his disguise.

"Step out before I shoot you!" Simmons commanded. Zim's smile faded.

"You don't tell Zim what to do!" Zim shouted, rounding about on the Human. Simmons eyes nearly bulged out of his skull and he had to reclaim his former grip on the gun.

"W-wh-what are you?" he gasped, backing away from Zim as Zim pulled out his gun.

"Someone who gives orders, not takes!" Zim declared, shooting after the scientist. Simmons however, after seeing Zim pull out his gun, shot off a bullet of his own before running out of the room. The bullet the side of Zim's pak, which meant it reflected into the wall.

"Get back here!" Zim demanded, an uplifting feeling despite the fact.

A chase. It's been far too long.

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"I'll be right back," he had said before rushing off down the street. Dib just shrugged, for he had expected this to happen. As soon as Bill was out of sight, he pulled himself back up and headed in the direction that the labs were in. As much as his body wanted to rest, Dib kept telling himself that he'd had worse. How many times had Zim attacked him? How many of those times did he manage to get to skool the next day? He wasn't going to let this stop him, he had to keep going.

When Dib arrived, the grounds were deserted. No scientists or construction workers. No one. Dib felt the gun Bill had given him after his lies.

I'm sorry, Dib thought again as he headed into the labs.

Dib's hands hurt, gripping on the sides as he made his way down another staircase. Air made it's way into his lungs, but it burnt like fire. He finally collapsed on the final stair as he looked around. He swore under his breath as the next stairway loomed before him.

Did everything have to look so impressive Dad? I mean... sheesh.

Dib stayed where he was, catching his breath. He took the time to look over the edge, where the banister was missing and down into the large room below. About to pull back to the wall, he saw a movement. Dib's eyes widened as he crawled back to the edge, knocking a piece of metal off and over. The noise it made was shattering.

"Who-?" the scientist backed up against the wall, gun pointed up at Dib. Dib froze, unable to reach for his own weapon. Simmons' eyes stopped in their terror and focused in recognition. "Got you."

Dib saw him squeeze the trigger, but the shot rang against the ceiling as a green blur hurled himself against him, a red beam focused on below. Someone swore, Dib wasn't sure whether it was him or Simmons, but now he was hidden by a part of the wall below and couldn't see the other.

"-waste of space and time, I don't know what your father would have done if I hadn't said I'd take care of you and-"

"Zim!" Dib exclaimed, looking over at the alien. "What are you doing here?"

"Stay low!" Zim snapped, going up on his mechanical legs. "This is Zim's fight!"

"Like hell it-" Dib ducked as Zim dodged the bullets that came from a break in the wall. Zim scrambled over them and headed for Simmons.

"Zim!" Dib shouted at him, pulling out his own gun. He aimed at Simmons and froze again. Zim had run towards the scientist, dodging each shot. As soon as he neared him though, Simmons pulled out a knife and buried it into Zim's chest, which caused Zim to hiss in pain and shoot him in the leg. Dib tried to aim again, but failed. He would hit Zim.

That stupid alien...

Simmons ducked under the next beam and tossed a bunch of gravel up in the air, some which entered Zim's eyes. Zim started madly shouting in Irken, which Dib would have bet was swearing but he lashed forward with one of his mechanical legs just as Simmons shot at him. The shot hit the ceiling, Simmons fell back over rubble, and the ceiling fell on Zim. Dib leaned forward to get a clean shot at Simmons, only to hear someone coming down the stairs. So did Simmons as both looked up at the part of the staircase without a railing.

Gaz was looking around with an expression of murder on her face. She looked down and her eyes rested on Simmons. But he had seen her first and his gun was raised long before she started to bring her hand up. Dib had started scrambling up the stairs as soon as he saw her.

He caught her around the ankles just as the shot came. They both fell off the stairwell and Dib held her to him as they landed on a pile of stone. Dust billowed up beneath them as both started coughing.

"Dib!" Gaz protested as he rolled her to his other side, trying to find where he dropped his gun. A silhouette appeared in front of him, holding what he was looking for.

"You're almost not worth it!" Simmons' breath came ragged with a manic look in his eye. The gun went straight to Dib's forehead. With Gaz behind him, there was nowhere to run, even if he could have. "Now, you-"

His mouth opened and closed, but the ringing in Dib's ear meant he couldn't hear the splutters as blood ran down Simmons' face. A hand came up to his chest, where a hole had just appeared, then to his neck where a long gash ran across. Dib backed away as he dropped dead.

Dib stared at the corpse of the man who killed his father. His gaze tore from there as a noise from behind him moved around side to glare at his face.

"Gaz," he croaked, unable to say anything else.

She didn't even seem to notice the gun in her hand or the blood she was kneeling into.

"Dib!" she exclaimed, "Where the hell were you?"

"You..." he and Gaz turned to the seething, wounded alien who appeared behind Simmons, glaring at Gaz. "That was my kill," Zim hissed.

"Zim..." Dib pointed at him. "You're a mess."

"No help from you!" Zim exclaimed, only raising one arm as the other swung uselessly at his side.

"You look like you fought the hospital security that Dib slipped out by," Gaz responded irritably. She then lost interest and started to poke Simmons' corpse. Zim rose an eye and Dib pulled her hand away.

"Just... don't," he sighed, trying to stand up. Gaz scowled at him.

"That's what you get from running away from the hospital," she responded, but stood and propped him up. He tried his hardest, but couldn't help but lean against her. Gaz then reached out for Zim, who hissed in irritation. "You look like you'll fall on your face!"

"Zim is fine!" Zim argued, but nearly fell over. Dib grabbed him so Gaz could prop him up as well. "Zim hates you all!"

"I could care less," Gaz spat, but it didn't sound like that was the truth. Dib watched as Zim looked away from the both of them.

"Zim... lost his disguise."

"Gaz, help me get this off," Dib pulled at his coat. She set Zim on the staircase and helped him pull out of his black trench coat. He set it on Zim's head. "I want that back Zim."

Zim couldn't seem to help himself from grinning evilly at him. "I'll try and remember to return it."

A long winded sigh came from Gaz. "Can we-" she stopped and looked over at Dib, "-Can we just go home now Dib?" Dib looked down at the dark rings under her eyes.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Let's just go home."

"Zim will return your coat Dib!" Zim shouted after the two. "Zim keeps his promises! Don't you forget it either Gaz!"

Dib looked sideways at his sister and was surprised to see a genuine smile on her face.

Ah Zim, making a killing seem not as important.

I do not think this is one of my better chapters, but I am at a loss of what else to put here that would be better. But, I will leave it to you all to say whether or not this chapter sucked. From what my notes tell me, I have one more chapter to write! The aftermath of everything, what fun. Anyways, I hope my action sequence did not put anyone to sleep, I am aware at how much I need to improve on those types of scenes.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck close through this story! R&R