The Sickness

Part Twenty-One

Dib ran as fast he could toward the ship. Everything around him began to flicker as the ship began to shut down. As he had hoped, Gaz was aboard Tak's old ship. She glanced up as she saw him approaching. Soon, she opened the windshield hatch, letting him inside.

"Took you long enough." Gaz huffed.

As soon as Dib got aboard, he got into the piloting seat and began to press random buttons on the panels.

"Ship!" Dib shouted.

"What?" Tak's voice snapped.

"Take us outta here! NOW!" Dib orded.

"Dib why are you-?" Gaz was cut off as everything around them began to quake.

A low buzzing alarm soon followed as a red light flashed around them.

"What was that?" Gaz asked after the quake stopped.

"Well uh..." Dib started, looking a bit nervous.

"Okay Dib. What did you do now?" Gaz asked, becoming suspicious.

"Um..." Dib started. "We're kinda... Sorta... Gonna... Explode."

"WHAT?" Gaz shouted in shock.

"I-it's kind of a funny story actually." Dib grinned sheepishly.

"Ugh! Dib, do you always have to go and blow somthing up?" Gaz groaned in disbelief.

"Um..." Dib started.
Suddenly there was another tremor as everything around them began to come crashing down. "No time for that!" Dib shouted over the growing alarm.
"C'mon!" Dib yelled, turing back to the control panel and mashing the buttons. "Get us outta here!"

"Alright already!" Tak shouted. "Crimany!"

After that was said, the engines to the ship activated and the took off just as everything around them gave way, and explosions shot out from every piece of mechinary as they flew away from the Tallests' Ship.

"Ship! Actived the boosters!" Dib ordered.

"They still need time to charge." Tak's voice informed him as more explosions rang out behind them.

"Just do it!" Dib demaded.

After a few moments, the ship did as it had been told. In a matter of minutes, the boosters to the ship came to life and they took off like a shot. The entire ship quaked as it picked up speed. After a few moments, the speed began to die down and the ship drifted carelessly through space.

"What the heck?" Dib shouted pressing random buttons on the panels.

"I told you," Tak stated hotly. "They need more time to charge."

"Well, that sucks!" Dib growled.

He suddenly heard a moan from one of the seats beside him. He looked over to see Zim shivering as fever sweat cascaded down his face.

"Zim!" Dib yelped, moving over to be beside his sick friend. "Don't worry, Zim." He whispered, quickly yet carefully taking out the small opaque bottle from his pocket and removed the lid.

He then lifted Zim's head gently so he was in the sitting position. Dib gnetly began to pour the liquid into Zim's slightly open mouth. After a moment, Dib stopped and got him to swallow it. Zim began to cough harshly shortly afterwards. Dib looked on, hoping that this would work. Just then, an enormous explosion rocked the ship, as the Tallests' command ship continued to explode, bits of the metal striking the ship and causing Dib to lose his grip on the bottle! Reluctantly, he managed to catch it before it could fall and shatter on the floor. The ship soon landed roughly on a nearby asteroid as the Massive's Ship exploded into smithereens, rocking the entire space around it. Shortly after it happened the tremor soon died down. Dib looked up and glanced around.

"Gaz! You okay?" Dib asked.

Gaz rubbed her head.

"Yeah, I should be fine." She replied.

"Gir?" Dib said.

"I loves muffins!" Gir sqealed.

"I'll take that as a yes." Dib replied.

He turned back to Zim.

Zim rested in the seat, dark magenta blood trickled from the side of his head from the sudden impact. His PAK lights flashed dimly as Zim laid completely still.

"Zim." Dib started.

He then turned to the bottle he was clutching, some of the liquid trickling from the small cracks.

"Zim, hang in there." Dib said.

He began to pour the rest of the remaining liquid into Zim's slightly open mouth, some of it trickling lightly down his chin and neck. Zim didn't respond.

"Zim?" Dib said after a moment. "Zim." He repeated, to which Zim didn't reply. "Zim... Please... Don't do this!" Dib begged.

He felt Zim's forehead and was shocked to find it was cooling down.

"Oh Zim..." Dib started, squeezing his eyes shut as tears began to slip down his cheeks. "I'm sorry." Dib choked out. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, pulling Zim into a gentle hug as he began to sob.

Gaz hung her head in regret as Gir started crying. Dib soon pulled back and looked at Zim with deep sorrow as more tears started falling from his eyes before he turned away. Soon, he heard a faint, weak voice call to him. Dib turned his head back towards it and Gaz looked up. Their eyes grew wide they saw Zim looking back with half open eyes.

"Zim..." Dib managed.

"What's going on?" Zim asked, feeling a bit tired.

Instead of answering right away, Dib pulled Zim into a joyful hug. Zim sat there a bit confused.

"Um..." He started, a bit confused.

"Master!" Gir squealed latching onto Zim and hugging him tightly.

"Hey, Gir." Zim smiled.
Soon, everyone pulled away and Zim turned toward Gaz who stood nearby.

"Dib-Sister." Zim grinned.
Gaz did the same but soon scowled as she punched him hard in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Zim cried out.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Dib shouted, angered by Gaz's responce.

"That was for scaring the crap outta us and being all dead!" Gaz growled, pointing threateningly at Zim. "But I'm still glad you didn't die."
Gaz stated, turning away.

Dib half-smiled. Even when Gaz never wanted to show it, Dib knew she still cared.

"C'mon guys," Dib grinned. "Let's all go home."

"Home?" Zim asked. "But Zim has no home." He said, looking sad. "Where would Zim go now that he has no mission?"

"Zim, you do too have a home." Dib replied. "It's on Earth."

"Earth? But-"

"Your base is still there," Dib replied. "I mean, sure you're not an invader and trying to take over the world, but that doesn't mean that you should just give up everything. Friends stick together. no matter what."

Zim looked at him for a moment.

"You still consider me as your friend?"

Dib nodded.

"Even with all the stuff we had been through?" Zim asked. "All the tortures and torments, and-"

"Okay!" Dib said finally, cutting him off. "We get the point."

"Sorry." Zim said sheepishly. "But after all that, we're still friends?"

Dib smiled and nodded.

Zim smiled as well.

"Thank you." He added finally.

"Hey, if you two are done having a moment, I think we should probably get going." Gaz said with a smirk.

"Right." Dib said sheepishly. "C'mon, ship." He grinned. "Take us back to Earth." Tak's voice groaned.

"That's an order, Ship." Zim smiled. "Listen to Zim!"

Tak groaned again but soon the ship did as it was told. And soon, the ship rose off from the asteroid and began the long journey back to Earth.

Here's part twenty-one, and I've gotta say, this was probably one of the longest chapters other than part eleven that I've ever wrote, maybe ^^; I hope you liked this part and I'll have the conclusion up soon :D But anyways, I hope you enjoyed my story and hope to get the rest up soon :D So, later days! :D:D R&R Please! :D Thank you! :D:D