PART 2
Dib walked over to the table he'd been pointed to. There were three people sitting there. One of them was Vortian. He didn't recognise the other two, they were a race he'd never encountered before.
"Are you doctor Nik?" He said to the small pink alien who was closest to him.
The alien looked confused, but the Vortian burst out laughing.
"Who him? Not a chance! He couldn't find your heart with an x-ray!" She said.
"Hey!" The pink alien replied indignantly.
"Are you doctor Nik?" He asked the Vortian.
"No, she doesn't come out often. I'm her middle man. What can I do you for?"
"I'm looking for some medicine," he said quietly sitting in the booth. "For an Irken"
"All right what have you got?" she said not missing a beat.
"Not much," Dib admitted "500 credits."
"Yeah I can hook you up" she said "but you'll have to give me something as commission."
"I don't have any more money" he said.
"Hmm." She blew a smoke ring, "I'll take your jacket."
Dib looked down at his jacket. It was an old leather duster his father had given him. It had a lot of sentimental value, but if giving it up meant saving Zim, so be it.
"It's yours."
"Alright! Looks like we've got ourselves a deal!" She stood up "come with me."
She waved to her friends, and sauntered out the door.
/0\\\\
Dib followed her out into the brisk night. He would be sad to give up his coat, especially because it looked like rain.
She led him through the winding streets.
"Remember the way" she'd said "I won't bring you back"
And so he followed and looked out for landmarks.
She stopped at a small green door took a set of keys from her pocket and let herself in. Dib followed uncertainly. This could be a trap. They went up a set of rickety metal stairs, slowly and in single file. They creaked dangerously beneath them and Dib was afraid they would fall. They didn't.
The Vortian opened another door at the top of the stairs and held it open for Zim. Inside was a small apartment, cosy and warm, a small sofa covered in red throws, a tiny candle lamp in the window, and a low bed covered in a mess of purple sheets in the corner. A girl turned toward them as they entered.
"Back already loveliest?" she asked.
Dib froze. She was Irken. She was short and a little wide and had beautiful red eyes.
"Yeah, I have some business with me"
"How many times have I told you not to bring business home?"
"Not enough dear"
The Irken sighed and turned to Dib.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Are you Dr. Nik?"
"That depends."
"I need some medicine for my friend. He's Irken. I think he's in some kind of a coma."
"I see. Do you have money?"
"No worries, we made good on that. Transfer it over would you?" the Vortian said cheerfully.
Dib obediently transferred her the money.
"And your jacket"
He took it off and threw it to her.
"Alright we're good hook him up."
"You're going to want IV bags of nutrition right?"
Dib nodded.
"Can you describe how he became comatose? It'll help me determine which iv I should give him"
"I don't really know, I just found him like that."
"Was he in any accidents? Any hospitals or laboratory facilities? Is he allergic to anything?"
"Actually I found him in a lab..."
Doctor Nik hesitated.
"Would it be possible for me to view the patient?"
"Aw come on! I already told him we wouldn't bring him back!" the Vortian protested.
/0\\\
It had begun to rain, and by the time the trio emerged from the doorway it was coming down at a steady pace. Dib walked out into the downpour followed by Dr. Nik and the Vortian. The rain fell gently on dibs face. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything like this. It was refreshingly wonderful, and reminded him of home. He smiled. But seconds later he began to feel an uncomfortable sensation as the rain ran down his skin. It was sore and unpleasant and itchy and painful and-
"Argh!" Dib suddenly cried out, throwing his arms over his head "it stings!"
"Doesn't it rain on your planet?" The Vortian asked incredulously.
"Yes but water, not sulphuric acid!" Dib said dashing back into the shelter of the doorway.
"Dade give him back his jacket" Dr. Nik sighed.
"Fine whatever" Dade threw it back reluctantly.
Dib caught it and threw it over his head, the leather serving as a barrier between himself and the elements. How very ironic. After years of tormenting Zim with rain, he finally got a dose of his own medicine.
/0\\\\
Dib ran his fingers along the side of the large skip until he found the hatch and threw it open. The spittle runner's disguise immediately faded.
"He's in here" Dib said climbing inside.
Dr. Nik swung herself in after him, and Dade followed. It was too tight, Dib could barely move, his back pressed up against the bed, squished against Dr. Nik.
"Dade get out" Dib said struggling not to be pushed down on top of Zim.
"You get out!"
"I'm not leaving him, besides it's my ship!"
"Well I'm not going out there, it's raining."
"The rain literally burns my skin!"
"Shhhhhh," Dr. Nik cut in, "loveliest, please sit in the pilot seat."
Dade huffed and clambered into the cockpit.
"And you" she said turning her bright red eyes on Dib "please stand back I need room."
Dib obediently stood back but he watched the doctor like a hawk. He still wasn't sure he could trust her just yet.
She sat down on the bed next to Zim, and opened the bag she'd brought with her. She listened for his pulse. hmmm. Next she lifted his eyelids and touched his eyes. They twitched.
"Well he's responsive, that's good." She looked at Zim's frail figure and hesitated. Dib had dressed him in some of his clothes; boxers and a t-shirt, but his face was unmistakable. "Wait, it couldn't be."
"What?" Dib said anxiously
"This Irken, he isn't- he couldn't be- is he Zim?"
Dibs jaw dropped.
"You know Zim?" He asked in disbelief.
"Know him?" she laughed "No. Zim is the most infamous Irken alive. But I've heard rumours..."
"What rumours?"
"I heard he was banished for being defective,"
Dib nodded, that much was true.
"But the tallest recaptured him. They reckon that he is a key." She finished.
"What is this key thing? I've heard it a couple of times now."
"This key thing" Dade said leaning on the back of the pilot's seat "is a load of crap.
"Basically there was some Irken scientist named prof. tori or something, and he discovered a way to open up rifts in space to parallel universes, which could ultimately be used as a weapon. When he discovered how dangerous it could be, he hid the information in different species of alien. 2 Irkens, 2 Vortians, himself and one other unknown species has a key. Something like that. All that just to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. If the tallest get their hands on all the keys they would be able to do anything, like destroy the galaxy or take over the world you know."
"How did he put information in them?"
"I don't know I'm not a doctor, probably by altering their brainwaves or rewriting the unused parts of their brains." Dade shrugged.
"Why didn't he just destroy it?"
"Pride" Dr. Nik said without looking up from Zim. "I can imagine it would be hard destroying your entire life's work. Decades just thrown away? He probably thought it was safer hidden. Maybe someday it could have helped us.
"Now the tallest have found his records. He was foolish enough to write down the keys with the information. You have to keep Zim safe. If they get all the keys there's no telling what they could do."
"I will." Dib said with such conviction that the doctor could only nod in agreement. She believed him.
Dr. Nik hooked up the IV with the medicine, and took a needle and a bottle of liquid from her bag. She filled the syringe, and inserted it into Zim's arm.
"How do I know I can trust you?" Dib said uneasily, watching Dr. Nik inject Zim.
"You don't, but you must believe I don't want this Irken to come to harm. The serum I injected him with should start to work within a couple of days. Keep him on the drip for now. And keep him warm."
"What if it doesn't work after a couple of days?"
"Then there's nothing we can do for him." She stood up to leave. "If you're ever this way again, I'm ways here. Good luck."
"Thank you."
"Later weirdo!" Dade said hopping out of the spittle runner, and catching Dr. Nik who jumped down after her.
"Oh wait! Here" Dib said throwing his jacket at her.
"I thought you were going to keep it?"
"No way. I owe you."
Dade shrugged and put it on.
/0\\\\
They watched as the spittle runner pulled out of the damp alleyway and into the night sky.
"Why did you help? Him?" Dade asked letting the rain fall on her face as she looked up.
"I almost feel responsible. Besides he's just a young man trying to save his boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Dade said turning to Nik. The yellow street lamp shone golden on her eyes.
"It's just a vibe I got. He reminds me of you when you first showed up at my door."
"Except I'm much prettier." Dade grinned leaning in.
"Of course my loveliest."
They kissed briefly, and hurried back home in the cold dark.
/0\\\\
On the first day Dib was anticipant. On the second day he was hopeful. On the third day he was distraught and on the Fourth day he'd given up all hope. By the end of the week he was numb.
He was drifting slowly in the direction of his and Gaz's rendezvous point and shivering with cold, having covered Zim in all the blankets and spare clothes he had. He'd refilled the spittle runner's tanks on the pirate planet, but there still seemed to be something wrong with the heating. His ship was going at just 1wk, he was too disorientated to travel with any real purpose. It didn't take long before the Irkens caught up with him.
It wasn't the entire armada, only three ships. Three faster stealthier ships. He hadn't seen them coming at all.
"Incoming transmission" the computer announced.
Dib snapped out of his trance and glanced up. Incoming transmission? The receiver before him started to crackle, and a bright hologram bloomed before him. It was one of the guards he'd fought at the museum, the one who'd fainted.
"Hello Bid," he sneered
"I'm not giving him to you!" Dib said, panicked rising in his chest.
"A come on! If you hand him over, we won't harm you, we will leave your ship intact and reward you 1,000,000 credits. The tallest themselves will make sure you have your every need catered to."
"No, I don't care about that stuff!" He could tell the guard was lying and even if he wasn't it wouldn't matter. "I just want Zim!"
"What on irk is wrong with you? You'd give up all that just to keep some idiot defective?"
The guard was frustrated. He didn't. Understand what dibs problem was. Who the hell wouldn't make that swap?
"I don't care I'm not giving up Zim."
Hopefully, if he was right, they wouldn't dare fire upon them for risk of harming Zim. He was wrong. The guard looked at the end of his tether, and regardless of orders, he wanted to make Dib suffer.
"Have it your way" the guard said and cut the transmission.
Dibs His heart hammered in his chest. He had to go right now. He set the spittle runner to full speed and was thrust back in his seat by the acceleration. Although he had a head start, His ship could only go 6wk. His pursuers could go 8wk. It wouldn't be long before they caught up to him.
His mind raced as he checked the ammunition. The spittle runner only had small guns. He was so screwed. A missile brought up the rear, threatening to slam into the ship. Dib pulled he ship up in the Nick of time. It missed by inches and whizzed past, smashing into the side of one of the other ships. It exploded, flames blossoming silently against the stars.
That was it. Dib only had one chance to defeat them. He couldn't use his tiny weapons against them, but he could use them against each other.
He had to make sure they aligned perfectly. He only had one shot at this.
They were coming in close now, one ship on either side of him.
"Please God let this work," he said gritting his teeth.
They pulled in closer. Closer. They were flying parallel to the spittle runner. Dib saw the missiles almost before the computer registered them on the sonar. He pulled the spittle runner straight up out of the direct collision course.
The explosion beneath him was huge. It sent the spittle runner careening violent upwards, along with rubble and flames. The ship rocked madly before spining further and further from the explosion. Dib struggled with the controls, eventually stabilizing the ship. It had worked. He sat back in his chair and took a few juddering breaths. There was a small rustling behind him.
"You couldn't fly even if you were a disgusting earth pigeon."
Dibs neck snapped round so fast he almost got whiplash. Zim was sitting up in the small bed, looking pale, but much much better.
For a moment Dib was frozen to the spot. He smiled so wide that it hurt, but he couldn't stop. A deluge of emotions washed over him, but the strongest were happiness and relief.
He scrambled out of his seat toward the bed, and had to be careful not to crash into Zim, who still looked fragile as he pulled him into a hug, arms wrapping as tightly as he dared around Zim's slender frame.
"Don't you dare do that ever again Zim." He said his voice choking up slightly as the inevitable flood of tears welled up behind his eyes, breaking the surface and rolling down his cheeks.
"Get your filthy hands off of me earth boy" Zim said hoarsely.
Dib didn't let go, and Zim made no attempt to push him away. In fact, his fingers curled gently into dibs t-shirt. He breathed in his smell. He'd missed that.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own iz or any of the characters
Alright! I hope you liked this mega long 2 part chapter, I had fun writing it anyway! J
I might be a little busy for a while after this, but I'll try to make sure I update again soon! Hopefully this will keep you all busy for a while. If you want to contact me about the story or updates or anything at all, I run tooot-sweet dot tumblr doc com.
I just want to say thank you to everybody who has ever left a review on my story so far, you guys are the reason I've been updating so much!
ill see you guys soon, and if you like it, please review!
Mia out~