Chapter Eleven: Meekrob

It was done. Soon, Zim would leave with Anya for Planet Meekrob. And Dib would stay behind to help AJ with making a plan to stop the Irkens from blowing up Earth. "Peace has to be restored to the Universe, one way or the other," AJ had said, his face stern, like he was remembering harder times. So far, everything was set and ready. An Arlian ship was prepared with supplies and weapons. Needless to say, Anya was excited out of her mind to be going. She'd been jumping around all over the place, announcing to everyone she saw that she was going on a dangerous mission. Now she was waiting impatiently in the ship, calling to AJ through the speakers once in a while begging to get going. Now it was time...time for plans to be set into motion.

They were outside the loading bay, out of earshot of everyone else. Anya's words had spread around and now everyone tended to give them space when they could. Which was completely annoying, it wasn't like they were going to die or anything. Dib refused to look at Zim, refused to acknowledge his presence. And Zim just fiddled with straps on his uniform, still not looking at anyone else, either. A five minute time limit was announced, to which they could hear Anya celebrating. But it just made everyone else a little edgier. "I guess I'll see you when you get back," Dib muttered. Zim didn't say anything. "I'll see you later..." Dib said more insistently, willing Zim to say something.

"Dib..." Zim sighed with a tone that told Dib exactly what Zim was thinking.

"No," Dib demanded, "No. You're coming back. That's why Anya's going. So that you'll come back." He could feel tears coming on but pushed them back. He couldn't help it now, he had to look at Zim, to know whether this was real.

"...Dib..." Zim whispered.

"You're too smart to not come back. You'll outsmart the Meekrob and come back," Dib pleaded.

"That's not true. There's a reason the Irkens never took over Meekrob, Dib," Zim told him.

"...But you're different..." Dib said, starting to lose the energy to fight this.

"You're smart, Dib. Use that to make it...Use that to live," Zim said quietly, eyes not leaving the floor.

"...I won't live if you don't come back..." Dib whispered. The two minute mark was announce.

"This is war, Dib...we can't pretend it isn't dangerous. It's just safe to assume-"

"Assume what? That you're already dead?" Dib asked angrily.

"Yes."

"You're...you're dead..." Dib whispered, not able to grasp that concept. Now Zim looked up into Dib's eyes, and he could see it, see the reality. This really was war now."...I don't hate you..."

"I never hated you," Zim said with a sad smile. "But this has to end...we have to end it..."

"...I know...it's just..." Dib struggled for words. He didn't want Zim to go, but he knew there was no choice in the matter, this had to be done. "At least kill a whole bunch of them for me."

"Of course," Zim promised.

"Zim!" AJ called from the ship. "Let's go!"

"...Bye," Dib mumbled, brushing his fingers against Zim's as he walked past.

"Bye..." Zim whispered, sliding his fingers through Dib's, interlocking for just a moment before going over to where AJ was. Dib turned for a moment to see Zim getting in the ship and left, not looking back again. He knew what he had to do now.

...

"I can't believe it! A mission!" Anya exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. "I'm so excited!" Zim sat next to her in the round pod and started the engines. "Aren't you excited!" Anya asked.

"No..." Zim said strongly, not looking at Anya. She stopped bouncing a moment and glared at Zim.

"Spoil sport..." Anya muttered.

"Idiot," Zim retaliated. He wasn't in the mood for an overly excited little girl.

"Jerk," Anya growled, good mood completely wrecked now. Forest green met blood red as they glared each other down. "This is gonna be a long mission," Anya sighed, looking away.

...

The applause never ended, the fame, the fortune. After such a long and dreadful life of being used and abused, to hear such flattery made her feel like the princess she now was. She was only a replacement, but it was better than dungeons, so much better. Every now and again, during the parties and world conquering and high life...there would be...flashes. Everything would be okay, normal, the three of them laughing and cheering, drinking expensive imported materials. But then she would suddenly see darkness, grungy walls, flashing angry red eyes, bars, blood all over the stained and dirty floor. She would excuse herself from the room and question what she was doing, living it up with these fools. This wasn't her...not who she was or what she stood for. These tormentors and demons she now drank with and had good times with, how could she? But then she'd hear the laughter and remember her place, and get caught up in the meaningless drama of royalty.

Then they started watching old tapes. First they'd been watching people die hopelessly on Hobo 13...when a certain short Irken not-invader was seen. Tallest Red and Purple thought this view of him using his teammates to survive was too good, and so they brought out old tapes of his calls to the Massive. and it began. The flashes of her past life and thoughts reoccurred more and more often. Soon she wasn't even enjoying herself anymore. She was simply too horrified. It wasn't the tapes, but the Tallest's reactions to them. "Look at that failure, I'm so glad he's finally dead." "How did he die again?" "We sent him on a stupid mission to go kill the Meekrob leader!" "Oh yeaaaaah. How stupid of him!" The tape of him receiving this order was shown too. And she couldn't believe how cruel these 'leaders' were, purposely trying to kill one of their own. Especially a soldier as dedicated as this one. Sure he messed up a lot, well, all the time. But he could be trained. He could have beensomething. But now he was gone...destroyed by these fools. This simply had to come to an end.

"A party?" Purple inquired.

"Oh yes, a fabulous party. All the best are invited," She told them, "Actually, it's a party just for you too."

"Just us?" Red asked.

"Yes, just for you. I can't come or I would. Too much to be done over here at the Massive, you know," She lied, "Um...snacks to be ordered and such."

"Oh, that. We understand, Kita. Too bad," Purple said, entering the pod ship.

"Yeah, you're the life of the party," Red told her, following Purple.

"Oh believe me...I know," she said with a smile, "Have a good time." She waved at them and closed the ships doors. "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner," She said to herself.

She headed to the main room of the Massive and looked out at the galaxies in front of her through the windows. So much to do now. So much damage to repair.

...

The small pod they rode in was too small for them to really avoid each other, so they sat in uncomfortable chairs side by side. The hatch in front of them didn't provide a very large or spectacular view. For the most part they were surrounded by pointless equipment as well as crappy weaponry and tech below that of humans. It was a bit amazing that they even made it into space. The true reason Arlia was never under attack by Irkens wasn't the treaty, but the fact that they were never under war and thus had basically no weaponry worth taking. Sure they had some cool technology and architecture, but they had enough of that on Irk. So, because of that, the ride was so quiet. Neither of them liked talking. So they just looked out the almost view less window. At least, it was quiet until... "Hey...why do Irkens like killing so much?" Anya asked sarcastically.

"I don't know," Zim answered honestly. That kind of answer didn't satisfy Anya at all.

"Well, why do you love a human?" She asked, staring at Zim.

"I don't know," He said again.

"Why did you volunteer for this mission when you didn't have to?" Anya asked, getting more and more irritated.

"I don't know," He said, shifting his eyes to meet hers. "Why are you so annoying?"

"...I don't know," She said, simply to bug him, which it did. But he refused to show it.

"For this mission you need to be an adult for a while," Zim told her, looking away from her.

"I am an adult," She said strongly, offended by his words. She sat back in the chair and looked out the window. "...But, what do you mean...?" She asked, curiosity winning out.

"This is gonna be a difficult mission...try not to die, and don't get angry at the Meekrob," Zim warned her, it was best to let her know what she was in for, after all, Arlians were even more unfamiliar with war than humans.

"Of course I'm gonna try not to die," Anya said, peeved that she was told something like that. "And why would I be mad at them? They've never done anything to me...I'm not emotionally involved." She sat there a moment, glancing strangely at Zim. "And you shouldn't be either...seeing how Irkens don't have emotions."

"I have emotions..." Zim defended, "You're just a newbie...so I'm not letting you see them." Anya laughed harshly and glared at him.

"Please. Irkens don't have emotions, you're just lying to try and prove how awesome you are," Anya said, "Which it isn't working."

"I don't have to prove myself to you...Just don't forget the mission...Newbie," Zim said, folding his arms and glaring at the stars outside.

"I won't forget," She mumbled, also glaring outside.

...

"I just can't let him go off by himself like that," Dib mumbled to himself, "If he's gonna go...I'll just follow." Storming down the dark hallways, Dib didn't notice the stranger following him until the dark form was directly in front of him. "What the hell...?" This person was so familiar...

"Finally we meet..." The man hissed, a crooked grin broke out on his face as he chuckled lightly. "Do you know how much I endured to be here...?"

"...no...But I'm sure I don't care," Dib said harshly. This man was standing in his way, preventing him from being with Zim. The man stepped forward into the light and Dib saw his face...saw this person. "What the...who are you...what are you?"

"That's what I'd like to know," The clone replied. He was so identical, almost an exact copy of Dib. He seemed a bit banged up though. "But since I don't know what I am...I think I'll just take your place. If my information is correct, you're Dib, from Earth, into the paranormal, sister Gaz, deceased, and you yourself are about to be deceased as well. But don't worry," He flashed a grin, "I'll be here to take your place."

"Wha...no. Hell no!" Dib yelled. Whatever force created this thing, he sure wasn't going to let it kill him and take over. This was like some bad horror movie from the nineties

"Oh, you don't have a choice poor Dibby. You see, I'm simply one hell of a clone. I'm the stronger Dib. Time for you to be euthanized," Now the clone almost teared up, "Just like poor companion cube." He sniffed and lunged towards Dib.

[The number you are dialing has been disconnected. Please call again later for this epic fight scene. ... This just in, the line has been cut. Forever. No fight scene for you. Too bad.]

Dib, the real Dib, stood over the twitching body of his clone. He wasn't dead, just unconcious. Walking off, he planned on just leaving the body there for someone to find. "Wait..." He stopped and glanced back at he clone. "If someone finds him...it...they'll think that thing is me. Crap...I'll just have to take it with me."

Tying up the bastard had been the easy part, what was hard was dragging him all he way to the ship and into the cargo. Then there was dealing with Gir and the Computer. "MasUTAH!" Gir shouted, then he caught sight of the clone. "Bu...wha..." He kept glancing back and forth between Dib and the clone before his head popped off and rolled on the floor.

"Hm...that was easy," Dib muttered, shoving the clone into a small storage compartment and locking it.

"It seems you have a clone problem," The Computer commented. "I knew this would happen."

"You knew a crazy ass clone would show up and try to kill me? And you knew I would lock him up in a closet?" Dib asked, taking off, heading for Planet Meekrob.

"...Maybe not in so many words. But I knew Gir stole some of your DNA and handed it off to some crazy computer with cloning abilities," The computer replied.

"...And you didn't tell me?" Dib yelled, looking up at where, he thought, the computer lied.

"...You never asked," It said, seeming to like being difficult and mean.

"How Irken of you," Dib commented.

"I was made on Irk, you know. Not really an insult," It remarked.

"Whatever..." Dib pouted, "Anything else you haven't told me because I didn't ask?"

"Well...Gir poured maple syrup all over your bed and then covered it with feathers, in case you were wondering," The Computer said.

"...Isn't that just great..." Dib muttered, still pouting.

INTERMISSION:

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INTERMISSION OVER:

Heavy metal music pounded into Dib's ears. It was just barely enough to drown out the sound of the clone yelling and complaining. He was thankful that Gir wasn't able to undo the lock on the closet, or he'd have to lock Gir up, too. Gir probably wouldn't have minded that, though. Gir was so nice...unlike his master, Zim. Well, he wasn't mean exactly...just...why did he always go off and do things like this? Why couldn't they just live happily?

A memory from long ago surfaced. When Gaz had just become the leader of Earth and started to engage in war against other planets. Zim tried to tell him about this...he tried to stop Dib from going to earth. If only he'd listened. None of this would be happening. Gaz would probably still be dead, but she was probably fated to die just by being leader of Earth. Deep down...Zim just wanted peace...and Dib forced him to fight...they lost so many people now in such horrible ways...

Just as Dib was starting to linger in depressing thoughts, a flashing on the dashboard distracted him. They were approaching the planet. It was huge and blueish. The whole planet was simple one color, no oceans or seas, one whole continent. The swirling clouds of the planet were ominous and threatening. Dib almost conisdered leaving, but Zim was bound to be somewhere on this planet, so he was going to find that idiot and bring him home.

...

The planet of Meekrob was a dreary place. Bluish smog made up the atmosphere and hid the planets features from view. As they landed though, giant stone fish could be seen jutting from the ground.

"Wow!" Anya exclaimed with her face pressed against the hatch window.

"Move your ass, I need to see to land," Zim muttered, nudging Anya out of the way. She glared at him but moved.

"Where is he, our little prince?" Anya asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, probably deep within the planet," Zim mumbled, thinking his whole plan over.

"How do we find out?" Anya asked. She was still skeptical of Zim's 'soldier abilities' when it came to missions.

"I have a source," Was all Zim would say about it.

All was silent as the ship settled, both thinking about the mission and how it would go. The calm before the storm. Literally. Once the hatch was opened, a gusting wind broke over them, shrieking and calling. It was loud visually as well. Dust and mist was blown everywhere, even into the ship; the barest outlines of the stone fish could be seen.

"Those fish are land markers...to find a way through the mist!" Zim called through the loud haze.

"Where is it we're going?" Anya yelled back, following Zim out of the ship, supplies in hand. Any rebellion she still held towards Zim leader her was lost when she realized just how different this planet was from Arlia.

"We have to follow the fish until we reach the Seas of Red," Zim informed, squinting to see the stone creatures beyond the flying dirt and smog.

"Why didn't we just land at wherever it is we're going in the first place?" Anya asked skeptically.

"Land anywhere else and we would have gotten shot down," Zim said grimly.

That stunned her into silence for a while. Anya thought about whether a whole planet of people could really shoot down travelers before even learning who they are. Maybe other planets weren't as peaceful as Arlia was... It seemed to take forever to reach the stone figures, they were much farther away than she anticipated. Much time passed with only the howling wind, the dust that filled their vision, and the sight of stone fish about to leap out of the ground, but anchored to the earth by the tail fin.

"See that fish there?" Zim called out as they neared the closest stone to them. Anya nodded. The view of the fish was become clearer as they neared it. "It's one reason the rest of the Universe doesn't associate with the Meekrob." His statement sparked Anya's curiosity. She thought that logically, since the Meekrob were against Irkens that other planets were friendly with them.

Wind whistled through them, caking them with dirt as they neared the statue coming out of the ground that towered so far above them, larger than she dreamed it would be. They were closer now and there was less dirt blocking the view now. She peered closely at the statue and tried to make out the details. It wasn't completely gray like the dirt. Parts of it were muted colors. Colors she thought may have been brighter if the stormy winds hadn't eroded them so much. Reds and yellows like a sunrise were blotched around the base and trailed halfway up. Near the top where the fish's mouth opened, there were blue and green stains. It seemed like some sort of tribal paint from long ago. Which seemed fitting to Anya, given the abandoned atmosphere and blistering winds.

Spikes could be seen protruding from the statue, but the Arlian had no idea why. There were objects surrounding the spikes and colored blotches like barnacles, but they were the same color as the sand against the colors so she couldn't see what they were. "What is that?" Anya asked, pointing at the stone fish still a ways from them.

"You'll see," Zim sighed, just moving on. The small objects were becoming more and more clear as they came closer and the dirt in the air became thinner. The whistling was less now and it almost seemed calm. But the figures on the fish were definitely not a calm sight. Each stake was at least ten feet long and a foot thick. The stakes were grimy and grungy, like they'd once been soaked in something disgusting tens of years ago. But the stakes weren't even the worst part. The barnacle-like objects were all different. Many of them were long and thin, others were oddly shaped, round and had smallish holes in them. It took much staring for Anya to connect the shapes and stakes with what Zim had said.

"Oh!" Anya cried out miserably. Zim only nodded without looking at her or the stone. "They're...those are...Dear Arlia...they're bones..." Anya whispered. The wind was just barely blowing now that they were so close to the huge statue, they blocked the wind and provided some cover from the dirt that was still flying around.

"...You're not in peaceful little Arlia anymore, Dorothy," Zim muttered. Anya would have asked why she was called Dorothy, but she was still too horrified at the sight of scattered bones stuck to the stones. Age old blood coating the stakes and faded on the sandy stone from who knows how many alien species. She suddenly regretted being so eager to come here.

...

The dark blue planet loomed before him, holding so many possibilities. But before Dib could even get close to the atmosphere, a huge black ship blocked the planet from view. "Who.." It wasn't any ship he recognized. A huge light poured in from the black ship and covered Dib's ship completely. Suddenly they weren't in space anymore. Dib wasn't even in his ship anymore. He was standing in a huge, dark room filled with piping and computers. Lights flashed all over the screens and clanks and clangs echoed everywhere.

"...told you the Tardis would come in handy..." someone said from far away, their voice reverberating throughout the pipes. Tardis, wasn't that The Doctor's ship?

"Hello again," Said a more familiar voice, someone with bright blue hair.

"What do you want? Where am I? And why?" Dib asked all in one breath, angrily looking around the room.

"Just a chat or two, honestly," The blue haired man said, his face appearing on the screens. He sneered and looked at Dib as if he were some rat about to be tortured.

It seemed to take hours to surpass the last stone fish in view, though the actual time that passed eluded Anya as they walked. One thought that kept recurring, (Only due to their close proximity and the fact that he was the only object within her viewing range thanks to the high winds and sand blocking her view of anything else she was sure) was that Zim's butt was so tight and cute. Dib was so lucky to have that ass at his disposal. Not that she was attracted to green Irken-scum. Of course not. But as she let her mind wander to pass time, her thoughts always came back to this subject. Because it was just there. Right in her sight! It was impossible not to ponder it.

Anya once again let her eyes drift, scolding herself the whole time. But nevertheless…

And he turned around! Now her eyes snapped up to Zim's face as he yelled to her. They were almost there. She could just barely make out. She smiled in response, too embarrassed about her previous thoughts to attempt speaking, especially over such loud wind. Zim took it and kept going past the last stone fish. Anya concentrated hard on not looking at the gory sights as she had been doing since the first one. It was just too much.

After walking for a while after that, the barest mound was visible on the horizon, but only just. Zim pointed and looked back, Anya nodded. So they were headed to this mound? She wondered what it was. She also wondered if there was a shower there. There was sand crammed in places Anya didn't tried not to think about. She simply felt dirty all around, as dirt covered her every being. Anya wondered if Zim also felt the same way or if he was comfortable with all the dirt and grime. She wouldn't ask. It would be awkward…and life she cared anyway! What did it matter if the Irken liked dirt? He probably rolled in crap every night and bathed in filth. Dumb dirt loving Irken.

-Zim's thoughts at that moment-

For Dib. For Dib. For Dib For Dib ForDibForDib. Only for Dib. And Earth. And Miz. Only for Dib would Zim subject himself to such filth and disgust. The impulsive need to clean was so overwhelming. If only he had a hazmat suit. But then the outside of the suit would get dirty. Ew. But then he'd be so clean. Yes. Ech. Ew. Covered in so much…junk filled with…germs. He shuddered at such a notion and quickly thought of something else. Dib. For Dib. For Dib. For Dib. All for Dib.

And besides. They were almost there. Almost.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Dib asked, yelling loudly enough that his voice reverberated off the pipes on the walls and echoed down where he guessed a passageway was.

"I'm sure you've heard of the prophecy?" Kaito asked cruelly. "The Meekrob want to kill you themselves, but I think I'll be doing them a favor by killing you for them." A sharp and nearly insane laughter began to come from down the hallways, the voice didn't belong to Kaito. "And don't you worry about that lover of yours, I made sure he won't be coming to your rescue."

"Y-You're lying!" Dib yelled.

"Maybe I am, but maybe I'm not," Kaito teased, laughter edging his voice like a rugged blade.

Frustrated, Dib ran into the dark corridor, adrenaline pushing aside any fear or logic. Halfway down the corridor, there came a tick sound. Four beats and a pause. Four beats. Pause. Four beats. Pause. The further Dib got, the louder the sound became. Until it was a terribly loud banging sound that pushed the edges of Dib's sanity. The hall just kept going, passing by pipes and cords that stuck to the walls and ceiling like they were a part of them. Finally the pulsing four-beat stopped and so did Dib. He'd reached a door with so many symbols etched into its front that many of them overlapped each other, making much of the door indecipherable. The markings were all foreign to Dib, but he knew it probably wasn't good. Definitely not good.

Just as his hand was about to touch the door knob, a mad, jarring laughter erupted from everywhere. Dib's hand froze in mid-air and he didn't dare breath for the duration of the insane, desperate laughing, or for a few moment after either in the eerie silence that followed. Dib took a deep breath and opened the door.

...

After the agonizing few moments that it took Zim to remember the password and convince the doorman that he was who he was, which wasn't all that hard, considering how well known Zim was as the Irken dumbass, the two of them stumbled into the hut and all but fell to the floor panting.

"Yeah, those winds can be a bit harsh, huh?" A tall man in a pinstripped suit called out.

"A bit?" Zim and Anya both yelled, still catching their breath.

"Heh, heh. Yup," He said, "I guess you'll be wanting entrance to the city, then?" The man asked. He gestured to a porthole that slanted on the corner of the floor and the wall.

"Yes," Zim answered simply, such a small answer from him was unusual, and the tall man's expression revealed his curiosity at the small reply.

"Would you like the shower first? The Meekrob can't smell, but I'm sure it would be much more comfortable," The tall man asked.

"Ye-"

"No," Zim said, cutting Anya off. She glared at him and he glared right back.

"Unusual," The man remarked, "Does this mean you'll be causing chaos to the city?" He asked, a hopeful, sinister grin adorning his lean face.

"Yes," Zim said with an equally sinister look. The two men shared a look of evil intintions that made Anya shiver and wonder what these two had done in 'the city' before.

...

...

..

A/N Sorry for being so late again. School sucks. But I have a laptop now and the next chapter is already in the process of being completed and will probably be up...in a week or so. I can never predict these things. Please enjoy and the next chapter will be more awesome! Thanks for reading. I think probably the next chapter will be the last one, ever. :)

Please review! Or don't. It's all good.