A/U: Ignore my constant copying and pasting, but don't ignore the fact that I updated the story twice in one night!
~X~
When he awoke, the first thing he noticed was that something was wrong. He didn't know what at first, so he just lied there--eyes closed--trying to pinpoint the issues.
His heart beat had dramatically accelerated. That was one thing, but he had no chest pain or shortness of breath that would accompany such a fast beat.
His clothes was softer, cooler. And was he wearing gloves?
He flexed his fingers. Why was he wearing gloves?
He opened his eyes and was stunned. Everything looked bigger. The machine around him appeared enormous! And there was someone behind him. He heard their calm breath and the rustle of clothes as the other briefly moved.
Zim.
He rolled over weakly, preparing to confront the Irken as best he could in this impaired and tired state. What had he done to him? What did that machine do?
He turned coming face to face with...
Himself?
What the hell?
He was unconscious, at least the other Dib was. He was also bigger than himself. Taller. He lay there, looking at himself, speechless, and effectively thoughtless.
Then the other Dib opened his eyes. Confusion was evident.
And they stared at one another, motionless, as if waiting for the other to move. The stare down was over quickly when the other Dib's eyes widened and he looked down at his hands in shock.
Curiosity peaked, the real Dib looked down at his own hands. His rapidly beating cardiac muscle beat ever faster at the sight. He idly wondered how he wasn't having a heart attack with such a fast pulse rate.
It took the boy little time to realize what was wrong.
His gloved hand had only three fingers.
Duel screams echoed throughout the alien base as the two entities discovered the function of the machine.
Sitting up, Dib tentatively lifted his hand up to his head. He jerked forward, gasping in surprise at the sudden, overwhelming, tingling sensation when his fingers brushed up against the perked antennae atop his head.
He lowered his hand and set his gaze upon his double who was also now sitting. "What happened?" He exclaimed. His hands flew to his mouth when the voice that came out of it was not his, but Zim's.
'Dear God,' he thought, 'I'm an alien!'
But worse than that, he was Zim and Zim was-
Oh for the sake of all things mysterious and spooky! Crazy, maniacal, evil, alien Zim was in his body! What horrors and damage the invader could evoke on him!
"You better get out of my body!" Dib screamed, stunned by how much he sounded like his host body. Even the sentence seemed like something the Irken would say.
He squeaked softly at the unfamiliar feeling of sensitive antennae folding back in hostility against his scalp.
"This is all your fault, Dib!" Zim sneered, Dib's voice coming out from his mouth. It was absolutely bizarre being addressed to by himself. "You stupid, meddling human."
"I would watch your mouth, Zim." Dib remarked. "You're the human now."
Zim growled, human eyes narrowed, at a loss for words. He shakily brought himself to his feet, unaccustomed to the sudden increase in height and weight. After stumbling about for several moments, Zim composed himself.
"Now what do we do?" Dib asked, standing up. Suddenly he tumbled backwards, the weight of "his" PAK almost sending him back to the ground. He managed to regain his footing and quickly adjusted to the machine on his spine. "Can you turn us back?"
"Of course I can!" Zim proclaimed. "What do you take me for? A fool!"
'Yes,' Dib thought bitterly, but thought better than to say anything aloud.
"I just have to recharge the device! Ingenious!" Zim turned to the control panel.
Only to find a gaping hole in the control panel and a certain robot eating its inner mechanisms.
"GIR!" Exclaimed a horrified Zim. "What are you doing? Have you gone mad!"
Gir giggled. "Maybe..." he droned shoving several wires in his mouth, slurping them up like spaghetti.
"Go watch that infernal monkey on the tee-vee!" The once extraterrestrial ordered, pointing in the direction of the elevator.
"Monkey!" The insane android cried, blasting off towards the lift, a trail of white smoke trailing behind him. The sound of metal screeching and electric crackling filled the air, before a heavy silence filled the room.
"Now what, Space-Boy?" Dib asked, more than a little annoyed at their current situation. "How long do you suppose this will take to fix?" The teen gestured towards the sparking hole in the control panel.
"I don't know!" Zim cried, peace skin flushed. "Computer," he turned to the ceiling. "How long will this mess take to clean up?"
"Approximately one month," The deep, faceless voice said. "Maybe more considering the current demand for the rarer parts."
"What!" Dib cried, antennae shooting up in alarm. He cringed at the feel of air rushing past the sensitive stalks. He would never get used to that. He swiftly composed himself. "Advanced alien technology, thousands of years ahead of mankind, and it takes over a month to fix a computer!"
"Listen you ignorant human," the computer suddenly snapped. "Shipping packages across the galaxy doesn't take a day. You humans take days to do the same thing across only a few miles."
"Whatever, jerk," Dib mumbled under his breath.
"Even though you are in my master's body, I am not afraid to hurt you."
"Do not damage my body or Zim will have you shut down!" Zim threatened.
"Grr," the computer grumbled. " Yes, sir."
Dib suddenly smirked. An evil smirk that didn't look out of place on his--Zim's--body. He had an idea. "Hey Zim!" He called, watching as the alien turned to face him, and then promptly poked himself in the eye. Not the best idea, for the pain was less than pleasant, but Zim's face was priceless. A humorous combination of horror and anger.
"Do not blind Zim you filthy human, or I'll cut off your arms!" Zim screamed, flailing his human arms to greater emphasize his threat.
"You better not, you alien scum!"
"I will!"
"Ugh!" Dib exclaimed.
"The Dib's trying to cough up my organs!"
"I'm not-" Dib sighed. "You know what. Threatening each other isn't going to help us get back to normal. I say we propose a truce. No fighting, no hurting each others bodies, and no plans to rule the world."
"Your crazy!" Zim accused. "I'm not going to let your filthy body get in the way of the mission!"
"Listen," the teen reasoned, "Once we get back to normal, the truce won't matter anymore. Unless you want me to go home and take pictures of myself to expose you..."
"Grr," Zim grumbled, eyebrows pinching together. "Fine."
Dib held out his three fingered hand. Reluctantly, Zim extended his own, human hand. They shook hands, starting a truce and an unforgettable journey.