A/N: Hello, everyone, here's chapter nine. I know I said I'd update sooner, but sooner never came. I had exams and a report to write. I've finished for the summer, and now I'm off. There is no excuse for abandoning this story now. But to tell you the truth, I hate rushing things. So if I'm slow to update it will be because I'm trying to write a thought-out chapter. I'm taking advantage of the time off as much as I can. I'll shut up now, and just let you read.
Disclaimer: Seriously now, I've run out of ways to say how I don't own this show. I like ponies, kittens and Disney movies. This cartoon came from the mind who created Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Need I go on?
...
The air was hot, thick and stuffy once Zim came to. He opened his eyes and met a harsh, artificial light.
Once his vision adjusted, he opened his eyes again to their full size, and sat up to look at his surroundings.
He was sitting in a globe-like structure in a room that seemed familiar. It wasn't until his head fully came back from the land of dreams that he realised it was his lab. He was still inside his dome which the computer trapped him in like an insect. His head started spinning.
Zim had woken before and left the dome, but only to collapse half way across the room. Had it been a dream within a dream? That would explain why the door to the dome opened by itself. But who's to say he wasn't dreaming now? Was he just going to keep waking and waking to no end?
He stood to his full height, only to get head rush from moving too quickly. Now little lights floated around his peripheral vision.
A memory resurfaced in his clouded mind. The pictures, at first, were hazy, like looking through a fogged window. But then her face appeared, looking vibrant and lively in lush green woodland.
"Molly!"
He scrambled about the dome, trying to find a way out. It couldn't have been a dream. His own subconscious never would have conjured up something so sweet and lovable, and beyond his imagination.
By now with his raised temperature and the harsh, bright lights that shone on him like a torch, he was boiling up inside that fish bowl. Plus, he was still feeling a bit meh because of his cold.
It was an odd sensation, waking after he had already woken in his dream. Once again he felt dehydrated, and needed a drink to quench his dry, parched mouth.
He waited until his head stopped spinning, then pounded on the glass for the computer's attention.
"Computer, let me out of here, now! This is your final warning."
Zim waited patiently, until the computer finally resurfaced.
"Oh, I almost forgot about you for a second." The computer's voice was laced with sarcasm, which Zim recognised perfectly.
"Huh, yeah, I bet you did. Now let me out!"
"Fine, I guess you have had enough time in there. I suppose five hours have cleared that head of yours. You seem more relaxed and sane now."
"Five hours?! You said you were only going to keep me in here for three. Wait until I get my hands on you, you worthless piece of—"
"Ugh, I take that back. You're still as crazy as ever."
Zim cleared his throat. "Okay, computer, I promise not to go mad and insane. Just let me out already. I'll even let you off with a warning."
"Sure, whatever, but as long as you promise to stop being… well, you. I prefer this new and composed Zim."
"The longer you keep me in here waiting, then I can't promise to let that Zim stay..." Zim eyed the area where he thought the computer was with a wicked gleam.
The computer obliged, and opened the door to the dome as Zim walked—or more less staggered—out of the cool, breezy opening, letting out a sigh.
"Now I know what it's like to sit inside an oven. Don't ever pull another trick like that, computer, because you won't get off so easy next time."
"Then it's a deal, or whatever… I don't care."
Zim waved the computer away to show how bored he was of talking to him, and then made his way up. He hesitated to ask the computer a question, but let it be. He got to about five steps to the elevator until he finally gave in.
"Um… computer?"
"What?"
"Did a… little girl pass through here at any time while I was in the dome?"
"You're still on that? I thought you were over your madness. No, I haven't seen a human child. Now stop asking me."
"Oh, okay… Wait! You don't have eyes, anyway. You couldn't have—"
"Oh, I see all, master Zim. Now go away. I'm sick of looking at you. Get it? Looking at you?"
Zim released a guttural growl, and walked towards the elevator. As expected, no sign of little robots or meese (the plural for moose is 'moose', but it's left at 'meese' for a reason) once he reached the kitchen.
He stopped before the couch and looked around his Earth dwelling, noticing how he sort of make-shifted everything, never putting much thought into it, really. It was like an interior designer's worst nightmare. Even Zim just noticed those garish posters for the first time.
"What was I thinking? "I Eat Food?" Such nonsense! And that "I love Earth" sign has to go out front. It's just too... obvious. I suppose the green monkey portrait can stay. It's actually kinda cute... What has brought all this sudden change? It's not like I'm staying on this planet. I'll be destroying it one day, soon enough."
"What's important now is finding her again... Molly. If it wasn't a dream, that is. I hope it wasn't."
"Um, Molly? Come out, little human spirit, don't be shy. Zim likes you now, so there's no reason to be afraid."
Only silence greeted him.
"I knew it! It wasn't real. Why does my subconscious yearn for her presence? Well, life goes on, I guess."
Zim walked over to the fridge and grabbed a can of poop, and slugged it down.
Next, he detected something small in the corner of his eye, peeking out through a crack in the wall. He turned his head as it ducked back inside. He saw enough of it to know it were a mouse with its round ears and beady eyes.
Zim crushed the can of poop inside his gloved hand. Now he had a rodent infestation. How dare that Earth mouse invade his home! Why, he should use it as a test subject, and then switch its brain with another subject … Wait, he already did that experiment...
"Lisa! I left her in the lab all by herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid Zim!" he yelled, waking his forehead.
He threw the can of poop on the floor, and ran down to his lab to find his pet human. But she was nowhere in sight. She probably escaped, which is his own fault. If she was exposed, he would be too, and then where would that leave him? He didn't dare think about it.
Like grating music to his ears, he heard a familiar gnawing sound, and turned around to find the rodent-minded beauty chewing on a wire.
"There you are! Don't ever scare your master like that!"
She looked up at him then with large, stupid eyes, and with slight protruding teeth like a beaver. Her teeth were still remarkably white, regardless.
"Aw, I can't stay mad at my favorite test subject," he cooed, rubbing beneath her chin.
Lisa sniffed at his head and then started chewing on an antenna. Zim didn't mind much, even when her saliva dripped over his green scalp.
Her lead and collar were still attached, which she must have gnawed off the table, because the lead was shorter with a fringed edge. Could it have been desperation? Those white gnashers did look pretty strong...
He pulled her towards her cage and placed her inside. "Be a good mouse-brained human now, and stay."
She just sat there, staring at him vacantly with her giant, brown eyes. Eerily enough, they did resemble the mouse's smaller eyes in the kitchen...
Zim got fed up with her glazed expression, and walked away before she drove him insane. So much company she was.
His mind went back to Molly. No matter how hard he tried to forget her, she always found a way back into his brain. He missed her already, even though he only spoke to her for five minutes. She was just so sweet. Few beings he knew were.
She was such a rarity amongst all kinds of creatures, whether they were Irken, human or whatever else. It couldn't have been a dream. It was too vivid. Not like a typical Irken's dream one bit.
"She has to be somewhere, even if it is just inside my head..." he said, sadly.
Zim felt the tiny, spine-like hairs of his antennae stand on end, and then he sensed that presence watching him from behind. At first, he was frightened, but then he smelled something sweet like fresh woodland air, which triggered a pleasant memory.
"Who's that pretty lady?"
Zim spun around upon hearing that pealing voice.
Standing there, just as lifelike as she was in his dream, was the girl, Molly. She stared up with those curious blues, and then settled them on Lisa in her cage again.
The Irken stared, speechless. His large, pink eyes grew twice their size, and then he felt the goose flesh prick his skin.
He wasn't sure whether to be afraid or overjoyed. Had they not made a truce in those woods? Well, he thought they did, in his dream. This was all messed up.
"Well, who is she?"
"Um... she... she's my experiment."
"Why's she in a cage?"
"Because... because that's where I put her... Look, so are you here to stay, for good? I haven't forgotten about our agreement. I'm still prepared to help you with... well, whatever it is you 'ghosts' need help with."
"Ghosts?"
"Well, that's what you are, aren't you?"
"But... ghosts are dead..."
Zim face-palmed. It was no good trying to explain the situation. She can't be that clueless not to realise what's going on.
"It's probably best not to get too 'technical,' but you must know, by now, that something about you is different?"
"I guess so," she said, sadly.
"So, you do understand?" he asked, leaning in closer.
She nodded glumly. Zim sighed in relief.
"Phew, I thought I was going to have to explain it to you there."
He saw her sad face, which turned his smile crooked. "Uh, it's not so bad. You can haunt people and stuff now. I know, let's scare the Dib! I just want to see the look on his face..." Zim's smile curved into a sneer. "Would you be willing to haunt a large-headed boy?"
"No, I don't want to scare anyone, and I don't want to be scary!"
"All right, I'm sorry I asked." This was Zim's lair where only he's allowed to shout!
"And saying someone has a large head isn't very nice."
"Ha, that's a good one!"
It turned awkward and silent between then next.
Zim decided to break the ice, and finally approached the girl.
He stood in front of her as she looked up at him, strangely, wondering what he was going to do. He put his fingers across his chin, studying her form. Then after sometime he stuck his hand out, and poked her in the eye.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"Wait! My hand didn't go through you like in those Earth movies. Fascinating." Zim walked around her.
"You're weird, and you're making my eyes go dizzy. Can we play a game? I'm bored."
"No, I must find out what you're made of. Are you real or just air? Why are you solid? My superior brain meats can't comprehend this phenomenon."
"Hehe, you talk silly."
"Silence, child, this is for science!" Zim pointed a finger in the air.
He grabbed a lock of her hair, inspecting each strand carefully.
"Heh, like woven gold... If I could just take one strand from your mane, then I'll put it under the microscope and see exactly what you are made of. Do you have DNA? You may as well be alive. You're not cold like the empty vacuüm of space anymore."
"Can we go to space? You're an alien, so you can take me to the moon! Please, Zim?" She clasped her hands, fluttering her eyes lovingly. It didn't work.
"The moon's nothing but a giant ball of dust, filled with craters. Why would you want to see that wasteland?"
"Well I like the moon, and I think it's pretty. And I don't wanna play your boring science game. I wanna be an astronaut!"
"Foolish Earth-child, do you really think space travel is a game? Piloting is a serious business, you know? Navigating through space and time is hard work. Only the most trained and skilled Irkens can truly master it."
"So you're not a trained and skilled pilot?"
"Oh, no… I mean, yes. Yes I am!"
"But you just said—"
"No I didn't. I said I was a great pil... Your head is stupid!"
Zim stomped off in anger. "Stupid child, she's playing mind games with me now. Well, she won't make a fool out of this Invader...
"I'm sorry, Zim. I'm sorry I upset you and said you weren't a good pilot. You are a good pilot. Please don't be mad at me."
... Ha, listen to her, crying for my forgiveness. That'll show her. I am Zim!"
"Please don't go. I won't ask to play astronaut games anymore. We can play yours."
She trailed behind him as he trudged further into the darkness of the lab.
"You're not going to follow me everywhere, are you? I know we had a deal and all, but Zim needs his space. So go on now, shoo, be gone with you. We can interact later, and talk some more about moons and stars, or whatever."
"But—"
"I said, be gone! If I see or hear you in the next five seconds, then the whole deal's off!"
Zim turned around, assessing the damage of his cruel words. "Oh no..." He watched as her eyes filled with liquid.
"Please, don't cry. That was a little harsh, you did nothing wrong. Let's play a game then, what do you want to play?"
"H-house," she said, sniffling. "I want to play house now."
"House? Heh-heh, no. Besides, I thought you wanted to be an astronaut."
"Nah, I don't wanna play that game now. It's for boys, anyway. Now I wanna play house, and you can be the Daddy, and I can be the Mommy!" She pulled his arm excitedly.
"What? Now we're pretending to be one another's spouse?! This has just gotten a little weird. I didn't sign up for this!" Zim yelled to the ceiling. Well, if one could call a bunch of wires that.
"We just need a baby." She looked around the lab.
Just then, GIR came crashing down through the chute holding a book above his head.
"I've gots a new book about a Hobbit who lives in a hole. Whoohoo!"
"Not now, GIR," Zim muttered, rubbing his fingers along his temples. "GIR, go away. You're not wanted at this moment in time. I already have company. So go and be your stupid self somewhere else."
GIR came to a sudden halt right in front of Molly, as a huge, weird smile spread across his face.
"Who is she? Whoooo issss sheeee?"
"Aw, you have a talking puppy. How cute. I always wanted a talking puppy..."
"Wait... GIR, you can see her?"
"As clear as day!"
"So, I've not been going crazy all this time. You really are real. Haha, I'm sane!" Zim cackled insanely.
"GIR? That's a funny name. What kind of dog is he?"
"Oh, he's a mixture between a mutant green Labrador and a Pomeranian… Wait, he's not a dog, he's a robot."
"A robot?"
"Yes. GIR, reveal your robot self."
"I don't wanna!"
"GIR!"
"Okay."
GIR unzipped as his suit fell down to his cone-shaped feet. "I'm naked! Hurray for nudity!"
Zim shook his head, embarrassed.
"Cool. I want a robot toy, too."
"No, no, no. GIR is not a toy. He's an advanced model, top of the range... thingy. A SIR unit, but he's the best of his kind. He was given specifically to me for this dangerous mission. His idiotic behavior is just a fool-proof disguise. He's really a powerful death machine, you know?"
"Oh… okay. Can he do tricks?"
"Yes I can! Check this out!"
GIR twisted his head clockwise, and when he could twist no more, he finally let go. Now his head spun atop his shoulders, going a mile a minute, and once he stopped, he held his arms out wide, singing, "Ta-da!"
Molly laughed. "He's so funny. Can I keep him?"
"No, GIR belongs to me. However, you're permitted to play with him all you like. Just keep him out of my hair, even though I don't have hair."
Zim walked away, very pleased. At least they both had a new friend, and he could finally be left alone in peace.
"Hello, GIR, I'm Molly. We were gonna play house. Do you wanna play? You can be the baby."
"No, anything but that," Zim pleaded.
It was too late. GIR already heard. Now he smiled up at Molly like he found his true love.
"B-baby...?" GIR began to shake violently, as his head was about to shoot off like a rocket. "Yes!"
And so he lunged for Molly's head to give her a hug, but his metal frame went right through her body, and then he clattered to the floor with a crash.
Molly looked at the little robot surprised, while Zim stopped breathing. It was horribly quiet. GIR didn't make another sound. Zim could hear his blood sloshing around his head, like someone tipped him upside down.
After what felt like an excruciatingly long time, GIR finally sat up, dazed, and looked straight at Molly. He began to scream, making Zim and Molly flinch. It was an awful, high-pitched wailing, like a siren in the dead of night.
"Aaaargh! Aaaargh!"
Molly and Zim covered their ears/antennae to escape his screams.
"Make him stop, make him stop!" Molly cried.
"Ghost! It's a ghost! Aaaargh!"
Zim, unwillingly, let go of his antennae, and marched over to GIR with an air of authority. His screams were even worse at close range, but Zim wouldn't let them sway him.
He knew there was no reasoning with the bot now, so he had to do the only thing he could: deactivate his SIR unit by pressing a tiny sleep button at the back of his head. It was located in a similar area to the brain stem of a human neck.
In doing this, he temporarily killed his robot, which wasn't permanent, but in the meantime all his bodily functions will shut down to reactivate later. It was the only way. GIR would have self-destructed, otherwise, from all that powerful screaming. Zim didn't know what else to do, as he felt a twinge of guilt.
He looked down at GIR's lifeless body. He only just regained control of his breathing when he glanced back up at Molly.
She stared in shock, but then feeling his gaze, she finally looked up. She soon glanced away again, embarrassed. She was too ashamed of herself, feeling guilty and horrible about what she did.
"I… I just wanted to play," she said in a small, shaky voice.
Zim watched her for a moment, but then his eyes fell on GIR's limp body again. "Poor GIR. I could have prevented this."
A small whimper brought his attention back to Molly. His face remained indifferent. He was still hung up on GIR. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't feel sorry for her. All his thoughts went to GIR.
"No one wants to be friends with an ugly, scary ghost like me, " she cried.
Zim looked uncomfortable while she sniffled to herself, trying hard to think of something to say to make her stop.
"Don't be silly. GIR is always like that. It happens all the time. He'll get over it, once he stops being dead..."
Zim looked back at GIR sadly.
"He won't because I'll still be the same ghost. I don't want to be a monster."
She broke down. Zim felt a strange stir in his chest. It must be hard becoming the very thing of your nightmares.
He was speechless. He didn't know how to make her feel better. It's probably best she lets it all out. He would've let her continued crying if her emotions didn't cause him to feel the same remorse.
It was heartbreaking. So much fear, pain and grief all in one. It was hard to decipher which of these feelings were his or hers.
"Don't... don't cry. It's all right. I don't think you're a monster."
"You do, even you were scared of me."
"That wasn't your fault. I kept pushing you away, so you couldn't help how I perceived you. But I like you now. I do."
"I'm sorry I made you take GIR away. I don't want him to go like I did."
"GIR's fine, he's not even a living thing. All I have to do is reactivate him, and he's reborn all over again. Is that why you're upset?"
She gave a small nod.
"I'm not mad at you for that, I'm madder at myself. You're both my responsibility now."
"I wish I could be born again..."
Zim's breath stopped, and then his eyes glistened. It was so sad to hear her say, which broke his heart. It's not like she had a reset button. Her life was cut short. He found himself thinking about her death again. If she had been so young, what could have been the cause?
He approached her again. She was sat on the floor, burying her face into her pink dress. After a few seconds he sat next to her, as they stayed like that for a while.
Eventually, she put her head against his shoulder, while her crying gradually stopped. Her tears left a wet patch on his uniform, which was strangely warm. He didn't know how she did it.
It was odd having someone so close, but surprisingly he wasn't bothered at all. It was rather nice. He looked down at her face, mustering up a bit of courage to speak.
"Do you know when you died, what year, month?"
She shook her head.
"Well, not to worry. I suppose I can do some research."
He tried to find the courage to say the next question on his mind.
"Do you know how you died?"
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned grim, as if a fog just merged between them.
She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked straight ahead. What it was she was looking at, Zim couldn't say. She turned to face him slowly, making him cold all over. The expression in her eyes was so livid and frightful for a young child. He didn't know how to react.
"W-would you care to tell—"
Zim faltered once Molly touched the side of his head, bringing him images he has already seen, and others that were entirely foreign.
They came by in a blur, some happy memories, but other's dark. But one, in particular, startled him, and he opened his eyes.
"Stop, stop!" he screamed, falling back in horror.
Molly stood up and walked away. He breathed heavily, not daring to meet her eyes after what he'd seen. He could never see her the same way.
All that previous hatred and uncertainty was replaced with disgust, but not for her, for something else. Now he knew the answer to his question. He was shaking, as his skin paled to a chalky green.
Her silence disturbed him, and he finally found the courage to look at her again. When he looked up, she had her back to him. He was still sat on the floor. Then after what seemed like forever, she met his gaze.
Her hard expression changed back into one of a sad and frightened child. Zim couldn't bear the look on her face, and he turned away once again.
"You know," he said after sometime, "I always thought that... that I was the villain. I'm sorry, Molly. I can't help you. Get someone else. This is beyond me. I can't... I'm sorry."
He ran out the lab, and never looked back.
Molly watched him leave as her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't cry, because she had to be brave now that she was alone again.
She was about to leave, to disappear into the realm of the dead and never come back, but something purple flew in front of her. It looked like a moose.
It took her entirely by surprise. The thing stared at her with large, bulbous eyes that scared her, but then it smiled at her with its one-tooth, making her feel happy and summery inside. The moose was so cute.
"Squeak," it said. The noise it made startled her.
"I think you're right. The master wasn't going insane after all. I feel so stupid now."
Another voice gave her a start, a booming voice which seemed to come from all around.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"It matters not who I am, child, but who you are… I'm kidding. I'm just the house. Not like I'm important or anything."
"Then who is he?"
"Squeak."
"You're Minnie Moose?"
"Squeak."
"Oh, Minimoose. Sorry I said your name wrong."
"Squeak." English translation: "Don't worry, it's okay."
"Do you know when Zim will be back?"
"I wouldn't worry about him; he'll come back eventually. You gave him quite a scare, and GIR, too, I see. I praise you, child. Both those idiots drive us insane. Well, Minimoose is more tolerant. He actually likes them. I would rather GIR stay unconscious, and for Zim never to return."
"That's awful," Molly gasped.
"Yeah, it is. I'm such an awful, awful machine."
Minimoose scolded the computer with his native squeaking, and reassured Molly that everything will be all right and that Zim just needs some time. Then he floated towards GIR, and pressed his reset button with who knows what — he has those little nubs for limbs, which is odd.
GIR awoke as his eyes changed from a grey to a cyan in a matter of seconds. Then he stood in a dutiful pose.
He saluted. "GIR, reporting for duty. Hehe, doody."
He looked at Molly, and put a robot claw to his chin. Then his eyes suddenly widened in recognition.
"Aaaargh! Ghost! It's the ghost again!"
Minimoose flew over to GIR and knocked his head. It spun until it faced the right way again. "I'm back, baby!" he shouted.
"Why did you have to wake him?"
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. He thinks I'm scary," Molly said.
"It's not your fault. GIR is just an idiot."
"Thank you."
"For what, I was just stating a fact?"
"For being nice to me."
"Oh, okay. You're welcome. Wow, it's different hearing a "thank you" for once."
Minimoose flew over to Molly, and presented his antler to her. She didn't understand at first, but then she grabbed a hold as he offered to show her around the base. Molly was happy again now that she made some new friends.
It was odd that her hand never went through him like it did with GIR. Minimoose just has a certain charm that defies everything.
GIR was left alone in the lab to do his duty, as he bounced around on his head, annoying the heck out of the computer.
…
It was night when Zim found himself at the end of his cul-de-sac, only realising how far he'd run once he stopped. He turned to look back at his warped green house, ominous compared to the drab houses around it.
His house looked tempting in the cold night, inviting him back with its green glow. But Zim held back, determined to go as far as possible from everything he called his own.
So he kept running, not knowing where to go. Eventually, he came upon a street lamp, which left a circle of light on the paved floor below. Zim stopped right beneath the lantern, catching his breath as he grabbed a hold of the pole.
In his hast, he had forgotten to don his wig and contacts, leaving him entirely exposed in his alien form. But he didn't care about any of that now. How could he after what he saw? It made him tremble all over. Those memories kept flashing through his mind, making them harder to forget.
He bent forward, trying to stop the vomit from coming. Despite his best efforts, he failed miserably.
His retching sounds spread far and wide in the silent street, attracting a few residents in nearby homes. One or two curtains parted in bedroom windows, but upon inspecting the source, they merely let it be and slipped back into bed.
The small green figure spewing under the street lamp could just be any old drunk.
After his stomach's final lurch, Zim leaned back against the lamp, releasing warm, heavy breaths. Steam rose up from his vomit.
It was hopeless. What he saw just couldn't be locked away at the back of his mind, because the door would find a way to reopen, and haunt him to no end.
Why did this fall upon his shoulders? He couldn't fathom it. It was beyond anything he'd learnt at the Academy.
Could creatures be that cruel, killing for the sake of it? And that wasn't all, to use the victim for primitive urges ... He shivered, feeling his spooch do another flip.
Zim wasn't the right one for this. Maybe someone with more experience with this kind of stuff should help Molly. Could there be some clairvoyant humans around who could help the little spirit? Suppose a human, being from the same planet, could grasp the situation better than him.
No matter how hard he tried to erase her memories, they always came back. An image he had repressed suddenly came to mind: a man's face looking smooth without a crease in sight.
That warm, cheery mask disturbed him, because underneath there was a demented monster, a true master of disguise.
He pulled on his antennae. The pain kept the images away, as that human face made him sick to his gut.
Zim ran off into the night. He was going to lose it if he couldn't erase those dark, gruesome images from his mind. Would they drive him to the brink of insanity?
He contemplated turning himself in to the Earth authorities, anything that would rid him of this curse. At least they would kill him and it would all be over.
The thought of his death didn't scare him, but only brought him pain and guilt. He couldn't just desert Molly. Not that sweet little girl...
Before he was about to scream and blow his cover, Zim dashed through a bush, and ran to the only place he could think of.
Somewhere among these twisted ape-creatures, was one who was obsessed with the very monsters of his planet.
He was the only person Zim could turn to now.
…
Dib was talking to a dark silhouette with glowing red eyes. The boy looked tired as he kept yawning, annoying the man on screen.
"The evidence you have provided is quite convincing; however, there are a few technical difficulties. The footage is of a low quality, which makes it hard to determine what we are seeing. I'm sorry to say, but it's very disappointing. I expected more from you, agent Mothman."
This alerted Dib at once, as he almost fell out of his chair. "What? I stayed up all night retouching that video. I'll admit, the blurs are a little hard to make out, but it is a ghost. I saw it with my own eyes! So I'm sorry if it's not 'HD', but this is genuine paranormal footage!"
"I have seen a lot of ghost footage in my time, Mothman, and have also experienced many an encounter. I did grow up in a haunted house. Did I ever tell you about the time the Grey Lady saved my life? I was choking in my crib, and she alerted my mother. I owe her a lot... But I'm sorry. It's not strong enough evidence. Though the orbs are impressive, but paranormal research has plenty of floating orbs, which in this case could be regular dust motes."
"I swear there was something there. I saw it move! I always knew ghosts were real and stuff, but after seeing it... Man, there are no words to describe how cool it was."
"I have strong faith in you, but we need more conclusive evidence at the SEN. Agent Nessie himself has just captured an image of the Loch Ness Monster, cleaning her beautiful scales with seaweed. I'll send the file for you to download, shortly."
"Yeah, okay. I'm sorry I wasted your time."
"Now go to bed, agent Mothman. You look like you could do with a good night's sleep. Agent Darkbootie- out." He signed off.
Dib stared for a long time into the blank screen of the computer, irritated by the turn of events. He finally thought this was his big break, but never mind. The ghost wasn't going anywhere for now. He will capture his proof.
He looked at his video recorder then. Maybe he needed to get a new one. The audio was terrible. It didn't even record the scream he'd heard, just GIR's crying and Mary name-calling... Dib had no choice but to remove the audio after. The SEN would ask who Mary was. Dib wasn't even sure himself.
His eyelids started to droop, so he went to brush his teeth. The time on his digital clock read 23: 40. It was getting pretty late. Twelve-year-olds should be in bed by now... well, most of them.
As soon as he finished up in the bathroom, he climbed into bed. But then something tapped at his window. It sounded like a stone.
"Who's that?" he asked. "It must be that mutant cat! It's come back, and now it's throwing stones at my window. Odd. Where's my camera!" Dib looked about his room, and there it was. "A-ha!"
With camera in hand, he opened his window to its fullest, and squinted into the darkness. He could just make out a faint shadow on the lawn. It was making sharp hissing sounds, which almost sounded like his name, but he took if for the hissing of a cat.
"Ugh, the cat has gotten even uglier. Here kitty, kitty, I've got treats!" Dib held a handful of fish-shaped biscuits that smelled of prawns, and threw them at the cat.
The creature made a sound of exasperation.
"Finally, now I can prove to Gaz that the neighbor's cat has mutant powers!"
"Dib, shut up!" Gaz shouted from across the hall.
"Sorry, Gaz!"
"Dib!" a harsh whisper called below.
"Now it's learned my name ... it's evolved. I gotta get a snapshot!"
Dib readied his camera to take a picture of the mysterious being.
"Dib-worm!"
"Now it's starting to sound like Zim. This is just creepy! Wait a minute."
Dib grabbed a flashlight from his shelf, and shone it down on the creature. "Zim?! What are you doing out here, and out of disguise?" Dib started taking pictures of the exposed alien.
"I was going to tell you, Dib, that you left the lens cap on again, but I'll let you have your moment. At least one of us has a reason to be happy," said the voice of Zim.
Dib looked at his camera, and saw that he had, indeed, left the lens cap on. "Ugh, forget it!" He threw the camera on his bed. "I'll get you another time, just after I find my mutant cat."
"I'm not even going to pretend that I just understood a thing from your smelly mouth, Dib-stink!"
"Hey, I just brushed my teeth ... Never mind. So, what are you doing out here? Come to steal more of my vital organs? I'm more prepared now that I've got my trusty armor." Dib knocked his chest as a hard, metallic sound echoed back. "See? You won't harvest anymore of my organs, space slime!"
"No, it's about ... well, do I really need to clarify?"
A cruel sneer played about Dib's lips. "Don't think for a minute I've given up on that yet, Zim. I'm going to find more proof of that thing haunting your house."
Zim felt a strange stir at the way he referred to Molly. It was almost protective. "Don't call her that!" he shouted, surprising himself.
"What?"
He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts together. "Can I come up? I… I had no one else to turn to."
"And why's that?" Dib asked, mockingly.
"It's not really something I can shout up to your window, Dib."
"Afraid the whole street will know about your alien business? Go on, say what you have to say, Zim."
"You know what, forget it! What was I thinking, coming to you for help? You bring Zim nothing but more feelings of frustration, filthy, squirmy, smelly Dib!"
The window next to Dib's opened up, and Gaz's face appeared. She had been passing by in the hall, and heard their stupid voices.
"Why don't both of you chicks shut up! I'm trying to get some beauty sleep."
"Please, Gaz, you were playing with your GS2."
"Fine, but I'm about to beat the final boss, and all I can hear are your stupid voices! So Zim either goes home, or you invite him up, Dib."
"Okay, but next time, mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you."
"It's got everything to do with me if it's my house he's yelling up at, and my game he's ruining!"
"All right, relax. I'll invite him up. Come on up, Zim. You can use your freakish alien spider legs, or something. I don't care."
"Good. Zim, get your alien butt up there, now, and both of you keep the noise down. I don't know what the heck you two are up to lately, but be quiet about it. I'm trying to play my game."
"Gaz, that's not something for a ten-year-old to discuss. It's just vile!"
"Well, so is your obsession with the green space freak, but who am I to judge. Besides, what did you think I meant?"
"Nothing. Just forget I said anything..."
"... Oh, I see. You're grose! Anyway, I know where babies come from, Dib. I saw it on Animal Planet. Did you know that the male bed bug pierces the female's abdomen to inject its 'ejaculatory fluids'?"
"Oh man. This is my little sister here," Dib lamented.
Zim was looking uncomfortable, edging away from the house. "Um... I can come back another time. I'll just leave you two here to talk some more of your Earth mating rituals."
"For crying out loud, Zim. Shut up!" Dib covered his ears, not wanting to hear more of the topic if it involved his sister.
"Why don't you all shut up!" a deep voice yelled from the fence.
Dib, Gaz and Zim looked over to see a cat with glowing green eyes.
"Oh, I mean meow." The cat jumped down to the other side of the fence.
"That's it! That's the mutant cat! And I missed it. Thanks a lot, Zim."
Zim waved him off, "I have more important matters on my brain than your mutated feline, Dib. I must speak with you urgently."
"Well are you coming up or not? I already invited you, remember?"
"Oh yeah. I guess I got distracted by all that talk of 'reproduction' with your sister."
"… Just get up here, toad. I think we've woken the whole street by now."
"It's nice when you two work your differences out," Gaz remarked. She was propped out the window, playing with her GS2.
"What?"
"I was kidding, Dib. That was sarcasm."
"Ha-ha, I forgot to laugh!"
"Pfft, that was lame. I'm going back to bed."
She disappeared back inside the house, and slid the window down.
Zim climbed up to Dib's window, using his PAK legs, of course. Then the next thing he knew, he was sitting on Dib's bed while the boy sat on his computer chair, watching him like a cat does a mouse.
"Well, go on, talk," the spectacled boy finally said.
Zim sighed, getting it all out of his system. His only problem was that he didn't know where to start. "Well, I may as well start from the beginning," he said. "I've gone through some recent changes lately. My PAK was malfunctioning, and there were moments where I was completely lost. I can recall going through temporary phases of consciousness."
"Yeah, that would explain your drooling episode the other day. Man, I wish I had my camera for that, especially for the part where you turned cross-eyed. You looked so stupid."
"I wasn't finished telling you about my story, Dib," Zim hissed through clenched teeth.
"Sorry, but you're just so boring. Liven it up a little. There, you can use the flashlight to light up your face. It is supposed to be a ghost story."
"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that, Dib. Now be quiet!"
"Whatever... jerk."
Zim narrowed his eyes at the boy. "As I was saying, I fixed my PAK, and decided to improve my sensory activators. So now I have improved vision, smell, hearing, touch, etc. But not only did I fix my current senses, I somehow gained a new one."
Dib's face lit up, connecting the dots in that huge head of his.
"You mean like a six sense? Big deal. I have one too. How else do you think I know about your plans, Zim?"
"Yeah, you wish. Anyhow, you know what a 'six sense' entails, don't you, Dib?"
Dib's eyes widened, but he remained quiet for some time. After what felt like hours, he finally said, "So, you're saying you have psychic powers now?"
Zim glanced away, indignantly. Having to tell Dib in this way was plain wrong.
The boy tried his best to suppress his laughter, but he failed miserably. "Haha, you're talking to ghosts? This is too much..."
He was on the floor now, but Zim didn't seem to take much notice. He held a dire expression (if you really put it into perspective, Dib's just jealous).
"I don't just talk to them, Dib-human. I see visions, too, visions of past events they show me."
"But no future events?"
"No. Let's be realistic here."
"Well what's the point in having psychic abilities if you can't see the future?" Dib asked, sitting in his chair again. The floor got boring.
Zim decided to ignore his comment, and moved on with the story.
"For the past week now, I've received regular visits from—"
"Let me guess, Charlie Chaplin's ghost?"
"Who is this Charlie Chap... just shut up and let me finish!"
"You'd know who Charlie Chaplin was if you were human..."
"Her name is Molly," Zim announced, finally getting it out. It was hard saying her name, as it brought that same sadness.
"Well, Molly what?"
"How is Zim supposed to know. I don't care for human last names."
"Well she's your ghost friend."
They remained quiet for a while, until Dib finally broke the silence. "Why are you telling me this?"
"She came to me for help, and I don't know how to help her." Zim's voice broke.
"Help? She came to you for help? She knows you're an alien, right? An evil alien." Dib leaned forward in his seat, as shadows formed in the hollows of his face.
"Yes, she came to me for help. She ... she was m-m ..." Zim trailed off.
"I didn't quite catch that, could you repeat it?"
"She was murdered!"
Dib sat back in his seat, processing his words. "That's ... kind of cool."
"Cool?" Zim stood up. "It is not cool, Dib, or warm or hot! It is wrong! Your whole race is twisted! I'm surprised no other alien race got here sooner, and wiped you all clean of existence. You all deserve it!"
"Hey, back off! At least we don't kill entire populations and steal their planets! You're the evil and twisted ones, Zim. Someone should put an end to your race!"
"That may be, but not one of us would have dreamed of doing a thing like that to a smeet. We're not the most nurturing creatures, but at least we have standards. We know our limits, Dib, and there was no excuse what happened to ..." Zim couldn't finish. "I knew you wouldn't understand," he went on. "In the end, you're still just a child yourself. How old are you?"
"Twelve, but I'll be thirteen in October. So I won't be a kid anymore once I'm a teenager. I hear those years are rough..."
"You're only twelve-Earth-years-old? That's just a little longer than Jupiter's orbit around the sun. All this time I've fought a minor? I feel so stupid now."
"Hey, at least I'm not old like you. When were you born anyway? The Stone Age?"
"No, but that would be your planet's Stone Age, Dib. Even then my race were teleporting through space and time, while yours was learning how to make weapons out of stones. But if you must know, I was born during the late renaissance, but obviously millions of light-years from this planet."
"Well, duh, why you telling me that?" He looked over at Zim then, noticing he turned quiet. "Zim?"
Zim looked up with large, glassy eyes. "You're not much older than Molly was," he said. "In fact, I have no idea how old she is... was. Sorry I wasted your time, Dib. I guess I'm alone with this one."
"Well how was she murdered?"
The alien had already slipped out the window before he finished his sentence.
"What a jerk."
Dib heard a creak outside his bedroom door, and saw the shadow beneath. Great. Now Gaz was in on it, too. Imagine if it had been him eavesdropping through her bedroom door? There would be murder for sure.
He shook his head and settled into bed at last. He wasn't going to catch a wink of sleep tonight though. His dreams will be filled with aliens, murder, ghosts, ponies, and the occasional floating ham...
Urgh, there was a dent in his mattress where Zim's ass sat.
Gaz stood outside the door with her game on pause. She was about to beat a giant zombie swine-beast, but her mind was elsewhere now. She was still processing what she heard through the wood of Dib's door.
Something strange stirred inside of her then. "Great. Now I'm turning into Dib!"
But it involved murder, and she was such a fan of all things grim. She couldn't help but want to know more. Zim may not be alone in this after all, even if it is the wrong kind of company.
…
Zim ambled back to his base in silence. He was filled with remorse and guilt. Guilt because he ran away and left her all alone. He had promised to help her, but this was all too much to take in, and he was in no way prepared.
There had to be a way out of this mess? Previously, he only agreed to help her for his own selfish need. The sooner he got her out the way, he would be happy again, and the natural order of his life will be restored.
After everything he had seen, he wanted to help now, but not for his benefit. For Molly's.
His guilt was soon replaced with anger. The face of that man appeared in his mind again. That previous fear transformed into hatred. He could feel his wrath boiling inside of him, ready to be released at high velocity.
That monster won't get away with what he did, not when the consequences of his actions fall on Zim's shoulders.
He knew what he had to do.
As if struck by white-hot lightning, he ran back to the base with a new sense of determination: to help Molly and track down that thing that hurt her, and then make it feel all the pain and suffering it rightly deserves.
It didn't take him long to get back to the base, driven by a desire to help that little girl.
She said she had a mother, and that she missed her. It made him sad to think about how she was torn away from those she loved, and left alone on the fringes of the world. That must have been where she took refuge. Poor child.
She must have been frightened, and he felt worse for deserting her all those times. He misinterpreted her cries for help for something else, and he couldn't believe he had been so ignorant.
Zim stood outside the door shaking, but not from fear or the cold, but from his new thirst for vengeance. After releasing a few breaths, he let himself inside.
He couldn't see Molly, but he could still sense her presence, and she was close. He thought she would have left after how he abandoned her, thinking only of himself again. But for anymore. It was going to be about her for now.
"Molly?" he called out. "I'm back. Zim is back, and I'm going to help. I don't care how long it takes, as long as it helps to find him. We're in this together."
He heard a squeak shushing him on the couch. He looked over. There was Minimoose, and then he saw her. She was fast asleep with the moose nestled upon her head.
Zim had not noticed them, especially Molly, performing one of her famous reappearing acts. She was asleep, so she couldn't have seen him arrive. Maybe his ability to see her was down to him.
He approached them at last, and knelt in front of the resting girl. He glanced up at Minimoose, who gave him a one-toothed smile.
Molly looked so peaceful, like a real child again. How the moose had gotten her to sleep, he never knew, but he was grateful for his help. Zim was glad he built that powerful doomsday device after all, now resting upon the head of a sleeping child.
He always seemed to come second best to GIR, even though Zim built him to replace the useless robot.
Where was GIR now? He had been of no help, though he was very accepting towards Molly before he found out she was a ghost. Not like Zim when he first met her.
He didn't want to wake her. She looked so pleasing in slumber. It was probably her first sleep in who knows how long. Could ghosts sleep? Well, there were a lot of things he didn't understand, and this was one of them.
Instead, he brushed aside her blonde hair from her eyes, and studied her soft features, silently pledging his allegiance.
"Zim won't desert you again."
Update: I should really say by this point, but I had written meese because if you have watched the video with the voice cast from behind the scenes of IZ (it comes with the special box set that looks like Zim's house), the guy Roman Dirge says 'meese' when he gets mixed up with the plural for geese. He's a comic book artist and friend of Jhonen's. Remember that 'Fishboy' is called Dirge? I think you can still watch the video online (Youtube) if you don't own the box set, like me.
Other update: the story involving Darkbootie and a ghost lady who saved his life, I based of a story I read in a magazine. It was supposed to have really happened, according to the writer who was the mother. I suppose they're are good ghosts out there.
Back to old notes...
I don't see the point in rambling... Well I will anyway. I hope it was worth the wait. I know much didn't happen in this chapter, but it will later. I just don't like to rush.
Dib was horrible, but he's still just a kid. A murdered ghost to him probably would sound cool, so try to look at it from his perspective. He loves mysteries and that.
I'm not sure when Zim was born, so it may be wrong what I put, but when I write fanfic I like to be creative. That probably annoys some people, but this is just a story, and not canon. Nothing will ever change canon.
If I had to say, Zim was born during Victorian times in the 1800s. The late renaissance was about 1500 to 1600. You could probably say he's well over fifty-years-old, when Tak referred to it in her episode.
I guess Gaz watches Animal Planet... I apologise for what she said. She's still only ten — going on to eleven in this story. Her fascination of bug shows reminds me of Mandy's from the Grim Adventures. Yeah, they're both so alike... Update: not that you're interested or anything, but what she is referring to with the bed bugs is called "Traumatic Insemination". It's so the male knows that his sperm will reach the female's eggs, right through the belly. Bugs have weird mating habits.
I love Minimoose, he was so sweet. I wish he were real.
Until next time.
Thank you for reading.