Zim's entire body went from blissful weightlessness to feeling like a lump of lead as his eyes fought to open. His eyelids refused him, as though he were trying to access his body from a world away from here. He had no notion as to whether his arms were even moving as he attempted to lift them, trying to grasp onto something—anything—to pull him back into the waking world. He tried to speak but couldn't seem to get a grip on what words were.
The Irkens outside were barking orders in their direction, now. Demanding to know why there was a food cruiser on their ship and what business they had there.
"Uhh." Dib looked out the window at the crowding Irkens and ducked down behind the windshield, tightening his grip on Zim, hoping to staunch the blood flow. But, that didn't explain why his thumb felt the need to ghost across the Irken's bottom lip, feeling for a breath. "Hey, come on. Crazy aliens are surrounding us and I can't exactly speak your language. They might think I tried to kill you or something like that."
Dib dug out his trench coat again and pressed it against Zim's leg wound. They hovered above the spot in the docking range, no one showing their head. The Irkens debated among themselves; who would go forward to see what the deal was? What the hell was a snacking ship doing in the Massive? And why had they brought the Resisty here? Finally a painfully short drone was shoved forward to do the job.
It fell down and tossed a small unsure look over its shoulder before taking a deep breath and gathering all the courage it was forced to have because it was an Irken and Irkens were brave, sometimes stupidly so and trotted forward, a small laser gun shaking in its hands.
It had to stand on its tiptoes to get a good look inside. Though mostly all it saw was the tops of heads. The tip of the gun tapped against the ship's hull and it called out in Irken. "Fellow Irken? Is everything in the positive? Are you injured?"
Dib jumped at the sound of some other being's voice. It was a small one and in Irken. Oh Jeeze. "Oh fucking Jeeze, Zim you have to wake up now. Please. You can officially pass out in a bit and I won't bother you, moron. But, now. UP."
It was a droning noise that was pulling him forward, and just before Zim could even grasp consciousness, the noise formed into words. They were distant and meaningless at first, but the more he followed them, the more he realized that they were in trouble.
Zim worked to get his arms moving, to grasp and to feel something—anything. He could feel his finger wrap around fabric, and he tugged as if he were pulling his mind out of the darkness that had trapped him when he hit the floor.
"Shhuu…" Zim managed as he pulled his head upright, his eyes cracking open. "Shhhut uuup.." his voice was dry and quiet, and it seemed that no force of will could get it beyond that point. Until the pain caught up with him. All of a sudden, everything was too real. Groaning, Zim's hand flew up into the air and waved frantically at the Irkens gathered outside of the ship.
"Shut up and get me a fucking medic!" He yelled, grimacing. His whole body ached, with a few key points that stood out in a sharp pain. It took him a long moment to realize that he was still speaking English, and with a bit of stammering, struggled to repeat the urgent phrase in his native tongue.
The Irkens outside looked at each other, sharing unsure glances before deciding they had no other choice at the moment. They could question the passengers of the ship in the medical bay. "Pop open the cruiser, Dib." Zim ordered between clenched teeth, pointing at the release switch on the panel.
Wide eyed, Dib stared between the Irken who was still bleeding profusely and the large amount of them who were gathered around the cruiser, looking very uncertain and hostile. He chewed on his cheek uncertainly for two seconds, thinking that maybe it wasn't a good idea to expose themselves to a crowd of angry aliens.
But, Zim was an alien wasn't he? And he needed medical attention. So, he shoved the appointed button and the cruiser shield swooped over their heads, revealing them to the outside world. Immediately he was assaulted by noises, smells, heavy new gravity that was obviously artificial…
Dib's head swam, as he climbed clumsily out of the voot. He didn't even notice when the Irkens scattered, staring at the strange creature, barking orders and questions back and forth to each other; what was it? Where had it come from? Was it a slave? It looked pretty tall but, it also seemed uncoordinated. What was on its head?
Zim limped next to the human, body still feeling heavy. He hung on Dib, though he seemed to be having some of his own problems. Some of the Irkens chanced a step closer, holding their weapons out in front of them in caution. Zim patted Dib's chest weakly to show that he was good; he was on Zim's side. The Irken side.
The guards shared an apprehensive glance before nodding. They barked something in Irken before they cleared a path, allowing them to board the Massive.
Zim bowed his head, though not in gratitude, but in fatigue. A smaller Irken, dressed in a more bland uniform than the others, came through to greet them. Wasting no time, the medic drone hurried them through the crowd of curious onlookers and into the belly of the ship.
The halls seemed alive with the constant buzzing of Irken technology—lights and sounds going off sporadically from the various machines built into the winding walls. All with purpose and all manned with distracted crewmates.
And that buzzing made Dib's head ring. It was like standing in the middle of a busy street, feeling the whooshing air brush past you, so close to almost hitting you but not. The zoom of noise before it was gone. The danger, the adrenaline, feeling lost even though you know exactly where you are.
Without thinking, he reached out and wrapped the tips of his fingers around Zim's wrist, holding on in the lightest of ways. It was incredible. The way they all moved, in unison, in a well oiled machine that still managed to seem chaotic. A sea of green and pink. The rushing sound of irken words; harsh clicks, rough curling of tongues and gnashing teeth. He'd heard Zim speak this before.
While back in the cube prison and when the alien had tried to teach him a few words during their journey…but, when he spoke it…it was better somehow. More alive, less hostile and more vivid. Less broken and more threaded together with intermixes of things he could understand, motions and gestures that made everything clearer.
Zim seem unbothered by the usual commotion that waged on around them, his head nodding as he limped, the darkness threatening to take over at any moment. But there was no way he'd pass out now, not in front of his fellow Irkens. And most certainly not on the Massive. He was among his people now; respected and feared across the galaxy, he couldn't afford to drop his pride. Even now with his leg caked in blood, a new layer forming as he limped on it and the trail of blood that ran evenly down the side of his face, Zim attempted to keep his back at straight at possible.
The medical drone led them the entire way, looking back over his shoulder at the taller alien every now and again, an obvious look of apprehension on his pale green face. After a long ways, too long for Zim's liking, they were herded through a pair of doors that whirled open for them. Beyond the metallic doors was a large room, which was very obviously equipped to be a medical room. Various instruments were strewn about, all of which were sleek in appearance and their purpose was not known simply by looking at them.
In the back, built into the walls were strange, fluid-filled pods. They were big enough to house a range of Irkens body types, but were all unoccupied at the current moment. Zim wondered if he would end up in one by the end of this. The medical drone scurried to the center of the room, where he adjusted a very uncomfortable looking table, patting it for Zim to sit on. He obliged, all too happy to get the pressure off of his leg.
The drone circled around to get a better look, hissing a bit when Dib found himself in the small Irken's path, which only elicited a nasty snarl from Zim. And although the Drone wasn't that much shorter than Zim, he still found himself backing down.
Zim looked up at the misplaced human, a weary look on his face.
"You are going to be getting a lot of attention here." He explained. "Some of it won't be good, but just stay close to me and you'll be alright."
Dib's eyes snapped from where he'd been staring at the giant tubes filled with some sort of green and pink fluids back to Zim and in turn the other one, the uh…one who pretty much looked exactly like all the other aliens they 'd passed. But, this one had a simpler uniform and a little symbol on its pak. He assumed that meant he or she or whatever was a doctor of sorts.
"Ummm. Okay. Yes. I won't be going far…" Dib trailed off, going back to staring at the rest of the room with awe. There was so much to discover, to learn. It hardly even made sense how excited he was. His hands shook and his pupils were dilated, breathing coming in fast bursts. It was probably culture shock.
Dib just wanted to touch everything and take it apart to learn how it worked and he wanted to put it back together and see what all he could use it for and maybe make some adjustments as he found out everything there was to know about it. Kind of like how he'd felt when he first had met Zim.
Still kind of how he felt. "Does this room have a name? What are the doctors called? What are these tubes? How many Irkens live on the Massive? What is this ship actually for? Like what is it's formal job?" Dib took a deep breath finally, whirling on his heel to look at Zim, waiting for answers, needing them like air (which was very different here, heavier but there was less and it tasted stale-recycled-).
Zim's shoulders slouched and he looked at Dib with his brow tense and his eyes half-lidded. "Dib-worm I've come to accept your curious nature," He began slowly. "But is now really the best time? I'm bleeding to death over here!" He barked, pointing to his head wound, the blood flow already slowing down, though it hadn't stopped. Now Zim was decorated with two wounds to his head, and while the scars may be impressive, it was still two too many to have. The headache threatened concussion, and the dizziness didn't help. And his leg certainly wasn't doing him any favors, but the medic was looking it over now, so hopefully it wouldn't bother him for too much longer.
Running his hands over his face, Zim let out a muffled groan.
"I still cannot believe this happened; the ship's warnings didn't go off. I could have gotten us here with no pr—!" Zim had to stop as a thought struck him. "Wait," He looked back at the human, whose eyes were practically bulging out of his head in excitement. "How DID we get here, anyway?" He asked, slightly accusing.
Dib blinked then coughed into his fist, feeling a bit…ashamed about the amount of questions he was asking while Zim was injured. Though it was a bit dramatic to say that he was bleeding to death. And as the medic hovered, doing his job, the blood was already drying and the skin healing.
"Umm. I flew us here?" How else? "You went flying against the panel when those jerks were attacking us and you weren't exactly capable to telling me what to do so…I guessed and apparently I did okay because we're alive." Dib replied, distractedly as he stared at something as it floated in a tube filled with blue gel. It almost looked like a bunny or something. Why was this here? Did this place double as a laboratory?
Zim's hand cradled his cheek as he looked at the human in bewilderment.
"YOU managed to fly an Irken ship? ZIM'S Voot Cruiser? Ho-!" He was cut off by a pained snarl ripping out of his throat as the medic attempted to remove Zim's tattered boot. "Careful!" He hissed, followed by barking something at the poor medic in Irken.
With a sigh, the Invader returned his gaze to Dib. "We can worry about that later. Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?"
Leaning over and grabbing Dib's shirt, he tugged him forward, closer to him. His gloved claws poked and patted at the teen's person, not bothering to wait for an answer before inspecting him.
Dib felt a bit insulted about Zim's surprise then winced at the Irken's yelling and felt a bit of pity for the Medic but, suddenly he was being dragged forward, poked and prodded. "Um. No. I think I'm okay aside from basic culture shock and some minor bruises…and what's so hard to believe about me flying the cruiser?" Frowning, he grabbed the alien's finger as it poked his sternum, searching for wounds and kept it captive.
Looking at their hands for a moment, Zim dragged his eyes up to meet Dib's, who was clearly insulted. Zim's brow furrowed, wiggling his finger a bit in Dib's hands as he searched for the right words.
"Well, you've had no training! You've been in that ship all of two times, whereas I spent decades of my life in that ship. It was given to Zim after extensive training and experience!" Pulling his hand away, Zim straightened his uniform out the best he could.
If anybody should be insulted, it should be Zim. He had spent a long time learning to fly, and Dib just waltz in and took it down through combat like a pro. Guessed, he said. He guessed how to fly it, and he did alright. What an insult to Zim's intelligence.
But he couldn't bring himself to yell anymore. The medic was cutting the fabric away from Zim's leg, and he could see the bruised skin, caked with blood, along with the wound. He suddenly felt lightheaded, and swayed a bit in his seat.
Dib raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to reply in a (most likely) sarcastic way, but seeing Zim look as though he was about to faint was enough to make his mouth shut. "Hey. You're okay." There had never really been anyone who he'd had to comfort before nor had anyone ever done it for him so it was a strange concept. But, Dib was also human so it was kind of instinctive to reach out, putting his hand on the other's shoulder to steady him. To speak in as soothing way as possible.
"You're a hard core Irken solider. This is nothing." Dib smirked. "Now when this is all done what is our first order of business?" Yes, he actually wanted to know but asking was also a ploy to get Zim's mind off of what was going on with his leg.
Taking in a deep breath, Zim's eyes rolled upwards in their sockets as he fought off the darkness that tinged his mind. He felt Dib as his side, an arm on his shoulder, and it helped. His voice, as always, was hard to ignore and kept him in the waking world. His brow furrowed as he took a moment to register the words that came alongside the voice.
"Um…let's see. After this..." Zim started slowly. "We need to…speak with the Tallest. We need to…arrange something to help your situation." His breath was steadying now, and he nodded. "Yes, talking with the Tallest is top priority. They'll be so glad to see me." He added with a cheeky grin.
The medic worked swiftly, cleaning the wound and wrapping it before Zim had another chance to even see the bullet hole. A swift exchange between the two Irkens verified that no, his leg was not broken, even if it felt like it was. It had done no favors to the muscle, however. It would take more time to heal, the medic decided.
As the Irkens babbled, Dib wished he knew what the hell they were saying. So, instead of doing anything productive he moped and stared intensively at a bunch of chemicals that looked really fun. They had to speak with the Tallest. The leaders.
Dib ignored his pulse jumping at the idea. What would they be like? Tall, he assumed. Benevolent? Scary? Would they go see them right away? (If he had a choice the answer would be yes.) But, seeing as Zim was injured and in need of healing time…they might need to rest up first… "Do you need t first?" Dib murmured to Zim, hypnotized by a little fountain of seemingly endless bubbles that swirled in a purple beaker.
Leaning forward to allow the medic to dab the blood away from the side of his face, Zim's gaze never left Dib's face. He seemed so interested in the smallest thing. Then again, what else did Zim expect from the human? This was like an adventure to him.
"I do not know what 'Arrrennarr' means, but Zim could use some rest before jumping into council with my Tallest." Nodding, Zim helped himself off the table, keeping off his leg as he limped his way around to the human. "I'm sure you could use some, too." He admitted.
Dib snorted, tugging his gaze away and back to the Irken who looked much better now that he wasn't coated in dried pink blood. He could see those cheekbones again. Were they called cheekbones on Irkens? He had so many questions. "Uh…That's what it means. Rest and Recuperation. R and R…" From the blank look the alien was exhibiting, he gave up and just nodded. "I'm sure I could use some. In a proper bed…assuming you have one?"
"There are some around." Zim nodded. "Finding a vacant room won't be too much of a problem." Taking the human's arm for stability, the Irken avoided putting as much pressure on his leg as possible. It was feeling better now that it had been cleaned up, but he didn't want to take any chances. He figured that Dib wouldn't mind too much. He was, after all, in this position because of him.