Ahead of them, the hallway closed around a large door, guarded on each side with taller Irkens armed with sharp staffs that glowed faintly with warm electricity. Zim approached with determination set, his brow furrowed and he came to a halt between them.
"I am Invader Zim, and in subject of the mission to overtake Earth, I demand a council with the Almighty Tallest."
The guards exchanged looks before one of them pulled out a small communication device that fit in the palm of his gloved hand. "Uh, Sirs, Zim is here to see you." An almost audible groan came from the other side of the door, followed by a long silence, thick with anticipation. Something murmured from the device the guard held, to which he answered, "I'm not sure, but he has an alien with him. A tall one." The guard gave Dib a double take before another long pause. Another murmur from his palm and he nodded. "Alright, they'll see you." And with that, the doors slid open for them, Zim giving a nod to Dib before marching forward.
Swallowing back his nervousness, Dib stood as straight as possible, glancing sideways at the guards who seemed to be fairly intimidated by him which was nice. If they thought that he was tall, just how tall were these Tallest?
They came into a large, circular room with a gigantic window near the front in which you could see all of the space ahead of them. Many Irkens were seated around a half circle control panel, illuminated by flashing buttons and screens. It was dim in there otherwise. But, the first thing that Dib noticed was the two aliens who sat in the very center, seated high up on what could only be called thrones. Floating thrones.
They were…tall. Dib didn't know if it was because they were higher than everyone else up on their platform or if they actually were just that gigantic. They were different than any of the other of the Irkens, with armor that shined in the lights, each dressed in a different color; red and purple. It matched their eyes. These were the leaders. The air around them felt regal, with an whiff of arrogance. They ruled the largest empire in the universe. They controlled a billion pawns. Masters of a machine that could reign havoc at the snap of their fingers. Flip the switch and a swarm of loyal drones would do anything they said.
The two leaders watched as the human and the invader stepped into the threshold, the red one sipping a soda and the other chewing on what almost looked like a tray of nachos. Dib couldn't help staring at everything, eyes flickering from place to place, taking everything in with bated breath. All at once it didn't feel real.
He would just wake up in the middle of science class, a desk full of drool as the bell rang. But, they kept walking, his legs shaking. And Dib wanted to grab Zim's hand but, knew that would be really stupid so he clenched his hands into fists by his sides, raised his chin and kept his face as blank as possible.
The two at the center of the room, the ones with so much power you could practically see the strings they pulled at their fingertips, stared at the human with interest. Though they tried not to let themselves seem too interested.
"My Tallest," Zim greeted bowing his head, his antennae pressed flat against his scalp. He looked at Dib, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him down, gently. "Give them a bow." He whispered. Bringing his attention back to his leaders, his held his arms out wide. "My leaders, I apologize for returning early and without success on taking over Planet Earth. But I have, in my possession, a powerful Earthling who has requested a council with you."
The purple Tallest was the first to speak, with his mouth full of nacho-like treats. His voice was a bit muffled as he talked around his mouthful of food. "Are all of these….'Earthlings' this tall?" He asked, sitting forward in his seat with his scrutinizing gaze narrowed in on Dib.
"Why, no, actually! The Dib is one of the tallest on the planet." Zim grinned, though it was a bit shaky around the corners. He knew that was a lie, but it would help. Dib did as requested and kneeled a bit, dipping his head before glancing back up through his lenses.
"Besides my father at least. Who is leader of one of earth's largest empires. I am his heir." After what he felt was a decent amount of time, Dib stood up straight again. "It's an honor to meet you."
The red Tallest glanced back and forth from Zim and then back to the alien. "Indeed. Now, what are you requesting council for? I imagine it must be important for our Invader to have been compromised enough to bring you here."
"My leaders, Dib here has an interesting proposition for you, if you would hear him out." Zim motioned to Dib, taking a step closer to his beloved Tallest. The other Irkens had slowed in their work, being drawn into the conversation that was already hard to ignore. They pretended to work as they listened, though the Tallest didn't seem to notice, or care.
Zim's jaw clenched a bit as the Purple leader leaned in close to his companion, talking in a low voice. "Do we really want to hear him out? I mean…Earth doesn't really hold any interest for us. What's even on Earth, anyway?"
Dib raised his chin a bit more as the alien got into his face, meeting his eyes square on, trying to ignore how his hands were shaking. This was it. This was saving the Earth. His people. Red slightly, touched Purple's shoulder to pull him back. "Well, how will we know unless we listen huh, Pur?" He sipped his drink and nodded. "Go ahead, tell us what you're here for."
Dib swallowed around his tongue which felt like it was swollen. For Earth. "First, some background. My father's organization managed to capture your Invader. As heir I was learning the ropes of maintaining the Empire, when I found out they were keeping Zim captured. I helped him escape and upon learning that his true goal on my planet was to Invade and conquer, I knew I couldn't sit by while it happened." He was used to talking. Talking was easy. Getting people to listen was harder. But, Dib felt better once he got on a role.
"You must be planning on conquering my planet for a reason. We have many resources. Everything from lasers that cut through the hardest of elements to organisms that take the most harmful of substances and consume them like nothing. We have people with strong backs and eager minds. There are a multitude of sweets. We grow tons of sugar cane and have entire factories dedicated to things like chips and gummy candy. My people are restless, always growing and changing. But, we are worth it."
Dib took a deep breath and stood up as tall as he could. "My father own around 85% of all companies that run my planet. From military to food companies, though mainly he is a man of science. I am valuable. In order to save my planet, I propose a union. You will have anything you like from Earth, as long as it does not interfere with the people there and to keep this promise I will be unified with your Invader Zim."
It felt like his heart was beating out of his chest, like the air was being sucked from the room as all the eyes were on him. Every irken wasn't even pretending to work anymore, staring at the strange tongued alien who was trying to save his species. This hadn't happened in many, many years. There hadn't been anyone who had been brave enough or who had convinced an Invader that they were worth saving.
Tallest Red kept his face blank, looking at their Invader who honestly wasn't much of one and then back to the alien. Then at his co-ruler… Purple sat back in his seat, returning his companion's glance. Zim chewed the inside of his cheek, though he kept his back straight. He looked over at the human, who was tense and rightfully so. He reached out and clamped a hand over his shoulder in reassurance.
"That was good," He whispered. "Could have left out the whole capturing me thing, but it was good." He added with a slight nod.
"Zim," Purple finally spoke up. "This is quite the proposition you've brought before us. If what your strange alien friend says is true, then maybe Earth does have something to offer. But we will need to talk this over and make sure that this is a decision we want to make. You are asking us to put one of our invaders, albeit not one of our best, out of commission for the sake of this planet, when we are fighting for power; full galactic conquest. This decision will take some time." He crossed his long, spindly fingers together as he talked. "So…I don't know. Go make yourself useful around the ship for a bit while we talk it over. And for Our sake, Zim, try not to break anything." He added with a bit of an exasperated tone.
Zim could only nod as he listened, knowing this was out of his hands now. He cursed himself for being in this position at all. "Thank you, my Tallest." He gave another bow before grabbing Dib's arm and ushering him towards the door.
There was cotton in his ears, so all that Dib could really comprehend was that they were moving and he no longer had to stand like he was a statue, waiting until the doors closed behind them and they were half way down the hallway and back to their room before beginning to hyperventilate. "Oh…" He'd done it. Spoken to the leaders from another word and tried to make peace. He'd done something no one else had done before. At least he'd tried. Now it was out of his hands.
"I…I can't…" Everything was a bit fuzzy. Dib stopped and leaned against a metal wall, taking deep breaths and trying to get his shit together. When the sensation passed, he blinked and glanced down at Zim. "I did okay? It was okay?"
"It doesn't matter now, but yes." Zim nodded, watching the human fuss about. "It's out of our hands now, and all we can hope for is that they are feeling especially generous today." He admitted with a bit of a shrug. "It seems to have taken a bit out of you; do you need to rest?" Zim worried his hands over Dib's flushed face and neck, making sure that he wasn't going to faint on him. It was a bit frustrating to see how easily excitable Dib was, like at any given moment he was going to keel over from any little thing. But at the same time, it was something Zim couldn't help but admire about him.
Zim was rubbing his hands all over his face and Dib snickered, and grabbed his wrists. "I'm fine. Stop that." Panting only slightly now, he half smiled. Zim looked a bit frazzled himself but, Dib figured that was partially because he'd just met with his leaders. "Hey, is there any food around here? I'm starving."
"Food?" Zim repeated with a scoff, drawing his hands to himself. "Human, this is the Massive you are talking about." He answered with a snarky grin and led them out of their room. As they walked down the halls, Zim began to feel a bit more relaxed. He had grown used to the other Irkens staring, and even found a bit of pride in it. Not to mention that the encounter he had been dreading was finally over with, and he was feeling pretty good. Maybe things would turn out alright, after all.
"Remember what I told you about Irkens and snacking? Well you are now on a ship filled with Irkens, so what do you think we have for food on here?"