They descended into the lower parts of the base as Zim braced himself for what was about to happen. He was NOT excited about leaving himself vulnerable to his arch nemesis. He was going to be completely at their mercy. Gir bounced around the lab happily as usual and Zim turned on a tv in the corner for him to watch cartoons to distract him. Membrane was just like his son looking around the base fascinated with all the Irken technology! While the professor gawked and carefully prodded around the lab once again Dib and Zim stared each other down suspicious of the other.
"You're not going to take off with it again are you? Dib monkey?"
"It's extremely tempting space monster! But since your so pathetically reliant on it to live I guess I'll have mercy!" Dib taunted, loving that for once he had that upper hand.
Zim growled and hooked himself up to his computer and his PAK data filled the giant screen in the center of the room. Unfortunately it was all in Irken.
"It's all in IRKEN! How can we READ THAT!" Dib whined
"Incredible! Being partly cybernetic you can just plug yourself into your computer? Do you have any way of translating this language into English? Or any human language?" Membrane asked excitedly
Zim grumbled "Computer translate my PAK data to English for the HYOMANS!"
"TRANSLATING!!!'
"Your computer shouts? It has emotions? Fascinating" Membrane said to himself.
Suddenly the Irken codes were turned into English words. Zim hated that Dib was getting all this information right now and crossed his arms trying to ignore the father and son reading the screen in amazement.
"The Irken PAK serves as an auxiliary brain… contains the host's personality, charging cell, atmospheric processor, ability to reactivate the host should fatal injury occur…" they both read
"That one's good to know!" Dib snickered as he took notes. "So if I was to say… shoot you in the head several times it would be useless because your PAK would reactivate you?" Dib asked smugly
Zim grunted and clawed his arms in frustration refusing to answer or even look at him.
"Shhh… son please!" Membrane hushed Dib so he could continue reading. "Unable to live without them and essentially composed by them, the Irken and their PAK are essentially one and the same…" he continued and shook his head "What does this mean for my grandchildren?" he asked sorrowfully.
Both Dib and Zim looked at him and froze as if they saw a ghost! They didn't think about that. Dib went into panic mode
"YEAH ZIM! Here we are worried about YOU and your PAK but what about the BABIES!? OH GOD! What if they DIE as soon as THEY'RE BORN because they can't live in Earth's atmosphere or SOMETHING!!!" Dib scream ranted pacing around the lab
"Calm down Dib!" Membrane grabbed him by the shoulders as Zim stood stunned and worried inwardly himself.
"I doubt it but… COMPUTER! Are there any known Irken hybrids in our database? Any at all?" Zim asked.
"Nope! NORMALLY Irken's are SUPPOSED TO be a warrior race with NO THOUGHTS WHATSOEVER about mating ESPECIALLY WITH A DIFFERENT SPECIES!!!" the computer scolded
"Hey! You're the one that said that Gaz and I shouldn't have been able to conceive! This is your fault!" Zim snapped
"It's possible after being together so long your body chemistry changed just like your height did overtime… and I didn't tell you to mate her! You did that on your own genius!" Computer snapped back
"Everyone calm down! And please… quit talking about mating my daughter…" Membrane begged causing an awkward silence. "We just need to figure all this out… To be honest from what I saw only two of them had Irken features, the other two looked human so maybe we'll only need two PAKs" he hypothesized.
"It's also possible that none of them need PAKs our ancestors didn't need them but once the control brains took over we eventually began being bred into cybernetic beings completely reliant on the PAK and the Control Brains!" Zim rambled
"Control Brains?" they both asked
"Just… keep reading" zim ordered and they did as they were told.
"The Empire's Control Brains have complete jurisdiction over the status of all PAKS, able to rewrite them, encode them and when necessary delete them" they both read.
They all stood silently before Membrane shouted "I GOT IT! I just have to reprogram your PAK so that those control brains wont be able to deactivate you!"
"Impossible I've already tried that!" Zim yelled
"I'm sure you have but you're only familiar with your own Irken technology… perhaps if we transferred your software into Membrane technology and then proceeded to lock them out of it…" Membrane rambled
"Sounds really risky! Let's do it!" Dib shouted
Zim shifted nervously, it sounds like the Professor was confident but at the same time it had never been done before and a mistake made would surely cause his death!
The Professor stared at the screen once more reading all he could about the PAK. "It says here you have less than 6 days left to live….. To be absolutely certain I don't cause any accidents I need to study this as much as I can!" he continued.
Zim smirked, an idea popped in his head "What if you had… test subjects?"
"Test subjects? Like another Irken?"
"Exactly! I can have my computer track them and if I bring them to you… we can experiment on their PAKS! If your idea works then it solves the deactivation problem…" Zim explained
"And what about going to IRK? And infecting the control brains? Are we still doing that?" Dib asked
"Yes but if your father's plan works I'll be much more confident going into that battle knowing they can't deactivate or re encode me! Victory will be mine!!!" Zim yelled victoriously
"…I'm not sure how I feel about kidnapping Irkens… but if it's to help my future son in law I suppose I have no choice" Membrane shrugged
Dib started to choke on his own spit and Zim just looked bug eyed at him.
"Ack! Ahh! SON IN LAW? DAD! Just because this CREEP violated Gaz doesn't mean he gets to marry her!" Dib sputtered
"WHY YOU FILTHY…no you know what Dib shit? You are tiresome to Zim! I'm not even gonna fight you this time!" Zim started but then stopped, it's true this was zapping what little energy he had left.
"We'll discuss that issue another time, as it stands it looks like I'm in for an all nighter! I'll need to study all this Irken technology!" Membrane declared.
"What do WE do now space boy? Wanna test out these weapons again?" Dib asked
"Yes but not the way you think! We're going to test them out for real this time Dib stink!" Zim evilly chuckled
Dib looked confused and then worried "On each other?"
"You wish! Computer are there still Invaders on other planets?" Zim asked
"While most of the Invaders are standing by in the Massive, there are a few stragglers… Invader Skoodge, Invader Flobee and Invader El are on route but have not yet arrived" the Computer replied
"Are they within range of the teleporter?" Zim asked
"Only Invader Skoodge"
"Well we might not get to use these weapons yet afterall… Skoodge is an old acquaintance of mine I'm sure he'd be willing to help so no need to attack him. Have him brought here!" Zim commanded
"TRANSPORTING!"
In a flash a small Irken appeared in Zim's teleporter. He was small yes but he was also buff apparently Skoodge had taken his training up a notch! He had bared his fangs and unleashed his PAK legs ready for a battle, that was until Zim caught his eye.
"Well look at you Skoodge! Apparently You've been working out!" Zim laughed
"ZIM! I can't believe it! You crazy bastard! You're still alive!" Skoodge happily shouted as he retracted his PAK legs no longer feeling threatened.
"OF COURSE I AM! I AM ZIM!!! We have much to discuss old friend… you remember the Dib human yes?" he asked while pointing to Dib.
"Hey you were one of those ghosts!" Dib yelled
"One of what now? Ooooh yeah man that was a long time ago!" Skoodge remembered.
"Yes yes it was! HOWEVER no time to reminisce! Is your PAK set to deactivate anytime soon?" Zim grilled
"No actually! I'm surprised too it's no secret the Tallests don't like me" he answered
Zim snarled his eyes glowed red again "That's right Skoodge! Never forget that! They don't like you! But being the most accomplished Invader they need you whether they like it or not! Will you get recognition from your accomplishments? No! You will only be used once again" Zim ranted with disgust
Skoodge nodded as Dib looked between them confused. Especially since Zim used to talk so highly of the Tallests, as if they were his heroes.
"Like it or not though, I am bound to the will of the Tallests! Whatever you're planning Zim… It would be wise to stop now" Skoodge warned
"What if I could change that for you? You can't possibly WANT to keep serving leaders who take everything you work for?" Zim proposed with an evil smirk
"You… you speak craziness Zim! This is insane even for you!" Skoodge shouted nervously
"The Dib human's father is studying Irken technology as we speak my friend… he knows about the PAK he could rewrite yours! Get rid of that annoying program that demands you obey the Tallests! Imagine it Skoodge! Being free of their tyranny! Getting your revenge! Surely that sounds better than blindly following those incompetent FOOLS!" Zim raved.
Skoodge smiled, he was the first Invader of Impending Doom II to successfully conquer a planet! A planet of slaughtering rat people to boot! However instead of giving him the credit, the Tallests gave all the credit to Invader Grapa.
"You really are a crazy bastard Zim! You really think these humans can pull this off?" Skoodge asked skeptically
"What do you have to lose?" Zim asked darkly
"What the hell? Let's do it! It's not the first time I've risked my life listening to you!" Skoodge surrendered
"BRILLIANT! Professor! I have your first test subject!" Zim yelled as he unhooked himself from his computer. The professor walked up to the strange little Irken while Zim snuck behind him and proceeded to hook Skoodge up to his computer now.
"Well now you two have fun! Dib monkey and I have to test out these weapons!" Zim declared holding a vicious looking gun.
"Wait…. That's mine! How'd you get it?" Dib shrieked
"Does it really matter? COMPUTER! Send Me and the huge headed human to the battle simulation room!" Zim commanded.
A/N: Hello readers! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm not too happy with this chapter but I hope you enjoy also… can you tell I love writing Dib's dialogue and making him a spaz? It's my favorite thing I hope you read these in his voice like I do lol and don't worry I'm already working on next chapter and hopefully finally getting to Irk! Until next time :)