The Irken Empire—a power well-known and feared throughout the universe, and not without good reason. Irkens were violent, bloodthirsty, and greedy. Whenever they saw something that wasn't theirs, they badly coveted it, and would do anything to claim it for themselves.
But they were also fiercely protective of what they already had. At even the slightest hint that someone else wanted what was theirs, they'd fight tooth and claw to repel them.
And yet…many would be shocked to know that they weren't just defensive. If an Irken really cared about something, and not just about having it, they could treat it well. As well as an Irken could, anyway.
But for an Irken to care about something without wanting it changed, to want it for exactly what it is, it must be truly impressive. Surely there is nothing outside the Irken Empire where something like this exists.
So, it is impossible for an Irken to truly be caring and protective of any other thing in the universe…
Dib Membrane, hero of earth, just barely eighteen years old, stood in front of a green house nestled between two apartments, glaring. He glanced down at his phone again, and the message he had received not long ago.
Dib-worm!
The two of us have battled gloriously over the years. I've defeated you many times, and many times you have barely managed to stop me through sheer luck. You have been a perfect nemesis for Zim…feel honored!
But all things must reach an end. And it's time for us to end this now, human.
Come to Zim's glorious base when you're ready for the fight that decides your fate and seals your DOOM. I'll be waiting. The security will be lowered to give you a fighting chance.
You're going to need it.
Love,
ZIM!
He scowled, tucking his phone away. He had always known that this day would come, ever since that first day he had seen Zim in his class. The two of them had continuously fought over the years, and it was only inevitable that they would finally determine the fate of the Earth.
Dib grit his teeth and stepped onto Zim's lawn. The gnomes turned to glare at him, but none of them moved or fired anything at him. Zim hadn't been lying about the lowered security.
He pushed open the front door, glancing through the house. No sign of his nemesis or any of his minions. He carefully stepped inside, keeping an eye out for any traps that might spring. But nothing happened.
He double-checked that he had all his equipment. He had decided against bringing a camera this time…if he won, he'd have an actual alien to present as proof! If not, he…
…didn't want to think about that, actually.
With a shake of his head, he banished that thought. He wasn't going to let that happen, so no point in dwelling on it. He took a breath to steady his nerves, tightly gripped onto his alien sleep cuffs, and used the trash can entrance to head down into the depths of Zim's base.
He had only been wandering the confusing maze of halls for a short time when Zim's voice was broadcasted from the ceiling. "Glad to see you've arrived so quickly, worm! I'd say you must be as eager as I am, but that isn't possible."
"I'm not in the mood for any games or tricks, Zim," Dib shouted, voice echoing through the metal tunnels. "Not this time!"
Zim just cackled in response. "No games, of course not! This is the most serious fight of our lives." A pause, and he snickered. "Well, your life. But what fun would this be without any tricks?"
"I'm not here for fun! I'm here to finish this, once and for all!"
The halls were suddenly silent, enough that Dib began to watch out for a surprise attack. But Zim's voice returned. "…Oh, for a human, you are impressive," he said, in as much of a whisper as Dib had ever heard Zim use.
Dib glanced through another room, only to find it empty, just like all the others he had searched. "Ugh, where are you!?"
Laughter echoed around him. "You're very close, stink-beast. Trust me, I've been waiting for years for this moment. It won't be too hard to find me. See you soon, Dib."
Dib narrowed his eyes, slowly creeping down the hall and peeking around every corner. Zim still wasn't anywhere in sight. Neither were any of his robot minions. And the security system hadn't flung him out yet, either.
After only a minute or so of searching later, he heard it—the sound of PAK legs scuttling overhead. No, not quite overheard, but above and just around the corner, heading away from him.
He pretended not to have noticed, carefully checking around the corners before heading in the same direction Zim had gone in. He could still hear the scraping and tapping, getting a little louder, drifting a little further away. He still couldn't catch sight of Zim.
Zim was starting to move faster. Dib walked a little faster. Zim practically shot down the next hallway, and Dib dropped the façade and ran after him.
He ran into an open, circular room with metallic tendrils drooping from the ceiling, skidding to a halt and snapping his attention to his right, where Zim should have been based on the sound of his PAK legs.
Nothing there but a swinging wire. He heard a clang behind him, and whirled around, arms flying up.
It was just enough to shield his chest as Zim slammed his whole body into him. They both tumbled to the floor, Zim's PAK legs coiling around Dib's back and holding him close.
Zim grabbed Dib's wrist, trying to pull his arms away. "You'll never win, Dib," he hissed, leaning close enough that his breath was hot on Dib's face. "You can't best Zim, not in this!"
Dib narrowed his eyes…and slammed his forehead into Zim's, as hard as he could. The Irken cried out, letting go of Dib's wrists to cover his new bruise.
Dib grabbed onto Zim's shoulders, fingers digging in harshly, and flipped them over so that he had Zim pinned to the ground. "You…should have finished me off when you had the chance," he growled, digging out his alien sleep cuffs and pressing his knee into Zim's chest.
Zim laughed, his grin not fading even when Dib managed to click his cuffs on one of his wrists. "Always so hasty," he clicked. "Maybe you'd do better if you learned to savor moments like this."
His PAK legs, still wrapped around Dib, pressed against his back and gave him an electric shock. It was far from the worst he had received, but it still made him yelp with pain and drop Zim's wrists.
Zim scurried away, one wrist still cuffed, pulling his PAK legs back in. Dib jumped to his feet and followed, trying to ignore the way his muscles spasmed.
Just as he made another grab for Zim, he leapt up and into the mess of metallic wires, laughter echoing throughout the room. He vanished from sight, the swaying of wires the only indication of where he could be.
Dib narrowed his eyes, moving to the center of the room, where the wires were least dense. He carefully turned in a circle, watching the ceiling.
A patch of wires quivered, and that quivering was quickly moving in his direction. He turned his side to it, planting his feet on the ground.
This time, when Zim leapt at him from above, Dib retaliated by slamming his elbow into his mouth.
Zim fell to the ground and staggered back. He spat pink blood on the ground, his split lip already sealing up. He lifted his head to glare at Dib, his grin spreading to the edges of his face.
He shouted something at Dib in Irken before leaping forward again, claws outstretched.
Dib's thoughts were swallowed by a haze of adrenaline. Zim's claws raked at his skin, and Dib countered with blows that sent bruises blooming across his skin. Dib grabbed his free wrist and twisted, intending to cuff it, and Zim retaliated by biting his arm, refusing to let go until Dib did.
They were using every dirty trick against each other they had learned over the years—pulling on antennae and hair, kicking each other in the stomach, clawing and biting each other wherever skin was exposed and soft.
Dib's shirt had been ripped to shreds…and Zim's uniform wasn't faring that much better. They were both battered, bruised, and covered in pink and red blood.
But while Zim's bloodlust was as strong as ever, Dib was starting to grow tired. His breathing was shallow, he was starting to register the spikes of pain all over his body, and Zim had managed to crack one of his glasses lenses.
"Give up yet?" Zim taunted. No matter what Dib did to him, his grin hadn't shrunk an inch. His feet were shaking, and he was using his PAK legs as makeshift crutches.
Dib spat blood into his uniform, making his face crinkle in disgust. "Never."
Zim's eyes gleamed…and he used his PAK legs to lift himself into the mess of wires again.
"Oh, no you don't!" Dib lunged forward, jumping and grabbing his retreating PAK legs. Zim hissed and tried to shake him off, but he already had a tight grip on the wires and was crawling after him.
"Get out of here!" Zim snapped, trying to shoo him away. "You're too big to fit in here properly! Stop ruining my genius strategy!"
"Is your strategy just hiding in the wires?" Dib crawled after him, the wires wobbling under him.
"LIES! Zim does not hide!" Zim darted ahead, the wires trembling wildly.
Dib was ready to give chase…but his palms, slick with sweat and blood, slipped off the wires' metal surface. His arms flailed, and he tried to lean his body back…but only succeeded in making himself fall backward instead of forward.
He fell out of the wires, his fingers slipping against anything he tried to grab. He hit the floor, left foot first, at an awkward angle.
There was a loud snap, and a moment later, the pain hit, blinding him. He screamed, curling into a fetal position, shivering and trying to shield his leg without moving or touching it.
His vision slowly cleared, and his screaming turned into panting. Zim was in front of him, kneeling and tapping his antennae against Dib's face.
Dib grimaced and lunged forward, trying to bite at his antennae. But the sudden movement jostled his leg, and he froze when the pain jolted through him, giving Zim plenty of time to pull back.
"…you are incapacitated," he stated, staring at him.
"N-No, I'm not," Dib said, gritting his teeth. He had fought through worse pain than this before, he just had to…power…through it…!
"This has gone on long enough, human." Zim snapped his fingers, and the wires above them moved on their own, dropping down to their level. "Time for Zim to end this."
Two wires wrapped around Dib's wrists, pulling them apart before retreating back to the ceiling, holding Dib up several feet above the ground. He tried to pull himself free, but the wires only tightened in response.
Zim rose up on his PAK legs to the level of Dib's chest, grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. He began to mutter something in Irken, easily tearing through the fabric and pushing Dib's chin up, fully exposing his neck.
Dib swallowed, and Zim's antennae twitched as his Adam's apple bobbed. He continued muttering in Irken, long tongue slipping out and gliding across sharp zipper teeth, the tip caressing Dib's skin and leaving a trail of saliva.
"What do you think you're doing?" Dib said, still trying to free himself.
Zim shot him a glare, muttering a few last things in Irken. "Isn't it obvious?" He opened his mouth, lining his teeth up with Dib's throat.
Dib felt the last of his blood drain from his already-pale face. He had been bitten by Zim before, and a part of him always feared his death would come at Zim's hands, but…he had always thought it would be less brutal than having his jugular torn out!
He tightly closed his eyes, making one final effort to pull himself free and praying that it would at least be quick.
Zim's teeth sank into his throat...
And froze in mere seconds, not pressing any further. Dib remained tense, waiting for the bite to finally turn fatal.
But instead, Zim pulled away, the bite doing nothing worse than leaving bruises and shallow puncture marks. Confused, Dib opened one eye, and saw Zim grinning in a very...satisfied way.
"There!" he said, claws tapping over the tender skin on Dib's throat. He tried to hide his flinch, and Zim's grin widened an inch more. "Yes…yes, that will scar over nicely. Honestly, you humans are so fragile, it's hard to know just how much damage you can take!"
"Huh…wha?" Dib stared blankly at him. Zim just lowered back to the ground, holding his arms out. The wires holding Dib suddenly let go, and before he could react, he fell right into Zim's waiting arms. Before he knew what was happening, he was being held gently, Zim adjusting Dib's arms and legs so they hooked around his neck and waist, respectively.
Dib winced when his leg was moved, though he grit his teeth and did his best to hide it. But Zim must have still noticed, as he clicked his tongue.
"You should have just surrendered once you were so injured," he scolded, digging his claws into Dib's hair and shoving his chin into the crook of Zim's neck. He paused, and he gently pet Dib's head. "Though…I'm glad you pushed yourself so hard. You've always been a great nemesis."
All Dib could do was blink in confusion. His adrenaline was starting to peter out, though he tried to bring it back by reminding himself he was in his enemy's hold. But he was just…so tired. It felt like the only thing keeping him up was the pain in his leg.
Movement. He opened his eyes and watched the halls of the base change. Zim was taking him somewhere…maybe he wanted to finish him off somewhere else?
What if Dib was the one who would wind up on the autopsy table?
A shiver traveled down his spine, and he forced himself to squirm and struggle, trying to get out of Zim's hold. He'd take his chances with his (possibly) broken leg.
But Zim only tightened his grip, and Dib winced when claws dug into his skin. "None of that, now," he clicked. "We're almost there."
That only made Dib's worries worse. His gaze shifted to Zim's PAK, lying just inches below his fingertips. He slowly reached down, trying to get a good grip on the edge without the Irken noticing…
But found himself dropped onto a soft surface before he could.
He shifted, trying to roll off, but Zim quickly placed a hand on his chest to stop him, gazing intently at his leg. He poked it with one claw, and Dib bit his tongue to muffle his cry of pain. "Ugh, human bones…so fragile," Zim said. He continued grumbling as he turned away, rummaging through some supplies.
Dib glanced around. The room was probably some kind of medical lab, the walls a sterile pinkish-white, filled with strange alien devices and medicines…and the one bed he was lying on, which was surprisingly comfortable.
But now wasn't the time to get cozy, or examine the room! Not when Zim was just a few feet away, and…approaching him with a metal band, strange box, and syringe of green liquid.
Dib moved as far as he could, but Zim quickly dashed over and grabbed onto his good leg, pulling him back. "You're not going anywhere until we're finished," he growled. He grabbed the ankle of Dib's broken leg, pulling it to him and examining it.
Dib couldn't fully hide his cry of pain this time. Zim's antennae twitched, and he continued to stare at the break, placing the syringe into a PAK appendage.
"It's…just a broken bone," Dib huffed. "Nothing…special about it."
"Yes, but they take forever to heal with human medicine." Zim moved quickly, pushing the bone back into place as the syringe jabbed at Dib's skin.
The pain was a white-hot flash that blinded Dib and made him cry out. He almost sat up, trying to curl in on himself, but a metal appendage held him in place. He briefly struggled against it, but soon ran out of energy and collapsed back onto the bed.
The pain eventually faded into a dull throb, his vision clearing and the ringing fading from his ears. He took a deep breath and focused on whatever Zim was doing.
The Irken had moved on from Dib's broken leg to his other wounds. Dib watched in confusion as bandages were wrapped around his cuts and salve was rubbed over his bruises.
"Why…?" he croaked out, voice breaking off in a cough.
Zim stopped what he was doing to lean over and pat Dib's head. "Don't worry," he said. "I've already learned that humans are more fragile than Irkens. I'll make sure it doesn't take long for you to heal, my Dib-Ssnemi."
Dib squinted in confusion. Nothing…nothing about this was making any sense. And he couldn't even begin to try to figure this out…he felt too exhausted.
He slumped back onto the bed with a groan. Zim chuckled and clicked his tongue, patting him on the head again before focusing on Dib's injuries again.
Dib floated in a state of semi-consciousness, the stings of pain and the feeling of Zim's hands flitting over him the only thing keeping him awake. The sharp pain in his leg was now a very dull throb, and already fading quickly. And whatever Zim was doing was making the pain of the rest of his injuries fade quickly.
The next thing he knew, he was being lifted off the bed, now cradled in Zim's arms. "Wh't're you doin'…" he mumbled, making a token effort to wriggle free.
It didn't lead him anywhere, of course. Zim just sighed, running his claws through Dib's hair. "Just sleep already, human. Everything will make sense once your mind is finally clear…"
Dib highly doubted that, considering how confusing this whole thing was. More confusing than a usual Zim plot, even.
Still, he was already exhausted, and Zim's claws gently scratching over his scalp felt…really, really nice. His eyelids fluttered shut, and as much as he tried to fight it, his exhausted and battered body dragged him into true sleep.
The last thing he heard was a soft cackle from Zim, and a rumbling sound from his chest…