"Data download complete" The base AI called out. Zim sighed and returned to the couch.
"Computer, initiate transmission to the massive. Contact resident medic."
Again, the irken insignia appeared, almost immediately after, the medic's assistant appeared on the screen.
"Invader Zim, status shows that you have completed the download. Have you reviewed the data?"
"Negative. Download has just finished. After taking a quick peek I thought it best I go over it with the medic."
"Understood. Just a moment."
The screen went back yo the insignia before the medic appeared, anatomy charts and a white board behind him.
"Invader Zim. Are we ready to begi- what has happened to your skin?"
" Chemical burns from an Earth liquid. I will send you the data when I have finished my analysis. I am fine though. And yes, I am ready to begin."
"Excellent. Lets start from the top, acess the data now."
Zim sat back and let the data go over in his mind...the knowledge filing itself into his brain as if he'd known it his whole life.
"My snorplex does that?"
"Yes, Once your pak has been modified, your snorplex will come free from it's protective cavity...the size may alarm you as only about an inch exposes itself for expelling waste.-"
"What do you mean? It is more than that."
The medic looked perplexed.
"It...it isn't contained within the skin folds? But you haven't received the pak mod yet..."
Zim rolled his eyes... apparently this is another mark of his defective status.
"No, it has not been so since I was in the academy."
"Interesting...so what were you questioning then?"
" The secretions...mine has never done that. Only waste. "
"Ah, yes, well, that would require mating urges in order to get to that point. Without those urges, your body will not respond so. The secretions...there are four. Data says that the first will be for lubrication and arousal for both you and the female...females react to it like an aphrodisiac,
the second is for fertilization, and the third is a type of cement. It will congeal within the female to keep your fertilizing secrentions within her...this is to ensure impregnation. This should only happen if the female is fertile, her pheromones will trigger your body into creating this.
The fourth will be triggered when the female is close to giving birth...it is cruitial to the birthing process. I will cause the female to dialate, and the protective membrane keeping the egg sack within her to thin, allowing the sack to exit her body. Otherwise, she may die in labor."
"What happens to the smeets then?"
"The smeets will fight each other, then eat their way through the female."
"What activates the mating urges?"
"Well, once your pak has been modified, the reproductive system will no longer be surpressed. You should beging feeling these urges naturally when you come in contact with a compatible female. Its hard telling what will cause these urges when you factor in that it will be a different species...but if it were another Irken, we respond to pheromones, displays of strength, intelligence, and maternal instinct. There are other things that attract such as healthy coloration, body shape, sharpness of antennai and their shape...we are still conducting research on this."
Zim nodded as he took a long swig from his bottle and set it on the table.
"So, we are not splicing genes, we are simply mating."
"That is correct. Our scientists need to gather data on naturally hybrid smeets in order to figure out how to properly start cloning. Our plan is to take advantage of this unfortunate situation, and callibrate better Irkens. Some speicies that we are able to breed with may have tolerances or abilities that we do not. If that is the case, we need to see how the genes mix on their own...then figure how to obtain the genes we want."
Zim nodded. He had figured it might go that way.
"The human I have chosen...these humans are able to interact with and even consume the liquid that caused these burns on me."
The medic was intrigued.
"Excellent! I hope you realize Zim, that this makes your eventual pairing with the human very important indeed. If your offspring inherit their mother's ability to tolerate this liquid, that is one step towards making the Irken race even more superior."
Zim nodded...normally he would be swelling with pride at this...but today, today he wanted to be done with feeling much of anything.
"And what of the gestation period? The data says that I will come very protective."
"From ancient data, yes. We have yet to have a successful pairing in order to observe this."
"What of the breeding on Irk? Surely Irkens coupling together have prodeced some pregnant females?"
The medic sighed.
"There are some issues with that. Females have all found mates, however, there is something keeping them from becoming with smeet. Our theory is that there needs to be an emotional connection..."
Zim shook his head...of course...the thing that Irkens saw as weak was the ine thing that they desperately needed right now.
"So...The birthing process...how does this go?"
"Again, we only have ancient texts...and other species are unknown...but with Irken females, there should be an urge to nest a few weeks before the birth is to take place. She will build a nest in which she will stay, waiting to give birth. She will need provided for in this time. When she goes into labor, she will deposit her eggs into the nest. They will be in a protective sack. There will usually be between 6-8 eggs. Both parents will take turns laying on the eggs then, keeping them warm until they hatch.
They will hatch inside the sack, and fight. The strongest smeet or smeets will eat their way from the sack. The others will have died in battle. Ensuring that only the strongest survive."
Zim nodded. The medic continued.
"Data tells us that the smeets will force their parents instincts to go into overdrive. You will be very protective of them."
"Makes sense. Other life forms do this as well."
"Correct. Oh, and Zim, once your mating urges begin, you will need to release your secretions frequently. Otherwise you will become backed up, and your hormones will become a hinderence."
"This all sounds very...messy."
"From what we can tell...yes. But it is all essential to the future of the Irken race...we must survive Zim...as far as we can tell, yourself and your female are our only hope thus far."
Zim sighed.
"Understood Sir. I will send youbwhat data I have on the humans."
"That would ve very helpful indeed...Unless you have any more questions..."
" Not at the moment. I will contact you if anything else comes up. When will I be recieving my pak mod?"
"It has already been sent via urgent courier. It should arrive within the next month. You are six months from the massive, that is the quickest they coukd send it. Invader Tak was entrusted with this mission."
Zim perked an antenna.
"Tak? But shouldn't she be in the breeding program? Why is she being used as a courier?"
"The tallests did not tell you? She was assigned as your Irken breeding partner."
Zim groaned. This certainly would have been useful information.
"Thank you Sir. That will be all for now."
The medic nodded.
"Thank you, and good luck Zim. We're depending on you."