Summary:
Zim and Dib leave Irk but they're both in terrible condition.
Author's Note:
Haiiii Haiiiii yet again ! ! ^_^ I really really hope you're enjoying reading my story ! ! Thanks so much for coming back to check out chapter 27 ! ! This chapter is written from Zim's perspective and the title comes from the song Bring Me Back to Life by Evanescence because well . . . . Heh *nervous sweats* XP XP It also represents how they're both coming completely undone, just in different ways. One more physically and the other more mentally. Now let's see , I will definitely say there is a BIG trigger warning for major (temporary) character death , major character injury , and vomit as per usual XD lol It's honestly a pretty heavy chapter , but the next update will be much more fun (much more vomit free , too) ! ! ^_^ Okieeeee ! ! Without further ado , please enjoy ! ! And any comments will be so so so very much appreciated ! ! ^_^
Before I Come Undone
As Dib closes his eyes and his body goes limp in front of me, I sit back on my heels. My vision starts to blur but I blink it away, whether it's tears or side effects of the PAK analysis. My head is killing me, intense pain bouncing around my skull. I don't understand what's going on. There are crazy alarms going off, I can barely see through all the insistent flashing lights and the smoke from… whatever it is that just happened. My back is so messed up that I briefly wonder just how long they left me on the table this time. But none of that matters. How could it when I look down at the slumped body in front of me. My stomach rolls at the sight of his poor condition. Really though, poor is an understatement. His headphones are gone so his black fur is exposed as are his ears, but they're dripping in blood towards the bottoms, down his neck, just like the huge gash where his translator is supposed to be. His invader uniform is drenched and turned a more menacing deep red color. His PAK must still be in place behind him because his skin is still lit up green each time the emergency lights flash but the color only appears more sickly in addition to all of his injuries. One of his gloves is pulled down and I can see the translator wrapped around his wrist. The shock is beginning to wear off and as I come back into myself, I'm filled with questions. What were they doing here? How on Irk did they even get here? And why-
Human. Dib is a human. His PAK isn't made to help him with severe injury. I remove his glove the rest of the way and roll it up, then tear away some fabric from the bottom of his tunic, wrapping them together and pressing them to the gash in his neck. I can't even tell where all of this blood is coming from and the light situation isn't helping. I don't even really know what to do. All I know is that a human shouldn't be leaking this much and although I feel his heartbeat under my makeshift gauze, panic continues to rise within me. We need to leave. Now.
"It's okay. You'll be okay. Just give me one second." I tell him, mostly because it makes me feel better to talk to him even though he clearly can't respond. I hesitantly stand up and do my best at collecting whatever leftover pieces of GIR I can find. I hold up the hem of my tunic and place the small pile there. As I'm quickly collecting the shattered pieces of metal, I also come across Dib's headphones so I take those too before turning back. There's a glint nearby once I reach Dib and I look towards it. It's the PAK destabilizer. I shift all the pieces I've collected and tie my tunic to keep them in place, then walk over to pick up the weapon. I quickly place the safety on and add it to my pile before reaching for Dib. I scoop him up, extending my PAK legs to start us for the exit. I adjust his head on my chest and put pressure on his wounds as I cross the room. Something small seems to fall away from his tunic pocket and I catch it, holding it up.
"What is this?" I wonder aloud. I struggle to keep Dib in place as I pop the small vial open and then scent hits me. I don't know where he got this or why but as we pass by the keyboard in the center of the room, I glance up at the monitors. Rage spikes in me and I completely empty the contents of the vial over the keyboard, momentarily reveling in the sparks as the monitors begin flashing warnings and then I head out of the research and development room. I yank open the main doors of the massive and when I do, I see both Skoodge and Tak on the other side, looking as if they were on their way in. Upon seeing us, Skoodge gasps an Irken explicative and Taks mouth drops.
"You're still here!?" Tak exclaims, momentary shock wearing off.
"Not for long." I reply, shoving them aside.
"What happened to him?" Skoodge asks as they both struggle to keep my pace.
"What do you think happened, Skoodge?! Take a wild guess!" I snap, still tearing down the hallway. "Where are they?"
"Who?" Tak asks.
"Ro and Hex." I clarify, quickly.
"The protective cellar. They won't come out until I give them the all clear." She replies.
"What do we do? Will he be okay?" Skoodge interjects.
"We can't do anything! He needs to get home as soon as possible!" I hiss back. "I need my ship."
"It's just outside. When he didn't come back I had Tenn deliver it-"
"Why would you bring him here?! How could you do that?!" I scream and Skoodge shrinks back a little.
"I didn't know what to do, he was insistent-"
"That's not important!" Tak interrupts. She's right. As we reach the exit, the doors next to it open up and the three of us are faced with two Irken guards.
"Drop everything and- Lieutenant?" One of them asks, faltering and immediately retracting their PAK weapons.
"What are you two doing here?!" Tak asks angrily.
"We thought you needed backup-" the other starts to answer her but she interrupts.
"I sent you to the Southside!" She barks. I'm nauseated by the metallic scent of blood drenching my uniform and these two Irken are wasting my time. They're wasting his time.
"Lieutenant, what are you doing with these two?" The first guard asks and I roll my eyes, retrieving the destabilizer and popping the safety. No one even gets a chance to react before I point and fire at them both.
"Take me to my ship, now!" I shout. Skoodge shakes away the shock of the two fallen guards in the doorway.
"It's right outside the door, just uncloak it." He says back.
"That wasn't necessary." Tak huffs, shaking her head as I'm typing into my sleeve.
"Because you want Ro and Hex to find out you helped me escape." I say back, relieved when my ship comes into view and I see that Tenn has already positioned it to where the extender belt will reach the doorway we're standing in. It's lowering down as I watch impatiently and Skoodge speaks up again.
"Are you sure there's nothing we can do here, first?"
"Skoodge, I am absolutely sure and if he doesn't live, neither do you." I say back in a deadly calm and he looks down to the floor.
"Will you at least let me know he's okay?" Is the last thing I hear but I ignore it as we board the ship, both Tak and Skoodge left behind. I cloak the ship and am again grateful that Tenn hasn't shut it off. I type in earth's coordinates and set autopilot. As soon as the ship gets moving, I turn away from it and head for the bedroom.
"Computer, unlock the bedrooms and storage level doors." I command and when I reach the door, I hear the lock click and open the door, crossing the floor and depositing Dib onto the bed. "Dib…? I don't know what to do…" I whisper. "The fastest we can get back to earth is five days. You have to hold on for five days. I know it sounds like a long time but it's not…" I continue, untying my makeshift carryall tunic and setting each piece of GIR down on the floor next to the bed. Some of the pieces I can connect but others are so broken down. I have no idea what to do with them. I take a deep breath and look from the shards of metal on the floor to Dib lying unconscious on the bed and the twisting in my gut consumes me. It's so intense, I almost curl in on myself and barely turn away from GIR in time before I'm retching on the floor. It's registering how much my back is hurting now as I'm emptying my stomach contents but as soon as I finish, I put the burn in my throat to the back of my mind and stand up.
After cutting his uniform down the middle of his body, I'm able to wrap each of his wounds in the fabric, discovering a second one on his chest that runs all the way through to his back and I'm wondering what on Irk the Tallests did to him. They couldn't possibly have seen him as that much of a threat. I shake my head as I clean away the blood near his ears, too. I even change the bandages on his left arm after I treat all the new injuries. It doesn't take very long, maybe about an hour and he doesn't stir the entire time. His body is limp and his face is expressionless. Even as I remove the contact lenses from his eyes, his breathing remains shallow and his heartbeat is faint but I keep attuned to it. After he's sufficiently cleaned up I sit down beside him. The silence of the room is crushing and there's nothing I can really do about it. I should have never brought him here. He wanted to go and I thought I could make it safe and… I wanted him here too. Why couldn't I just have both?
I rest a hand on his chest, watching his still face and I feel more panic rising in me as it starts taking longer and longer between each time his chest rises and falls.
"Dib, don't…" I whisper, my thoughts racing as I try to figure out what else I can do but there's nothing on my ship in the way of extensive recovery medical supplies for anyone. Especially humans. I already used almost everything in the first aid kit I put on the ship before the trip started. "Don't leave…" I say a little louder, feeling his chest rise slightly and falling again. "Don't leave, please don't leave." I say insistently but his chest doesn't rise again. "Dib, don't leave! I'll take care of you, you'll be okay! I'm bringing you back, please!"
My own voice is ringing in my antennae but it's not enough. Nothing I say is enough because none of it is going to bring him back. I try to drag in a breath, watching him in disbelief. There is no possible way that any of this is happening. I stand up and lean over him. There's no movement in him at all and I blink back all the blurring in my eyes.
"You can't die! You can't! I don't- I… Zim wasn't even trying to get rid of you and you're leaving! You can't do that! That's not how this works, that's NOT what's supposed to happen!" I exclaim in the loud silence of the room but I'm alone. For the first time in centuries, I feel truly alone. I fall to my knees beside the bed, leaning my forehead on it and closing my eyes. "Don't leave me… Not like everybody else…" I've witnessed plenty of deaths. I've seen my own people die in training or in combat, I've caused plenty of deaths myself, Irkens and humans alike. I've destroyed Dib-human myself. But none of that felt like this. Nothing could ever feel like this.
This is exactly why I never needed anyone. It's why I have never wanted to need anyone. Because of how quickly they can go from this excited, ranting, annoying, ball of nerves to just being gone. Zim should have expected something like this to happen. I was beginning to get too ahead of myself. I can't be an invader, I can't be loved, I can't be in love, I can never be anything. "Dib… You should've let them do it…" I whisper, shaking my head. I'm sick and tired of it all. Everything. I'm tired of existence. I should have left him on earth where he belongs and I should have gone to my fate alone like a real soldier. It would have been best for the empire and best for him if I just left. Zim never had a future but he did and now… I've taken all of that away from him.
I just continue to sit that way for a few more sickeningly silent moments wishing with everything in me that he would come back. Why does it feel like if I think about it long enough or if I want it enough it will work? All it really does is make me think about everything leading up to this point. Every memory playing through my head deceptively feels like it's bringing him closer to me but they all fade when I glance up at him.
"I… Did you know that um…?" I start to ask, watching his face for a few seconds before reaching into my tunic. I had Skoodge include a pocket on the inside chest area. "Remember graduation? It was when you gave me that picture?" I continue, unfolding it and trying to smooth out the bends. "I brought it with me. Zim has actually brought it everywhere since you first gave it to me. I guess I didn't tell you how much I liked it. I should have…" I say, looking down at the picture of the two of us along with GIR. Thinking back to such simpler times… I sigh. "There are a lot of things I should have told you Dib." And there are. I just can't say them aloud. I never could and I still can't. I don't know why I can't do it but he deserved to hear them. He deserved so much better and it just wasn't me. I couldn't be better for him.
I'm sitting there in pensive silence for a long time until my antennas pick up on someone in the frame of the bedroom door. I don't turn around or acknowledge whoever it is at all because I am not in any mood to deal with any Tallest but they don't say anything. I'm waiting for them to tell me how this is my fault. Tell me how it's for the best. Tell me that they saw this coming. Tell me how much Zim deserves to be alone, but they never speak and I finally lift my head to turn to them.
I scramble to my feet and blink a few times but every time I open my eyes I see…
"Dib?" I ask, looking down at his pale form on the bed, then looking back towards the door where he's also standing except the one in the doorway looks different. He looks much better. I take tentative steps towards him and he just smiles, watching me through his large glasses. He isn't so pale, he isn't sporting any of the same injuries as the one on the bed, and he's wearing his regular clothes along with his long black coat. Once I'm standing directly in front of him, we just watch each other for a few seconds until he holds out his right hand and I abandon all rational thoughts, throwing my arms around his neck. Relief floods through my body when I feel his arms wrap around my torso and I don't even notice whether or not it hurts my back as I'm sure the serum has worn off by now. "How- how do I fix this? Zim can-"
"You can't." He says softly and I pull away to look at him.
"Yes I can. I just have to figure out how and you- you can help me." I insist and he shakes his head. "You think I can't do it!?" I hiss angrily.
"It's not that, it's just, this is something that just can't be fixed."
"Then… you just stay here, you can stay with me."
"I want to… so much but I think we both know… That can't happen either-" He starts but I don't let him finish.
"Why not!?"
"Zim…" He replies, looking past me towards the bed.
"Are you kidding? Of all the times to finally be ready to give up!" I say in exasperation.
"Well what are you going to do, Zim?" He asks, dejection saturating his words.
"Something! I don't know, I just…" I say back and he sighs.
"Then do it."
"Huh?" I ask, looking between him and the him that was.
"Fix it." He replies, gesturing towards where he's laying on the bed and we both just stare for a moment until I think of something.
"Your PAK!" I exclaim.
"I thought it couldn't maintain life or something like that." He replies, following as I walk over to the bed and struggle a bit to sit him in a more upright position against the pillows.
"It isn't made to, but it might. What if it could?"
"Wouldn't it already be… you know, kind of too late?" He asks.
"Do you have any better ideas?" I hiss and he holds up both hands defensively. "The PAK was made to provide you with basic vitamins and nutrients that you might not have gotten on Irk but what if it also had a supply of life energy?"
"Even if that works, would it be able to sustain it for the duration of the trip?"
"I don't know but even if it isn't, it could at least be enough to let your wounds heal a bit more and you could make it back to earth without it." I reply, opening a panel on his PAK and working on some of the wires, keeping to myself that I just need it to work for any amount of time. I just need him back, even for a minute. I'll do anything to not let it end the way it did…
"Humans don't have any unlimited life source, though. Where would you get that?"
"From me!" I exclaim and he furrows his brows.
"I don't think I understand. You're going to use Irken life energy on… a deceased human? What if they're not compatible?"
"What's the worst that could happen?!" I ask, gesturing at the body on the bed. "I swear, Dib-Think, only you would argue with me at a time like this!" I say back, extending a long metal connector from my PAK. "I haven't… needed this since I was a smeet. In the academy, they use it when we are injured. Fully developed Irken don't need the extra help but Smeets do. After we graduate, it just… gets kind of… retired." I explain, holding it up in front of me. I turn to look at him again, waiting for him to say something else but I find that he's gone. For a split second, I feel the sadness and disappointment but I immediately shake it off, turning all of my attention to him on the bed. I rest a hand on his chest, using the other to connect the transmitter to the makeshift port I created in his PAK. It sparks for a second but then nothing happens. It feels like I'm waiting for hours but I'm sure it's just a few moments later that I feel his heart beat once. I think it's just a trick of my imagination but a couple of seconds later it beats three times at once and then he gasps in a loud breath. I don't get to check and see if his heart has resumed its original rhythm. I don't even get to feel relieved that it's even beating again because the minute it starts, he loses it. And I mean loses it. Exhaustion is tugging at me and it's only exacerbated by the absolute tantrum he's throwing by shouting and flailing at me.
"Stop! Stop it! Please stop!" He insists but I finally catch his hands and hold them away from where he's trying to tear out the transmitter.
"Dib, it's me! Calm down! I'm trying to help you!" I exclaim, struggling to hold him still. For such a lanky earthworm, he's got a lot of force behind his movements. "Would you stop!?" I yell but he's clearly not hearing me and I have to force out some PAK legs just to restrain him. He isn't flailing anymore but I can feel him still struggling to get free or to do something. He's shaking violently the whole time and I'm trying to figure out if maybe the life source was a bad idea. He's here but is he really? He's screaming in so much pain, I can't tell if he's even aware of where he is. He continues trying to get out of the restraints and he's struggling so much that his hair is starting to stick to his forehead with beads of perspiration, foam starting to build up in his mouth.
Aside from his reaction that makes it obvious that the transmitter is functioning, I also am physically feeling increasingly weak with every passing second.
"Dib, just try to breathe, relax." I keep repeating but he starts convulsing violently and I move to disconnect the cord from his PAK. Right before I do he speaks again and it makes me rethink disconnecting the life source.
"I can't handle it, Zim! Just stop it, let me go, please!" He continues, repeating variations of that same thought and I try to tune him out. That's the first sign that he actually is aware of the situation. He called me by my name. This isn't a lost cause, even as he insistently begs me to let him die.
"I can't do that, and that isn't really what you want." I try to talk over him and for a second I wonder if maybe I'm just being selfish. He's actively telling me that this isn't what he wants but I'm doing it anyway. I mean, he isn't exactly of sound mind to make this decision himself but… am I? I'm contemplating this when he abruptly stops everything he was doing. He's not struggling to break free or tear out the transmitter. He isn't yelling anymore. He's just laying there and I see that he's clearly still breathing. "Dib?" But he doesn't respond. I tentatively retract my PAK legs and watch him cautiously. Maybe he fainted or something, Zim doesn't know but as long as he's breathing and I can hear his heartbeat, that's what matters. I use my glove to project a screen depicting my life source and… it's pretty bad. The number 39 stares back at me for a moment but then it drops to 38%, both numbers being in the orange zone meaning to proceed with extreme caution and initiate healing and repairs as soon as possible. It's no wonder this whole situation has taken so much out of Zim. I've been focused on trying to keep Dib alive while my PAK has been struggling to do the same for me. I click off the screen and walk over to the bathroom, retrieving the towel hanging near the shower and running cool water over the end of it, heading back into the room.
Humans are always really warm in temperature but Dib's is undoubtedly too high right now. His skin is flushed and slick with sweat so I brush away his hair and start wiping down his face, then his chest, stomach and arms. Afterwards, I finally set to cleaning up the floor, too.
How am I going to pilot the ship from all the way over here? I sigh, sitting beside him again. I'm not sure how long I'm staring at him but my eyelids are getting heavy and my antennae are limp. I'm trying to stay alert just in case something else goes wrong but this is all so draining- literally.
"Computer, display the human vitals." I command while using my wrist communicator to display the flight path of the ship. The screen changes over to readings that I've only seen a handful of times so I'm staring at it for a while before it finally starts making a bit more sense but as long as it continues to depict a pulse, that's all that matters. In an attempt to drag in a deep breath, my breath catches and I start coughing so hard that it shakes my chest and my eyes blur. That fit takes a while to subside but when it does, it just doesn't feel like I can hold my body up anymore so I move over and carefully lay down face first into the pillow next to Dib.
The pain in my back is agonizing. Actually, now that I'm really focusing on how I feel, my entire body hurts. The worst of it being the entire area of skin surrounding my PAK and also my head. Closing my eyes only serves to make the room feel as though it's spinning and I sincerely hope I don't vomit again because I just don't have the energy to clean anything else.
Hundreds of millions of light years away. So far away. Zim was as far away from them as possible and Ro and Hex still felt I was a danger to them and to the Irken Empire. So much so, they created such a deceptive plan to lure me back just so they could take advantage of my loyalty and trust to get rid of me. They didn't even give me a chance. Zim hadn't even done anything and they didn't let me even try. We hadn't even attended Invader Training academy at the same time. We didn't know each other at all but they still hate Zim so much. Preventing any Irken like me from ever having the chance to exist in the future is one thing. But completely wiping me from existence… I have always adored my Tallests. I have always loved each and every one of them with everything in me. Any one of them could have sent me on a mission into the sun of Sirius Minor and Zim would have gladly gone. I was compliant. I went on every wild goose race they concocted (is that the human saying? Zim thinks so) and as soul crushing as it is, I feel like nothing I've done in over 22 years has ever been enough.
I turn my head to the left and watch Dib's profile, then place my hand in the center of his chest. He's still unmoving but his heartbeat is maintaining its usual rhythm. I let my eyes drift closed again and allow the feeling of his heartbeat to calm me down.
Sometime later I'm struggling to peel my eyes open. I'm not sure if I'm feeling worse than before because falling unconscious gave me a false sense of comfort or if I'm feeling worse because of the life source transporter. Either way, I look over and Dib still hasn't moved. When I check my wrist communicator, I see that just over four hours have gone by and I don't know what to make of that. I sit up as slowly as I can and it still hurts to move but it's really starting to concern me that Dib hasn't moved or woken up. Maybe he just needs extra rest because of his injuries… I gently rest a hand on his left shoulder and nudge him but he of course doesn't stir.
"Dib?" I ask. Nothing. I even pick up one of his hands and let it fall back to his side but he's completely unresponsive.
I check my life source quickly and it's at 37% now. The pang of worry that it's draining so quickly is fleeting before I address the computer.
"Computer, give me updates on the human's condition."
"The human's condition is stable."
"Stable?" I repeat, looking him over again. Of all the years I have known him, he has never looked worse than he does right now. "Then why is he still asleep?"
"He's in a comatose state."
"I… I don't know what that is. What does that mean?" I ask in frustration.
"A human in a comatose state, or coma, is in a state of deep unconsciousness caused especially by severe injury or illness." The computer replies.
"How long does that last?"
"Indefinite period of time."
"Indefinite!? Make a guess!"
"There's no way to tell when or if a human will come out of a coma."
"What do you mean 'if'?"
"A coma can become seemingly perma-"
"Stop. Do you have anything good to say about how he's doing right now?!" I hiss but the computer doesn't respond. A few moments pass and I'm just staring at Dib. "Can he hear me?"
"There's plenty of research on earth that suggests he can…"
"But you're not sure…" I finish, taking a deep breath and standing up. The silence is broken by the computer alerting me to an incoming transmission in the cockpit. "Who is it?"
"Information unknown." The computer replies.
"Skoodge." I mumble. "Decline it." I instruct, feeling more anger bubbling up within me. How simple were the instructions I gave him? And why are humans so fragile to begin with?! It's no wonder at all why they're the outcasts of their galaxy. Who wants anything to do with people so incredibly meager? The minute you get attached, they die. And if they don't, you spend ALL of your time worrying about if and when they will! And even if by some miracle they do live a maximum human lifetime, they age insanely Quickly! Zim wonders what humans were put here for in the first place.
We've been flying steadily for two days and incessant transmissions from Skoodge are in no short supply. I'm sitting on the floor at the end of the hallway. It's as far as the life-source transmitter will extend without separating or causing me discomfort and I can see the cockpit from here. Being on autopilot is driving me to insanity. We aren't even halfway done with our trip but at the rate that I'm being drained, Zim has to keep pushing down the worry picking at the back of my mind. The transmitter won't even stretch far enough for me to go to the storage level and get something to eat. If I'm feeling restless, I'll just walk up and down this long hallway, considering everything that needs to be done. It is imperative that Dib-Thing get to a hospital immediately after we get to earth. I've also sorted through all of the pieces of GIR I was able to recover, multiple times and although a lot of him is missing, what's most important is the small blue marble on his head. It contains his conscience and personality so the fact that Zim has that is good. Once I get back to my base, I'll start working on all of the replacement parts he'll need.
At this point, I'm no longer worried that we're being pursued. We are far from speeding yet, aside from a few space beasts, we haven't come across anyone. I'm just staring through the large windshield, noting that we should be passing the Zerargh Galaxy soon which stirs up thoughts of Suittie. I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on them while the memory consumes me.
Suittie was nice. Beautiful even. And the thought of Dib's extensive excitement while exploring there draws a bit of quiet laughter from me. He's probably going to want that camera and I expect it is still on Irk in the bunker. I'll have to arrange for it to be sent to him. All of his belongings really. I'm snapped out of my memory of staring up at him during that weird dance when the windshield begins flashing with yet another incoming transmission. I gave up telling the computer to keep rejecting the calls and instead settle for watching them ring out. Once the screen returns to a view of the stars, I inhale slowly and start to stand up. The room spins a bit and small flecks of light flash in my line of sight. I blink them away as best I can and try to let my legs adjust before I start walking back to the bedroom. My vision is blurry but I request to see my life source percentage which is a measly 28. I'm not excited about the condition Zim will undoubtedly be in once we finally get to earth. I'm being drained and his injuries seem to be healing. I don't understand why he won't wake up. I go into the bathroom and attempt a quick, uncomfortable treatment on my back. I don't have anything like the serum Dib was treating me with, just a topical pain treatment that is barely working. I return to the bed and rearrange the pillows he's leaning on before I sit down next to the human and resume my painstaking research. The screen projected from my wrist communicator is still where I left off on my reading of how to care for someone in the state Dib is in. It's incredibly extensive and I don't have nearly everything I need but I'm making do with what I have access to. The maintenance is grueling, especially considering my own poor health at the moment. How could someone, doing absolutely nothing at all hours of the day, still require so much attention? Exercise, adjusting his position to prevent bed sores, bathing, grooming, toileting, dental hygiene- the only thing I haven't had to worry about is nutrition… I think. It appears the transmitter is capable of maintaining that part, at least.
Some time later, I'm finishing another change of his bandages before returning to my spot on the bed. He still hasn't moved or woken up but I'm still talking to him all the same. Mostly just because I want to but I did see in my research that it could actually be helpful for him.
"And after that horrible parent-teacher night experience, I realized the malfunction was a direct result of GIR's interference." I'm explaining while simultaneously dragging his brush through his hair stuff, kind of like I've seen both him and GIR do on multiple occasions. The projection of his vitals overhead still depict that he is in stable condition. I'm not sure how long I've been talking to him at this point but it's been admittedly tiring. Dib-Thing talks all the time, does he ever get this winded? "And even though Zim attempted to reprogram them, their behavior is still pretty hit or miss." I shrug, setting the brush down on the table near the bed. My eyelids are feeling heavy again which is fine since I've completed the majority of my tasks for the day. It's been almost three days so I'm getting a bit more used to the situation but it doesn't make it any less tiring. Especially since today I struggled to wash some of Dib's clothing in the shower. The accidental splashes of water onto my face were few and far between, but still more painful than usual. Surely a result of my abismal life source percentage but I try my best not to think about that too much since there really isn't anything I can do about it.
Once I'm finally laying down beside him, I set up my communicator screen to portray our flight path as it appears in the cockpit.
"You know, in just over 24 hours, it will be that horrible earth holiday. Although, Zim does admit that it hasn't been so reprehensible since… when was it? Our second year of high school?" I ask, counting back from now. After my first Halloween on earth, which we agreed shall never be spoken of EVER again, I suffered through several Halloweens at home with GIR, feeling trapped by all the disgusting looking mutated earthworms roaming the streets. That was until Dib-thing showed up at my base one Halloween dressed as… Zim doesn't remember the word for it. Something I'm sure would tick him off as he is constantly reminding me and it just doesn't stick. "Ha! That's weird, right? I was so anxious that you really were a blood sucking monster that Halloween. And now, this Halloween, you kind of are." I say poking him in the shoulder. He doesn't laugh or anything of course and Zim highly highly doubts that he'd find that joke funny even if he were conscious to hear it. Unless he did hear it and is currently internally scolding me, in which case, I wouldn't be surprised. "Okay, okay, but steering away from morbidity, I wonder what terrible costume you would choose to wear this year… Or what GIR would want to wear. I was honestly thrilled at the idea of being away from earth this year but considering the circumstances… this is not better." I sigh, adjusting my head on the pillow. I'm laying in silence, watching him carefully as his chest continues to rise and fall, before my eyes fall closed.