I do not own Invader Zim, okay? I am so glad to see that you guys like this story so much. Well enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
Dib looked around, panting, still clammy from his heat exhaustion. He had run himself out of exhaustion from a freak encounter of various desert animals. I should have paid more attention. I know I should have expected better! I should have! He thought looking around at the room, confused and words of the mountain man he had met in West Virginia last summer when it came to being properly prepared. He squinted, not able to make out the room. It was a deep red and light pink and he felt silk sheets and he was stripped down to his underpants and felt a wet cloth on his head.
"Finally awake, are you?" Tak said as she pulled out a bottle of rehydration drink. "Here you need this."
"Huh?" Dib said looking around with a squint.
"Here." Tak said as she took his hand and wrapped it around the drink. She then took off the cap and put it up to his mouth. "I am not giving you your glasses back until you recover. You have heat stroke, and I am making sure you recover."
"Thanks... "Dib said, the voice haunting him in his mind. It reminded him of someone from his childhood, but for the life of him he couldn't place it. However, he couldn't remember much at this point. He was slowly stating facts he knew to be true in his mind. I am Dib Membrane. I am son of the infamous Professor Membrane. I am 21 years old... He thought as he sipped on the drink. He felt a shiver as the air conditioning was cooling him down. "I am not wearing a thing!" He jumped up.
"I would say your choice of outfit was highly idiotic for this climate. Your planet is cooking by filthy human greed and you're in the desert." She looked at the pile of black pants, black boots, blue t shirt and black trench coat shaking her head. God it's been 10 of your years and you still dress like you did back then. Talk about dedication. It would be kind of funny if it weren't so pathetic. Ah what the hell, she thought as she broke into a laugh.
"Okay what's so funny and why does that laugh remind me of the sixth grade?" Dib asked as he sat up and laid back down. "And my head is spinning" He sighed.
"Stay put!" Tak ordered. "I'll get you some more climate appropriate clothes. I am sure Mrs. Lopez would have something." She said as she took a note of the sizes of the clothes and the boots. "And what the hell would you have done to your feet in these things!" She yelled as she threw the boots at the foot of the bed."
"Okay Gaz," Dib said rolling his eyes. Tak jumped up, remembering his sister. She had some contact with Gaz, but not a lot. But so far, she hadn't explained who she was and frankly she didn't really intend to unless it came up. As far as Dib was going to know, she is a young woman named Kat helping an old Mrs. Lopez run a kitschy tourist stop on the way to Death Valley or the Extraterrestrial Highway. Last thing she wanted was memories of that last time. "You are fine here with Mrs. Lopez. She takes good care of you, and you have a decent job here...you don't need to get those ideas again." She whispered as she shook her head pushing away the errant thought out of her head of wanting to rule the world and take revenge on Zim. She was finally at peace. Something she never thought she'd have.
"You say something?" Dib asked looking over beside Tak, not being able to make out where she was without his glasses.
"I'm going next door and locking the room." Tak said. "I am getting you a fresh change of clothes then you're taking a cool shower to help your recovery. I can't believe you'd be such an idiot as to let that happen to you!" She scolded and slammed the door, locking it behind her. Dib wasn't causing too much trouble, but she didn't want him dying of heatstroke and getting eaten by mountain lions or other wildlife that prowled the range. Or used for tests at the military base out here. They use corpses all the time to test g forces on their flight equipment. Heaven help him if they start atomic testing again. The species is nothing but intelligent apes and they are not very intelligent at that to have access to weapons that devastating. It's madness. The Armada would put these people in their place! Tak thought as she headed to the back door of the rest stop. "No! You left that behind! Do not go seeking it again!" Tak said.
"Sorry Kat?" Mrs. Lopez said as a door opened up on the floor, causing Tak to jump back.
"Uhhhhhh I was thinking of my old boyfriend and our friends. You know the ones who left me in the desert all those years ago. I saw something that made me miss him and I had to tell myself that he was garbage and a stinkmonkey." Tak said as she scratched at her temple, ready to activate the memory wipe of the disguise generator if Mrs. Lopez asked too many questions.
"Oh yes there are times we will be reminded of things we left behind and may want to go back to what we know is familiar." Mrs. Lopez smiled, causing Tak to wonder if she was reading her mind when she looked away. "But it is important to remind ourselves of what we have overcome and why it is good that it is the past." Mrs. Lopez got out of the basement and shut the door. "I was in my studio, working on some weaving." She spoke. "How is that young man you saved from the desert?"
"Doing better. I certainly will not let him back in the sun for a while after that." Tak said with determined fervor. "I was wondering if I could grab him a new more desert appropriate outfit. He went running around like he was some secret agent man or action here from some movie about humanity living in a computer simulation." She scoffed.
"Sure sweetie." Mrs. Lopez said. "I have too many of these shirts." She said as she tossed Tak an Alien Cathouse t shirt. Tak smirked knowing how embarrassed Dib would be when he saw it. "And here's some black cargo shorts and some proper footwear and can't forget a fresh change of socks and skivvies." She smiled.
"Wow, you got all the sizes right." Tak said.
"Call it a grandmother's intuition." She smiled. "And when he works up an appetite, come right on over and we'll get him a home cooked meal."
"He really likes burritos." Tak said, realizing she had remembered this obscure piece of information from when they had last been in contact.
"Oh?" Mrs. Lopez asked as she looked on curiously.
Don't let her know the truth. "Oh, it had come up in conversation. You know, his favorite food, the last thing he had when he was in Vegas before coming up this way."
"Well, when he's good and hungry and better under you care, let me know and I will make him my specialty." Mrs. Lopez said.
"You are a good cook." Tak said as she took the clothes and headed back to the room with a sigh of relief. Mrs. Lopez was very friendly but at times Tak swore she knew more than she let on, things she never told anyone before.
"That I am." Mrs. Lopez smiled as Tak walked out and back to the room.
Unlocking the door, she saw Dib laying there and looking at the ceiling, with an empty bottle of water on the nightstand beside the bed. Tak sighed and placed a stack of the clothes on top of Dib and sighed. "Here."
"What?" Dib asked.
"New clothes. Mrs. Lopez wanted to help you when I told her what happened to you, and she gave me these clothes so you would have something better for the weather.
"Alien Cathouse?" Dib asked. "You and I didn't?"
"Well, your cognitive function is coming back somewhat." Tak snarked. "And no, we didn't. I just run this place. Make sure the johns pay up and treat the girls who do this kind of work well. Trust me, I have had to beat and leave some fools in the desert for either not paying or trying to do awful things. The only reason you woke up in your underpants was that I had to take off your clothes to help you cool down. Now that you are starting to regain consciousness and cognitive functions are coming back to normal, let's time for you to clean yourself off."
"Fine." Dib sighed as he took the clothes and headed to the bathroom. Tak laid back in the chair and sighed. Sure, she had her disguise on, but she made it look more like a woman in her early 20s than back when she first came to Earth. However, she found it a little amusing that after all these years, they crossed paths again. He was smarter than the rest of them and was actually a little interesting to talk to. I just hope he hasn't changed too much with puberty. Passing out in the desert with that whole 'cool paranormal investigator looks' must be a sign of that. Why else would he be out here wondering the desert? Tak thought as she picked up the remote and began to change the channel. "There must be something good on." She said. "Maybe the local news... I don't know." Tak muttered as she flipped through the channels trying to see if there was something that would amuse her while she waited on Dib.
Meanwhile, Dib stood in the shower, looking around trying not to think of what was done in this room. Putting the water on warm, where it wouldn't be too hot but last thing, he wanted to do was cause more distress to his system, he sighed. Real great job there Dib. He thought as he took the small soaps and shampoo and conditioner and began to clean himself off. I am going to have to ask Tak, no Kat to take me to my car. My campsite is probably gone and looted by now, either by other hikers and people out in the desert or animals and I am hoping my car wasn't broken into. Not like I don't have insurance or anything, but I had some of my research in there, stuff I hadn't uploaded yet! I was going to post it to the Swollen Eyeball boards when I got back. I mean I was hoping that I wouldn't have to connect to the internet until I was back in Las Vegas preparing the reports. He pounded his head against the wall in frustration. And why in the hell am I thinking of Tak now? That was years ago!
Tak got up and knocked on the door of the bathroom when she heard the thumping. "Are you okay in there? Did you try to shower too soon?" She asked.
"Nah, just beating my big dumb head against the wall for being an idiot." Dib sighed as he turned off the water, dried off and headed back into the room to sit back on the bed with the woman he knew as Kat looking after him.
"Just what do you mean?" Tak said. "Sure, your choice of outfit was kind of dumb for that weather, but honestly a lot of people make that mistake. You aren't completely dumb."
"Yes I am." Dib said as he opened the door. "And I look horrible in cargo shorts. At least they're black."
"Yeah well, as long as you aren't trapsing through bushes, you should be fine. And I am not letting you do anything too rough until you are healed up better." Tak said. "You're already at risk for another heat stroke. Each time lowers your resistance."
"Yeay for me!" Dib said as he laid face down on the bed.
"We sterilize everything thoroughly after each use. No worries there. This may be a house of ill repute, but we at least like to clean up afterwards." Tak said.
"Good to know." Dib scoffed looking up at her then back in the pillow in misery.
"Okay so why are you pissed off at yourself?" Tak asked. "I mean I get you're mad at needing rescuing but..."
"You'll think I'm crazy and full of lies." Dib said.
"Try me" Tak said. "There is nothing you can tell me that I haven't heard before. Do realize the state I live in and the place I work."
"Okay, but the second you make fun of me, I am not telling you anything else." Dib said sitting up.
"I'm all ears." Tak smiled.
"Now that I think of it, you likely heard this before. I was out here trying to see what is going on at Area 51, I know some things because of my dad's job. I mean it's known Membrane Labs had some military industrial complex contracts and I am Professor Membrane's son if you hadn't noticed." He motioned to his hair.
"Yeah, that's not crazy out here." Tak said.
"And I had some research and testimonials from locals who worked out here and people at the airport who had just gotten off a certain obviously inconspicuous flight." Dib said. "Yeah, I know they aren't supposed to talk, but a few drinks and they let it loose. I mean it is government work and I doubt many of them are paid top secret wages if you know what I mean." Tak nodded in understanding. "I saved it to my laptop which I left in my car. I wasn't going to do much more with it until I got back into Las Vegas. I mean it's nice to be out in nature and disconnected from it all. I grew up in New York. Talk about light pollution. Once I got my license my dad got me a car and I drove like 5 hours into the next state to get some good stargazing."
"Let me guess, you parked at a pull off on 375?" Tak asked.
"Huh?" Dib asked.
"The Extraterrestrial highway you idiot." Tak said.
"Yeah." Dib nodded.
"Well, Mrs. Lopez, the owner has taken a liking to you, and she makes the best burritos and frybread and she wanted me to bring you over when you were up to eating. And I guess I can drive you to your car so you can go back to Vegas and do something... maybe you'd be better off at the blackjack tables."
"I have the worst luck. Better not do that." Dib said.
"Well, if you're hungry, I know Mrs. Lopez wants to be like your grandmother and stuff you full." Tak laughed.
"Never met my abuela," Dib said. "My dad had a massive falling out with his family and one time I asked about it, he went into a rant in Spanish."
"Wow." Tak blinked. "Anyway, don't take it personal if she keeps making jokes about us. It's her way." Dib rolled his eyes.
"I could go for a good burrito after that." Dib sighed.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. I don't have much to say with this one, so remember to read, well you just did and review. Ciao for now,
Otherrealmwriter
Aka
Realm.