Episode 15: It Came From Outer Space (Part 3)

(Back with Dib Later that night…)

[Location: Down town, water tower]

Silence…

It was a deafening sound! Dib Membrane's eyes narrowed as they scanned the streets below him searching for the creature, searching for Zim. He had to be around here somewhere, and Dib refused to give up until he found him!

'It sure is a quiet night' he told himself with a shiver and for good reason. This silence wasn't the type of silence that followed after a dumb joke. Nor was it the awkward silence that soon followed an embarrassing moment. No this was the type of silence that only took place when a predator was on the prowl. SO WHERE IS HE?!' Dib growled in obvious frustration as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had been perched on top of the city's water tower for over an hour now in hopes of finding the beast. He knew standing out in the open like this was dangerous, but the tower was the tallest point in town, and he had to find that monster; before someone got hurt!

'It's not a monster, its Zim, and he needs you.' He wanted to believe those words, but images of how Koi was kept clouding his mind. Would Zim be that way too?

Suddenly a loud roar filled the air!

Dib acted at once, climbing down from his perch and running towards the sound as fast as his legs could carry him. He reached the sounds origin just in time to see a large shadow of the beast running around the corner and out of sight. Without much thought Dib gave chase, it wasn't that he was stupid…okay maybe he was a little stupid. But he didn't care how dangerous it was he had to make sure no one got hurt; not Zim, and not some innocent passerby; it was the right thing to do!

Another howl filled the air from behind him…

Dib froze obviously confused! Zim had just been in front of him and now…

Dib turned to see a shadowy silhouette creep across the street, its eyes glowing red with rage. Dib couldn't move, he was completely rooted to the spot.

The beast froze and stared at him for a moment.

"Zim?" Dib asked.

The Beast turned and crawled back into the darkness from which it came.

Dib raced after it without a moment to lose, completely and utterly unaware of the dark blue eyed beastly shadow that was following him closely!

The blue eyed beast's mouth watered with wicked delight, his enemy was close, and so was a mouthwatering snack.

He stops as if sensing something…

'Trouble' he growled in deep frustration as the red glow of Zim's robotic slave came into view. It would appear Zim's SIR unit kept him on a short leash! The blue eyed beast backed away slowly, and then disappeared into the night he must reevaluate his enemy, an over protective SIR Unit would kill him if he found out he was berserk.

It after all was their duty.

(Still with Dib...)

[Location: the edge of town]

Exhaustion…

It had a way of taking over your body suddenly and at the worst moments, Dib breathed heavily as he continued his chase. The beast was fast, but it didn't seem to be on the run; in fact, it didn't even seem to be hunting either.

Dib froze as the creature stopped to dig through the garbage in front of some business establishment. Dib raised his brow in obvious confusion 'It's supposed to be a meat eater, so why is it acting like a scavenger instead of a predator?' It was very strange behavior to say the least, but it defiantly got his attention. 'Maybe I should just hang back and observe it, see if it's really Zim.' he thought. 'After all he doesn't seem to be hurting anyone.' Dib pulled out a note pad and pin and began taking notes.

Specimen: Amon

Height: Roughly 6 to 7 feet

Red eyes

Skinny stick like body

Seems to prefer scavenging over hunting

Is this really Zim

Dib stooped to study his notes then looked back at the beast. It didn't seem as scary as Koi had been. Sure, it was large, and those claws were no joke, but the thing did look directly at him and did nothing but walk away. 'He's the future of his people, a possible leader of the Irken Empire. And if it's really Zim, he could even be the solution to our problems…Or he could be another one like Koi, and destroy what's left of mankind' Dib shook his head, he had to at least give the creature the benefit of the doubt; after all, as unlikely as it felt, that thing could be Zim. And if it was that meant he would finally have the means to end this war once and for all. He'll finish changing, and challenge the Tallest, hell defeat them, and take over Irk. And then he'll make his kind leave Earth, Dib was sure of it!

He took a deep breathe; he had come to a decision.

'It's Zim, and I'm going to help him!'

Dib stood and stepped out of the shadows stepping towards the beast slowly. The creature was too busy rummaging through the trash to notice his approach. Dib stepped in a calm unthreatening manner, the last thing he wanted to do was startle him. He knew it could lash out in fear and Dib couldn't blame him. He was supposed to have no memories, he was alone out here with no reelection of where he was, and why.

'I wonder if he even knows who he is?' Dib thought. 'Or what he is? Does he remember the transformations, or does he just black out? Is there even any reasoning left in his mind?' Dib froze as he vaguely remembered how the book had mentioned that some Amon can go rogue. 'But he's not acting like a mindless beast' It was true the Amon was acting more like a stray cat or dog then some mindless rabid animal!

Dib stepped forward and flinched as his foot landed on a soda can that crunched under his weight. The creature's antenna twitched, and he turned his head towards the sound. Its eyes met with Dib's; the boy froze. Neither of boy nor beast made a sound, they simply stared each other down for what felt like forever.

"Zim?" Dib asked. "It's me. Do you remember me?"

The beast hissed, but does not attack.

'Is he going to attack me?' Dib could barely breathe. 'Is he waiting for me to make the first move?' Dib decided to test this theory…safely of course. The boy slowly took a step back.

The creature cocked his head to the side as if curious and then to Dib's surprise it took a step forward.

Dib relaxed and took a single step forward as well.

The creature suddenly bared his teeth and growled, Dib raised his hands in a none threatening pose, but the beast continued to growl.

Dib knew it was wise to back off, but something stopped him from doing so. He couldn't quiet explain it but there was suddenly something very familiar about the creature before him. 'It's Zim, I just know it, and he won't hurt me.' Dib took another step closer, and the creature's growls grew louder, but Dib continued to advance.

The beast hissed and made a move, but it was not the one Dib had expected. The creature didn't move to attack; no instead it took several steps back as if… as if it were afraid?!

The realization stopped Dib in his tracks. "You have no idea what's happening to you do you?" he whispered to the beast. "Do you even know who you are?"

The beast had backed up all the way against the alley wall, its claws at the ready with his lips curled back in a low but steady growl. He hissed in obvious frustration, but nothing it did was scarring the child. The creature didn't want to hurt him, he just wanted the boy to go away, but it was obvious that the child knew little to no Irken tongue at all. 'He looks strangely familiar' the beast shook his head he didn't care, in fact the idea that he might know the child made him want the boy to go away all them more! He didn't understand why but, he didn't want to harm the humans.

It was strange for his kind to care for the wellbeing of anyone else but themselves, and yet he refused to hurt them. It was as if some inner voice was telling him not to, it was bizarre to say the least; after all he was a predator, and yet he was acting like prey cowering in a corner. He knew this wasn't the way it was supposed to be, but he just couldn't bring himself to be the predator, of course he had tried several times, but he had always found little to no luck.

And for several reasons, one reason was the fact that he was in a city. Yes, he could tell that he must be on some Alien planet, in the middle of some alien city, and a city was no place for a growing Amon. It was too crowded with little to no prey! What he needed was a wide open plain or a jungle, even a small forest would do. Someplace with wide open spaces and abundant amount of prey that wasn't Irken…or human.

The creature hissed louder as the boy stepped forward once more.

"It's okay Zim, I'm not going to hurt you" The boy said.

"No but I will hurt you!" The creature hissed but it was obvious that the boy did not understand him, or if he did he obviously didn't care, because the child continued to advance. He was now in striking distance, just 3 feet way, but the creature still could not bring himself to attack. 'What if I really do know this boy? What if I hurt him, or worse?! Could I really live with myself if I woke up tomorrow to find that I had hurt someone I cared about?' The creature growled louder in hopes that he may finally scare the boy off, but the child just stopped a foot away from him.

"I'm not afraid of you" The boy said firmly. "And you shouldn't be afraid of me either. I'm a friend." The boy seemed to be trying to assure him of this. "And I am not here to hurt you, I am here to help." The boy reached out to him with one of his hand "Please let me help you Zim."

He could feel his instincts taking over; if something didn't happen and quick then he was going to kill this child! The creature fought to stay in control; no, he would not kill this child! 'I have to stay in control!' he knew he was capable after all he had a close encounter with a little girl just the night before and he managed to leave her unscathed. He took a deep breath and tried again "Please I don't want to hurt you" he said.

"Then don't" the boy whispered touching the creatures forehead with a slightly shaking hand. "If you don't want to hurt me then don't. This is your body, and you are in control."

The creature stiffened at his touch, but the boy's calm voice soon soothed him. The child was right this was his body, and he was in charge of his actions. If only it was that easy, but he knew it was not. The Amon was a dangerous creature with a fragile mind, it could snap at a moment's notice; even after centuries of showing the perfect form of control. He knew that this war between himself and the monster within would forever rage on inside of him. But he also knew that running away couldn't always be an option, no sooner or later he'd have to interact with others, or the isolation could dissolve his rational mind leaving only the monster to do as it pleased.

He had to learn to trust himself, and stop being afraid of what he might do. It was easier said than done…of course, but he was willing to try. The creature forced himself to relax and take a seat, the boy seemed to be relieved by this decision and the creature couldn't blame him.

'He's a brave one' the creature realized as he took a closer look at the child before him. He could tell that the child was not yet an adult, he didn't know how he knew this, but he could tell that the boy was at least 18. 'Perhaps I spent some time on this planet before the change began.' He knew this was probly true, but why he was here instead of his home planet puzzled him. Amons never leave the home world in less they have stopped growing thus eliminating their chances of ever experiencing the change.

'So why am I here? Did something happen to Irk? Is it no longer safe for me there? Is it no longer safe for me to be with my own kind?' he didn't know why the last question had crossed his mind, but for some reason he had a feeling that it would be dangerous for him to try and find help from his own people. 'But this human wants to help me, and I swear I know him from somewhere!' his mind strained as he tried desperately to remember but it was all drawing a blank. "What is your name?" he asked.

"What?" Dib could have pulled his ears off and for obvious reasons; he knew very little Irken. Just what little he had managed to learn from Tak's ship, and while he could recognize some words he couldn't read a single Irken book. Not to mention the beast spoke so quickly that it was too fast for his brain catch up.

"Who…Are…you!" The beast said as slowly as he could manage obviously annoyed!

"Oh, I'm your friend, my name is Dib…Dib Membrane…"

The creature tensed as a sudden flash of memories filled his mind. He finds himself in a class room standing in front of several rows of human students. He turns his head slightly to see a very tall woman with silver hair, she is wearing all black and she smells terrible!

"Class, I would like to introduce the newest, hopeless appendage to the student body. His name is... Zim. Zim, if you have something to say, say it now, because after this moment, I don't wanna hear another sound from you!"

The creature blinks but the memory does not go away. None of this made any sense, why was he surrounded by humans, and what was this place? 'And why am I so short?' None of it made sense and just when he thought things couldn't get any weirder his mouth began to move on its own saying words he didn't want to say. "Hello, friends, I am a perfectly normal human worm baby. You have nothing, absolutely nothing to fear from me. Just pay no attention to me and we'll get along just fine." As he is talking the creature notices that some of his classmates look bored and uninterested except for one boy who points and stares with his mouth creature recognizes him almost eminently 'Dib'

Suddenly time seems to fast forward around him and he finds himself sitting in one of the desk closest to the door. The smelly woman is talking again.

"Class today's lecture is about outer space... and how it will eventually implode in on itself!"

The creature suddenly stands on his desk with both arms up.

"Yes, Zim?" The woman asked, no doubt annoyed with him.

"In the event of, say, a full-scale alien invasion, how prepared do you think this planet's defenses would be? Tell me!"

'Wait what? That was something an Invader would ask not a…' he froze as a sense of understanding began to wash over him. 'That's why I'm on this planet, I'm an Invader!' He sat back down and allowed that information to set in. 'I'm an Invader and my name is Zim, but why am I an invader? Did I stop growing?'

"Okay, am I the only one here who sees the alien sitting in class?"

The creature or Zim froze at those words as the students around him began to look around for an alien.

"There!"

Zim watches as the boy, no Dib points at him.

"Right there! That is no kid! He's an alien! An alien! One of the monsters I've been talking about! He's here to conquer Earth!"

Suddenly time flashes forward again; a bell rings while Zim and several other students rush out of the School. Zim is slowly walking down the steps.

"Zim…Maybe your cruddy little disguise worked on everyone else, but I'll get them to see the truth."

Zim turns 'it's that boy again! Why does he see the truth and no one else does? And why is his head so big'

"No one will believe you." He told him as a matter of factly, as if he had done this a thousand times.

"They'll believe if I bring you to them without your disguise!" Dib exclaimed as he took out some cuffs.

Zim's eyes widen as a flood of memories filled his mind, Dib chasing him all across town trying to capture him so he could be cut open in some lab, Dib sneaking into his home for proof of his alien origins, Dib throwing water balloons at him and humiliating him in front of anyone and everyone. Dib, Dib, Dib he was always there trying to expose him for the Alien minus that he was!

"You'll never get away with this!" Dib's voice rang all around him.

"I Already have" Zim flinched as his own evil laugher echoed in his mind…

"Hey, I asked you if you remembered who you are."

The creature tensed as the memories began to dissolve around him, he was back in the alley; with HIM!

"Hello, are you even listening to me?" Dib snapped.

Big mistake!

"Deceiver!" The creature hissed, and lashed out with his claws!

Gir froze as a scream filled the night air…

He knew that scream, he knew it all too well!

'Dib, he's in Danger!'

Gir's red eyes narrowed, he knew the OTHER was close, but he had to save Dib. "I'll deal with you later." He vowed, and then took off running.

It doesn't take him long to find him, he is out cold, and bleeding.

Gir picks Dib up, and looks around, but Zim is nowhere in sight. "I got to go master." He said, and walks away.

If Zim is there, he does not answer.

(Back with Dib...)

[Location: The Dome]

"Mary, Mary…Come on please… wake up Mary!"

Dib groaned loudly as someone gave his arm a gentle shake, "Where am I?" he opened his eyes to see…"Gir? What happened?" he tried to get up and screamed as a flash of pain filled his body.

"Don't move, you've been hurt pretty badly" Gir told him a look of worry shone brightly across his face.

"Do you remember who did this to you?" Zim's Computer Brain asked.

Dib looked around the room and realized that he was in his bunker, they were in the Dome! "I…I" Dib fought to speak, how much should he tell them? "I was out on patrol and him- he attacked me!" he was surprise how hurt he was by this. Zim had hurt him before, but that was the old Zim, this was his best friend.

"So, you know who it was?" the Computer Brain continued to question him.

Dib looked unsure. "Please tell me that wasn't Zim."

"His memory is coming back in order Dib." The computer said. "You forget you use to threaten to expose him to the world, and cut him open on lab tables."

"Oh right." Dib felt so foolish. "I guess I did forget about that."

"Just give it time." The computer assured him, "He will remember soon."

"Where is Zim?" Dib asked suddenly looking around for him. "You didn't leave him out there did you?"

"Gir had to patch you up" The Computer Brain explained.

"Guys if Zim thinks I'm the enemy he'll run to the Tallest for protection! They'll kill him!"

"You were bleeding pretty badly" Gir said softly. "I had to get you treated, you could have died Dib."

Dib blinked once…twice… 'I could have died!' The thought hit him like a freight train. Then it hit him "What are we going to tell Zim?"

"The master doesn't need to know" The Computer Brain spoke gravely. "I have technology that could have you completely healed by morning."

A red flag went off in Dib's mind; they didn't want to tell Zim! Why?

The Computer Brain seemed to read his mind "Trust me Dib; the master has enough on his mind."

Dib suddenly passed out as the Computer Brain injects some sensitives into his blood stream.

"You need to find him before he hurts anyone else!" The Computer Brain warned Gir.

Gir's eyes glowed intensely with a bright red sense furry, he would not fail his Master; not again! 'The mission must succeed' his left eye twitched as the insanity began to take over. 'The master will survive the change; I'll make sure of it! And nothing will stand in my way...!'

(Back with Zim...)

[Location: in a dark Alley somewhere]

"MMMMM" Zim groaned "My head is pounding." He opened his eyes slowly and screamed!

He was cover in blood…human blood!

"No please no!" he screams looking around to see if there is anything left of his victim. He gets to his feet and freezes as two red eyes blink in front of him from somewhere in the darkness. "Gir…Gir is that you?"

The two red eyes glare at him with such hatred that Zim finds it hard to breathe, finally the owner of the eyes steps out of the shadows…it is Gir! Zim flinches as he realizes that the robot is in full attack mode all of his weapons pointed at him. He bows his head "I understand Gir, do what you must!"

Gir stares at his master for a moment longer and then attacks giving a sharp blow to his head; just below the temple.

Zim barley had a second to breathe in his next breathe before he falls to the ground. "Please Gir don't let me hurt anyone else…please!"

"You won't" Gir said gravely "You'll never hurt anyone ever again because I won't let you."

Zim tried to register what those words meant but his mind was already gone in the fog. "I'm sorry Gir" he said before passing out cold.

"No Master I am the one that is sorry" Gir spoke gravely as he picked his master up in his arms. "This is my fault" a single tear ran down his rusty metal face. "It won't happen again" he hugged his master close "It will never happen again!" He vowed as he and his Master disappeared into the Darkness.

Episode 5: It Came From Outer Space (Part 3) END