Author's Notes: And now they finally meet! I really hope this was worth the wait! Thanks for reading and please review!
(Back with Dib…)
His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he crouched down among the stocks of corn. He still couldn't believe this was happening, he was actually going to meet a real live alien. Dib looked to Miz who crouched down beside him.
The boy had returned his trench coat and was now sporting a warm blue fleece. His blue eyes were narrow as they scanned the factory just a couple of yards away.
Dib blushed, Miz looked so handsome when he was focused. he shook his head he had to keep his head in the game. Dib pulled out his night vision goggles in hopes of getting a better look. "It seems undisturbed." He said sadly, fearing this UFO sighting had been a false alarm after all.
"I'm not so sure." Gaz said. She was wearing some x-ray Vision goggles and was strangely looking at her own feet.
"Vampire Piggy what do you see?" Dib asked his sister, remembering to use her code name while in the field.
"Take a look." She said handing Dib her goggles.
Dib took off his own goggles and replaced them with hers before looking at the ground. "Oh my god." He said. As he sees several layers of dirt beneath him, only something is wrong, some of the dirt is missing!
"He's drilling into the ground." Gaz said.
"But why?" Peg asked. "I mean I thought he was here for you two." She added looking to Dib and Miz.
"I don't know." Dib answered. "Miz?" He asked.
"He wasn't drilling the last time we met." Miz answered. "At least not that I'm aware of."
"We need more information." Dib decided as he drawled out his weapon, a blue laser sword; he then passes a ruby color one to Miz. "Come on guys let's go."
"Moth-Man we should wait for-" Miz began.
"He could be gone by then, and who knows where." Dib argued. "Come on guys back me up." He said looking to Peg and Gaz.
"We would be safest to wait." Peg agreed with Miz.
"But we have no way to track the ship." Gaz argued. "I hate the idea of going in alone, but if he has gone drilling, he will return here."
"We could get the drop on him, and place a tracker on something he left behind." Dib added.
"Then we come right back here and wait for Darkbootie and Dad." Gaz concluded giving Dib a knowing look.
Miz and Peg still look unsure, but finally Miz nods. "Okay, but one of us should stay here to warn Darkbootie if things go wrong."
"Agreed." Gaz said.
"I'll stay." Peg volunteered. "I have less fighting experience than all of you anyways." She added. "I'll just get in the way, but here I can keep watch. If I see him coming back, I will let you know." She said gesturing to her wrist communicator.
Dib nodded. "You'll need theses." He told her as he handed over the X-ray goggles. "Just watch the ground. Tell us if anything moves down there." He ordered.
"I will." Peg promised. "Just be careful."
"We will." Gaz assured her, before kissing her briefly.
And then the three of them were running towards the factory. Miz took the lead, followed by Dib, and then finally Gaz.
Peg watched them go until they disappeared out of sight, she then focused on the ground. Watching, waiting, she could only hope he'd cross her path again before going to the factory to resurface, otherwise they would be screwed!
Dib followed Miz's every move carefully as they hugged the outer wall of the factory just by the entrance. Dib knew he was listening for the enemy before entering the factory, after all they did not want to alert this Zim of their presence until Darkbootie arrived.
After a brief moment longer Miz seemed to nod. "I think it's safe." He whispered.
Dib and Gaz gave him a nod, assuring him that they were ready to move forward. Then with one final breath of uncertainty, Miz led the charge and drove into the Factory. Dib follows suit. However, the moment Gaz tried to do the same the factory doors shut behind them and locked up tight.
"Moth-Man, Wolf-Spider!" She exclaimed.
No answer.
"DIB!" She screamed.
"We're okay Gaz." Dib's voice shouted back.
"Is it a trap?" Gaz asked fearfully.
"No, I don't think so." Miz's voice answered. "I think it's the factory's security, maybe that's why he tunneled in and out of this place."
Gaz sighed in relief, it made sense to her, after all the closing of the door could have just triggered a silent alarm, and the alien would not want to alert the authorities. "I'm going to find another way in." She told them. "Don't move."
"Sure thing." Dib answered.
"Yeah, besides it's dark in here." Miz added.
"Well let's hope it stays that way." Gaz retorted as she looked for another way in.
"Man, it really is dark in here." Dib said. "Can you see anything?"
"I can't even see my own hands." Miz answered.
"Me either." Dib answered, reaching out for him. "Where are you?"
"Right here." Miz answered, as he touched his shoulder.
Dib scooted closer to the source of that touch, feeling more secure. Suddenly the sound of something scurrying by filled the room. "What was that?" Dib exclaimed.
"A rat I hope." Miz answered, shakenly.
Dib looked around in the dark, trying to see the faintest shade of light, or color, and to his relief he does. Two small red lights shine right at him, and for a moment he feels safer that is until the lights flicker off and then back on. 'Strange it's almost like their blinking at me…'
It happens again, and suddenly Dib gets a very uneasy feeling. "Miz…" He whispered.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Please tell me those are not red robotic eyes blinking at us." Dib pleaded.
"I wish I could." Miz answered just as fearful.
"Uh Gaz you might want to hurry!" Dib exclaimed as the eyes changed into bright red beams, those beams washed over them, moving back and forth. 'Almost as if it's scanning us.' Dib realized.
Suddenly a sound is heard, and Dib has heard it enough now to know what it is. The Irken tongue, the language of the enemy.
"Gaz!" Now it was Miz's turn to call out in fear. "Anytime now!"
Suddenly a faint outline reached out for them, Miz manages to dodge, but Dib is not so lucky. The thing wraps around him, and it feels like metal arms tying themselves around him. While another one reaches into his pockets, it searches them, throwing out all his weapons until it finds what it's looking for... his phone!?
"No wait!" Dib shouts.
But it's too late, Dib can faintly see the phone turn on, and is greeted with horror as he sees a little metal robot with blood red eyes. It's then that he realizes that the metal arms that hold him are connected to the robot. It speaks to him again, but Dib still cannot understand. The robot growls in frustration, and another metal arm appears.
This one splits in the middle and reveals something that looks like a phone port.
"NO, Don't!" Dib exclaims, but he realizes the truth too late, and in seconds the port plugs into his phone. Next, several 1's and 0's appears within the eyes of the robot, almost like little computer screens.
"Download complete." The robot says now speaking perfect English.
'It must have connected to the internet and downloaded the language to its memory banks.' Dib realized. Fear settled into his bones, his whole life was in that phone, his social media, all his favorite places to hang out. He even had a written schedule explaining everywhere he would be, at any given time.
And now the enemy knew his every move, and that wasn't all.
Suddenly the port unconnected from his phone and connected to a device just out of sight. "Downloading." The robot said.
'What else could it possibly be downloading to?' Dib wondered. He soon got his answer, and wished he could unsee what he just saw.
There is a jerk of electricity, and the light from the sparks throw a very scary shadow onto the wall. The device that the robot just downloaded the information to was not a device at all, it was a tall shadow of a being, one that was just feet away from his own shadow.
"Miz! Gaz!" Dib shouted. "I think we have a problem!" Suddenly a ding is heard.
"Download complete." The robot announces.
A low chuckle fills the room, sending a shiver down Dib's spine. He tries to remind himself to be brave, but in the moment of truth he finds he can barely breathe.
Suddenly the lights turn on all around him, and that's when Dib saw him.
He was just as Miz described him, tall, his skin an emerald green. His eyes were like two ruby jewels, and his antennas were like a crown on his head. He also wore a pink looking uniform of some kind with black leggings, and matching black gloves. He was everything Miz had mentioned, and yet as much as he hated to admit it. Dib thought he was so much more.
He could tell by one glance that this being was wise, intelligent, and well equipped. And when their eyes met, he was hit with a wave of emotions. He could see pride in those ruby orbs, and excitement, and the rest was like a mystery just waiting to be solved.
What he found odd however was the fact that he saw no hatred, Miz said his eyes were full of it. That he was cold, and vicious, and while Dib did see the need to fear this creature before him. He did not see the emotions he was expecting to.
The two enemies stared at each other for what felt like eons.
Finally, the Irken spoke…
"Your head's a lot bigger than I thought." Zim retorted with a snicker. He knows he should say something cleverer at their first meeting, but he feels the need to bring Dib out of his state of fear. After all it's no fun if his enemy chokes on the first encounter, and he had expected so much more from The Dib.
It does the trick; Dib suddenly turns red with anger! Seriously now even aliens from other planets were making fun of his head. "My head is average size!" He declared.
"Interesting." Zim looks thoughtful. "What a strange form of evolution, average you say? Tell me dirt child does that mean all your species heads are this big now days?" He asked. "It has been some time since I've been on this filthy ball of filth!"
Rage fills up inside of him for a moment, until he remembers something. The three kinds of fighters!
The Irken had been in his phone, he must have figured out that Dib was a brainiac and fought with his mind. He was trying to psych him out. "You're not going to get away with this." Dib suddenly said.
"Oh?" Zim smiled wickedly. The boy caught on to his little trick perfectly, yes, Dib was proving to do well under pressure. This was good, his original shock lasted much shorter than his past enemies had. "And exactly what do you think I am trying to get away with?"
"You'll never silence us!" Dib shouted. "We will expose you for the menace you are, there will be no where you can hide!"
Zim burst out laughing, this was just too rich, the kid had a lot more fire in him then he first realized. "Hide?" He asked. "Does it look like I'm hiding?" he hissed. "My people are the most feared race all over the universe. We do not hide; they hide from us Dib."
Dib shivered as the enemy said his name for the first time, but he did not let the fear take over. "You think you're so scary because you know my name?" He scoffed. "Well, I know yours, Zim and I know your people are from Irk, and I know you can only speak English because your stupid robot must have downloaded what he learned from my phone into your weird book bag thing! So, ha! Jokes on you Space boy!"
Zim pretends to look surprise, but allows himself to quickly recover. "You humans are smarter too." He admitted. "Let me guess you managed to translate those transmissions you intercepted."
Dib was amazed, the guy was as resourceful as Miz had said he'd be. He knew everything he needed to complete this mission. No wonder the enemy only sent him; they really didn't need to send anyone else! He suddenly sees Miz, he's hiding just behind a pillar, his weapon drawn. He puts his finger to his lips to signal to Dib to not give away his position.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Zim mused. "I will complete my mission; I will eliminate every last one of you swollen eyeballs."
Dib's eyes widen, he already knew who he was looking for! "How?"
"I hacked into your satellites before I touched down on the planet's surface." Zim lied. "You really should get better security on those things." He advised. "I was able to watch your every move up to this point."
"You planned this." Dib realized. "This landing, this location, it was-"
"All a trap?" Zim mused. "Yes, very good, you're much smarter than most of the filth I've encountered on this planet." He smiled slyly. "Most…" His eyes shifted as if trying to look behind him without moving his head.
It is then that Dib realizes that Zim is already aware of Miz's presence. Miz must have keyed in on this too because he strikes, using his laser sword to lash out at the enemy.
Zim turns to face him, devices on his wrists generate a shield, he crosses his arms in front of his face, blocking his first blow. "Miz…" He chuckled. "I should have known you'd make it out of that tomb you annoying worm!"
Dib flinches as Zim begins to use the force fields as his own bladed lasers and struck a blow of his own.
Miz manages to dodge this blow, but it is painfully obvious that he is not as graceful as Zim, the alien adversary seems to glide across the ground towards his enemy.
'I need to get free.' Dib realized and began to struggle.
"Squirming is futile." His robot captor said, making Dib's restraints tighter. "Now hold still." It said darkly. "This will only hurt a lot."
Dib gasped for air as the arms grew tighter and tighter. He was being strangled to death like a rat, and he could do nothing about it. "Miz…" he rasped.
"Let him go!" Miz shouted as he struck for Zim again.
"Awe does little Miz have a soft spot for the Dib?" Zim laughed. "You should have stayed in your tomb dirt child. Perhaps then no one would be dying today."
"It's not your fault Miz…." Dib rasped. "He's just trying to make you feel guilty…."
"Oh, but he does feel guilty, don't you?" Zim mused. "You ran like a little worm baby last time. You think that if you had fought me, it would have made a difference. But you're wrong, and I'm about to prove it."
Dib watches in horror as Zim strikes again, this time he knocks Miz's weapon out of his hands.
"What a pity, and here I thought you'd actually be more of a challenge now that you're older." Zim sighed. "What a bore, you've lost your touch Miz."
Dib's vision was going black, as he watched the scene play out before him. It couldn't end this way. He couldn't lose the best thing that ever happened to him, not when Miz just came into his life. "Gaz…" He rasped.
Gaz could hear the commotion inside the factory, and she scrambled to find a way in as she raised the alarm. "Peg SOS, I repeat SOS!" She exclaimed into her own communicator.
"How did he get pass me?" Peg asked.
"He never left." Gaz realized out loud. "He must have made multiple tunnels to miss lead us."
"I've warned Darkbootie he and your Dad are five minutes out." Peg told her.
"They'll be dead in five minutes." Gaz exclaimed as she spotted an open window just above her. "I'm going in!" She pulled out a grappling gun, aims, and fires. It makes its mark, latching into the windowpane and she rides it up to the window where she then climbs in.
She can see that they are both in trouble, but she is not worried about who to save first. "Hey tinted can!" She shouts, and bounces.
"Eh?" Zim say's turning away from Miz to see what was going on. And Miz took the opportunity and picked up a piece of plywood before swinging it like a bat at Zim's head.
It makes contact and the Irken curses. "Irk!"
"Get your filthy metal hands off my brother!" Gaz exclaimed as she tackled the robot who lets go of Dib out of surprise.
Dib gasped for air as it began to enter his lungs once more. "Gaz be careful…." He rasped. "Strong…" He said trying to warn her that the robot was stronger than he looked.
But he did not need to worry about her, for she had a plan.
"Dad always wanted me to test this thing out for him." She said pulling a device out of her pocket. It looks like a small horseshoe, but it's so much more.
"Die Human!" the robot exclaimed as several advance looking guns came out of his body all pointing at Gaz.
Gaz threw the device and smiled as it latched onto the metal wall behind the robot. "Goodbye." She teased.
The robot looks confused. "What?"
Suddenly the horseshoe grows larger, and an invisible force makes the robot fly back until it's stuck to the horseshoe, only it's not a horseshoe.
"Dad's multi sized magnet?" Dib exclaimed. "Gaz you were supposed to test that weeks ago. I've been looking for that thing for like ever." He complained.
"You could just say thanks you know." Gaz said helping him up.
"Uh Guys?" Miz rasped, grabbing their attention.
The two siblings turned to see Zim holding Miz with his own robot arms which were protruding out of his strange book bag device.
"End of the-" Zim began.
Gaz shot something out of her communicator, which took on the appearance of orange putty. It covered Zim's face and the alien struggled to get it off, dropping Miz in the process.
"Run!" Gaz shouts as they head for the window she came in from. However, their path is blocked by the robot, who has managed to escape the magnet.
"All Swollen Eyeballs must perish." The robot exclaimed as he advanced slowly.
"Look the rafters!" Miz said pointing above them. The wooden rafters led up to the skylight.
The three wasted no time racing to a pillar and climbing up them in order to jump onto the rafters. The deranged robot was hot on their tails, speaking curses in its Irken language, as it grew closer and closer to its prey.
The three agents climbed faster with every curse, desperate to get away, they were so close the skylight was practically in their reach. Gaz reached it first, then Miz who turned and reached out for Dib.
Dib reached for his friend's hand, and grabs it, just as a green three fingered hand grabs his ankle.
"Nice try Miz." Zim cackled, he had managed to get the putty off his face, well most of it anyway. He had to admit he had not expected these humans to be so resourceful, but the fact that they were did not scare him. No, it excited him, this was what he lived for, the thrill of the battle. It was like an addiction, something he had to have, it gave his life meaning and made his job so much easier.
When he was high off of the excitement, he didn't care he was destroying planets and enslaving the weak. And most of all he didn't care that he didn't believe in a single thing his people stood for.
There was only the rush of battle, the thrill of foe against foe!
"I must admit you humans are much smarter now." Zim chuckled. "But I'm even smarter and once I'm done silencing your little club, I'll conquer this mud ball just to spite you. I'll enslave your race, and you will kiss my boots like the filthy worms you are." He vowed.
Dib held on to Miz for dear life as Zim began to pull him down closer to where he stood on the rafters. Their eyes met, and Dib almost lost his breath.
Miz's eyes they aren't the same, his gaze is blank almost as if he have lost all emotion. The mystery, and excitement that was once there has now eluded him.
"It's okay Dib, I've got you." Miz vowed, but still Dib sees nothing in his eyes.
'Watch their eyes.' That's what Miz had said.
Dib looked to Gaz, her eyes were wide with fear, as she grabbed on to Miz in hopes of helping him pull her brother out of the monster's grasp.
And speaking of the monster.
Dib turned to see Zim, and now he does see cruelty in his eyes, he's just as cold as Miz said he would be. However, the moment their eyes meet that changes, the monster almost looks confused, as if the fearful look on Dib's face is not one that he enjoys.
In fact, he looks almost dare he say it. Sorry….
"Dib anytime now!" Gaz shouted.
Dib is suddenly shaken out of his trance as he kicks the alien square in the face. Zim goes down, falling to the metal floor below.
"Master!" The robot jumps after him, but the humans do not watch to see if he manages to catch his master. They didn't need to, for Zim simply laughed as he landed on his feet below them.
"Go ahead run, you can't hide from me. I know your every move and when you least expect it, I will be there to finish this!" He vowed. "And you Dib monkey, you will be the last one I kill!"
Gaz and Miz didn't bother to look back, but Dib did, he looked down at the enemy still trying to make sense of what he just saw. Did he imagine it? Or did the alien almost regret the fact that he nearly had him?
"And it will be slow." Zim vowed, trying his best to hide the fact that he had nearly choked, and it was all that Dib-worm's fault. How dare he look at him the same way Lard Nar did before he shot him! How dare he play with his emotions and make him look weak.
The boy had wounded his pride, something Zim never let anyone get away with before, and yet he just watched them go. A smile sliding wider and wider across his face. The Dib was more interesting than he could ever hope for.
"Dib come on!" Miz exclaimed pulling Dib out on the roof where they all used Gaz's grappling gun to get them safely down to the ground. Suddenly the headlights of several cars covered them as several Swollen Eyeball Agents flooded out of their vehicles and surrounded the factory.
"Dib, Gaz!" Prof. Membrane embraced his children. "Thank goodness!" he cried.
"Gaz." Peg came rushing towards them, and instantly joined into the group hug. "Don't ever scare me like that again." She warned.
Gaz smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it." She promised her eyes looking to Dib. But Dib's eyes never left Miz.
"You kids, okay?" Darkbootie asked, bending down in front of Miz.
Miz managed a nod. "He's in there." He told Darkbootie rasping for breath as he pointed at the factory.
Darkbootie nodded, and he and several agents closed in on the enemy.
Zim laughed as his PAK warned him that several agents were closing in. "Come Gir we've got a disappearing act to complete."
"OKAY!" Gir exclaimed as his eyes turned blue upon hearing his name. "Did we do good?" he asked.
"Yes, Gir everything went according to plan." Zim assured him as they jumped into the Voot which had been cloak with in the factory the whole time.
"Great lets celebrate with Tacos!" Gir exclaimed.
Zim smiled. "Yes, Tacos." He agreed as he started up the Voot, and drilled into the ground. And in seconds they're gone, and not a moment too soon.
The factory door opens to over a dozen agents pointing their weapons, but it's too late. "He's gone!" Agent Sloth says.
"He's toying with us." Mrs. Bitters growled. "This whole thing was to test our response."
"What now Third Eye?" Darkbootie dared to ask.
"We keep looking for these Squids and wait for our next chance at Zim." Mrs. Bitters answered. "It's all we can do."
"Let's get you kid's home." Darkbootie suggested.
Miz nodded. "I'd like that." He said sounding relieved.
Prof. Membrane finally pulled away from the hug. "Let's go home." He told his kids trying to meet their gaze.
But while Gaz chose to return his glance Dib continued to look at Miz, but no matter how hard he stared.
Miz's eyes never showed any emotion….
-To Be Continued