Chapter Eleven

"No."

"Zim, come on!" Dib leaned in a little from his place on the floor, knelt in front of the couch where Zim had seated himself once more. The IRKEN was slumped, arms crossed tight across his chest. He wore a deep scowl, though he refused to look at the boy.

"I said no! Absolutely not!"

"You're being completely unreasonable!"

"UNREASONABLE?! Has your hearing gone, Dib-worm?!" Zim sat up, claws digging into the fabric of the cushion as he finally shot his defiant glare towards Dib, "She is a TRAITOR! A STAIN on the face of the MIGHTY IRKEN EMPIRE!"

It was Dib's turn to scowl, brows knit tightly behind round frames, "Yeah? Well that "stain" is the reason you're alive right now, and she wouldn't be hurt at all if it wasn't for us! Going there is the least we could do!"

"She would not be harmed if it was not for YOU!" Zim spat back, shoving a single pointed claw into the boy's face, "NONE of this would have happened if you had not interrupted my transmission in the FIRST PLACE! The Tallest never would have SEEN that stupid glowy ROCK-thing!"

"Hey!" Dib reached up and moved the alien's hand back downwards, "I was trying to stand up for you! Those jerks treat you like sh-"

"Zim does not NEED your HELP!" in an instant, the IRKEN was standing, fists clenched by his sides as he glared down at Dib, "What I NEED is to be left ALONE, so that I may review my options! I know there must be SOME way that I can appease my Tallest, but I am certain they will never take me back if they were to find out I had been associating with a FILTHY REBEL!"

"They aren't GOING to take you BACK, Zim!" the boy's voice was loud, frustrated, and his sudden grip on the alien's shoulders made Zim's breath stop short, "WHY can't you UNDERSTAND that?!"

Silence. So suddenly, and so much of it, that Dib felt he may suffocate. The boy had never witnessed Zim deflate so quickly, his all-too-familiar scowl dropping immediately into pained shock. Dib was quick to release his grip, regret already seizing his chest, and forming a pit in his stomach. With antennae flattened back, the alien seemed to shrink, his arms moving to hug his knees to his chest. He looked so small and vulnerable. Pitiful, as if Dib had physically struck him.

"Zim, I…" the boy reached his hand out, but pulled it back when the IRKEN flinched away, "I'm sorry."

After a wordless moment, Dib rose slowly from the floor, grabbing his blanket. He brushed the LICKY STICK powder from his knees, before flopping backwards onto the empty side of the couch. Zim pressed himself a little closer to the arm of his seat, face averted, as the boy curled up with his own legs near his chest, and wrapped himself up tight. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, glasses sliding to hang from the tip of his nose as he slumped down. The two sat in silence for what felt like hours, neither daring to so much as glance towards the other. Static had long ago vacated the television's face, leaving only an empty void behind. A dark mirror that perfectly framed the unlikely pair.

"You… also… think that Zim is useless?" came a small, strained voice, "Like the Tallest?"

Dib was startled by his companion's words; by the sudden sound, and their meaning combined. He turned his gaze upwards, staring into the inky reflection of the alien, whose black eyes remained downturned.

"What?" he breathed, "No, Zim, I…" a falter, a pause, "I don't think you're useless. I don't think that at all."

"But… you believe that my Tallest will never allow me to return to my position! Because- Because I am a horrible Invader!"

"No! That's not what I meant!" Dib sat upright, crossing his legs as he finally turned to look at the IRKEN. Zim still had his face averted, but the boy could see him fiddling with one of his antennae, smoothing it down each time it would spring back up. An attempt to self-soothe, he imagined, "Didn't you hear what I said to your leaders? They don't deserve you, Zim! You work too hard to be pushed around by a couple of jerks, no matter how much power they have!" when the alien remained silent, Dib sighed, running a hand back over his hair, "Listen, Zim, I know this is probably… hard. Trust me, I really do know. But I also think that this can be… good. And I don't mean for me, or for Earth. I mean for you."

Hesitantly, the alien peered in Dib's direction, if only slightly. It was enough for the boy to see the darkened streaks that trailed down his green cheeks, "...How?"

"Well, in a lot of ways! You won't have to stress yourself out over new plans anymore! And since you aren't trying to hurt my planet or my people now, we can be… friends! Maybe? If you wanted? I mean, I already live here and stuff…"

Despite Dib's hopeful expression, Zim had turned away again, still messing with an antenna, "IRKEN do not need… friends."

Another sigh escaped the boy, though he couldn't help the small half-smile that crept onto his face. It may have been far more subdued than he had grown accustomed to, but that was a Zim-like reply if he had ever heard one, "Alright, not friends, then. How about we try and be… whatever you IRKEN call someone that you don't hate?"

Zim paused, frowned. Glancing fully back, the alien considered Dib with nervous uncertainty, "How… do I do that?"

"Well, for starters, you could come with me to Nerlon."

If Dib had learned one thing about Zim after all these years, it was that his actions could most times be described as sudden and impulsive. Zim often didn't think before jumping straight into something, whether that "something" was dangerous or not. When he had jumped up off of the couch without a word, note in hand, the boy had scrambled to follow him- though not without snatching his coat up from its place on the floor first, that is. Hoisting the fabric hastily over his shoulders, his significantly longer strides soon caught up with Zim, who had marched his way into the base's makeshift kitchen.

"Hey, wait! Hang on a second!" Dib plead, "Zim! Where are you going?"

The alien retained his silence, not bothering to so much as gaze back at the human until he had opened the refrigerator door, and stepped into the hidden elevator cab. Now turned, his hands held neatly behind his back, the IRKEN gave a curt gesture, jerking his head once to the side, as if to say "get in, already!". Dib followed the unspoken order, stooping in order to squeeze into the lift, though he did so with confusion. As the two began to descend, neon pink lights flashing against the boy's glasses, Dib couldn't help but speak up once more.

"You know, I really thought we had made some kind of, I don't know, connection or something back there. Like, maybe you were actually listening to me for once! You really had me thinking you were going to make this easy." a frustrated laugh escaped him, "I've never met someone as stubborn as you, Zim, you know that? I don't know why I even-"

"It took you seven Earth weeks in order to reach that healer's planet, did it not?"

Dib stared down at Zim a moment, who held his militant stance, eyes directed forwards, "Uh… yeah, it did. Why?"

"The FILTHY planet of Nerlon is positioned even further, still. Do you think that the rebel's fate will just wait for you to arrive?"

"I… hadn't thought of that." the boy rubbed the back of his neck anxiously as Zim's point was made clear. Savi was injured now. If something was going to happen to her, it wouldn't wait for seven weeks, "But, there must be something that we can-"

"Ever since my plan to HURL you and the rest of your disGUSting human "CLASSmates" into a world of moosey DOOM fell through, I have been working with the possibility of wormhole-based travel." when the elevator doors slid open, Zim stepped forwards without missing a beat, entering his lab with a familiar goosestep, "With the same methods I used to harness the wormhole's power before, I have devised a system that, in theory, should allow me to track nearby anomalies, and calculate my exit once inside." small clawed fingers typed swiftly across a touch-sensitive keyboard, pulling up schematics on a screen above them, "I should be able to attach this WORMNAV device to the VOOT's built-in navigation console, and use it to propel myself through the PITIFUL galaxy with the speed of a fully-grown SHMORSQUITZ!"

Dib stepped forwards, eyes widening as he leaned forwards over his alien companion, taking in each detail of the WORMNAV schematics. The boy had never truly allowed himself to admit it before, but Zim was… incredibly intelligent. Sure, he often made horrible decisions that ultimately caused the downfall of his own carefully-constructed doomsday schemes, but at the end of the day, not everyone could claim they had the skills to take control of a wormhole, or build a ship that could shrink down small enough to enter a human body. Well, maybe Dib's father, but that didn't count. They weren't on speaking terms.

"Wow, Zim, this is… really impressive." the boy confessed, adjusting his glasses atop his nose, "You built this yourself?"

Zim's antennae perked, and he stole a glance back at Dib. Was he… praising him?

"Yes."

"And you think this can help us get to Nerlon faster?"

"Yes."

"Does it work?"

"Ye- eh… Yes?"

Dib's eyes narrowed, and he crouched down to Zim's level. With his brow furrowed, he rested his arms on his legs, leaning forwards on the balls of his feet, "Zim? Does it work?"

"OF COURSE IT WORKS!" the alien snapped back, antennae twitching in annoyance, "YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"Alright… so you've tested it?" Dib pressed, though his voice lacked its usual malicious undertones.

Zim shifted nervously on his feet, hands moving to grip his upper arms as he averted his gaze. He was silent a moment, magenta eyes searching the floor, "Eh… no."

Of course not. Dib had expected this, and yet, somehow, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry. Instead, an empathetic smile crossed his face, and he shook his head, reaching a hand out to place atop the IRKEN's shoulder, "Well, I guess there's no time like the present, huh?"

The way the IRKEN's antennae perked back up, and the way his face seemed to brighten as he glanced back towards him, was not lost on Dib.

"Are you sure we can't connect this wormhole thingy to my ship?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Zim retorted, climbing into the cockpit of his little VOOT CRUISER, "The WORMNAV was created specifically for MY ship! BESIDES! I REFUSE to pilot that hunk of SCRAP METAL left behind by… TAK!" the name was spat, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Hey! I've done a lot of work on that ship, you know! Including making the chair a bit more, uh… human friendly." Dib emphasized his point, eyes wandering over the VOOT's tiny pilot's chair. How was he, at 6'3", going to fit in there?

"Yes, sure, whatever."

It was obvious to Dib that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. Zim had already begun to open up a panel in the VOOT's dashboard, most likely to ready it for WORMNAV installation. The boy may have tried to push his case a little harder, if he hadn't been a bit reluctant, himself, to take another long trip in the SPITTLE RUNNER. He wasn't really ready to relive all of that fear and anxiety again. Instead, he relented with a sigh, opting to watch as Zim worked. The alien was diligent in his task, highly focused and surprisingly careful. Dib had always wondered how he kept his little old ship running the way it did, considering it was made entirely of garbage parts. He leaned over the side, causing the hull to rock slightly in the opposite direction, gaining a chitter of annoyance from Zim.

"Sorry, Spaceboy. Didn't realize that mighty IRKEN vessels were so easy to push around." Dib smirked, gaining himself another, angrier bug-like sound from the alien, "Alright, alright, I'll keep it down. But you've gotta let me watch!"

True to his word, the boy kept his mouth shut through the remainder of the installation process, though he found it difficult to keep himself from asking questions now and then. He wished that Zim would teach him about his ship- about both of their ships- but he knew that they still had a ways to go before the little guy would trust him enough for that. Maybe someday he'd be willing to tell him more about IRK, and what it was like there, too.

"THERE!" Zim exclaimed, straightening himself out of a hunched position. His antennae stood upwards on his head, and he puffed out his chest as he stood up in the pilot's seat, hands on his hips, "Pretty neat, huh?"

"You know, it is pretty neat." Dib replied with a rather amused smile, leaning in a little further in an attempt to get a better look at the thing. The movement of the VOOT threw Zim off balance, and he toppled backwards onto the floor of the cockpit, only his little black boots left hanging onto the chair. The boy couldn't help but laugh, covering his mouth when he produced an unintentional snort. He stood, moving to toss a leg up and over the side of the ship, climbing inside. In one fluid motion, Dib reached down, hauled Zim up by the arms, sat down in the pilot's chair, and plopped the alien into his lap. The smaller swatted at his hands, though he made no move to get down, "Here, why don't you show me how it works?"

Smoothing out his uniform, Zim cleared his throat, "Eh, yes, right. But DON'T GET ANY IDEAS, Meat-brain! This technology belongs to ZIM! You are FORBIDDEN from retaining any long-term memories of its workings!" when given a lighthearted promise from Dib, the IRKEN huffed, and turned his attention back towards the WORMNAV. Extending a hand, Zim pressed a button located on the right side of the device, allowing it to power up. It had a screen similar to many portable GPS systems that Dib seen, and even used, before, though it had a large touch-sensitive keypad located beneath it. "If everything is working correctly, I should be able to input our current coordinates…" three clawed fingers typed away on the keypad, until Zim stopped, taking a moment to reach into his PAK and pull out the note that Ria had given them, "... as well as the coordinates of our destination… and then…" as soon as both coordinates were set, the WORMNAV kicked into action, numbers and letters flowing downwards across the screen as it seemingly searched for a wormhole that fit the parameters given. Zim sat, antennae pointed up and towards the device, holding his breath as it scanned. Dib could feel his companion's entire body tremble in anticipation. Would it work?

[SCANNING…]

[SCANNING...]

[SCANNING…]

[SUFFICIENT ANOMALY DETECTED]

Zim's eyes widened, and he immediately reached his arms out, both hands clasping onto the sides of the WORMNAV. He was leaning in so far that Dib had to grab onto his waist to keep him from toppling forwards. Even so, the alien's face was only inches away from the screen.

"IT FOUND ONE!" Zim shrieked, turning to look over his shoulder at Dib, as if to make sure he was excited, too, "SEE?! IT WORKS!"

"Yeah? Is that what it says?" Dib, too, leaned forward slightly, still holding onto the alien to keep him in place, "It really found a wormhole that can take us to Nerlon?"

"OF COURSE IT HAS! You DOUBT the mighty ZIIIIM?!"

"No, no! I'm just… surprised, is all! You've… done a really good job, Zim." Dib admitted, correcting his posture as he removed one hand in order to rub the back of his neck. It felt a little awkward to be impressed by the alien who he had once fought against, but he couldn't deny the feeling. He was thoroughly awed by the IRKEN's engineering.

Zim felt his face heat up, and he quickly turned back towards the WORMNAV, "Yes, well…" tapping on the screen of the little console brought up further information on the discovered anomaly, "This wormhole is located just over an hour's VOOT ride away from Earth, and it looks like it puts us, uh… three hours outside of the boundaries of Nerlon. So, if you would like to reach that… eugh… WRETCHED planet today, I would recommend we leave immediately!"

"You don't have to convince me!" Dib replied, "I'm ready when you are!"

With that, Zim wasted no time lowering the windscreen around them, sealing the inside of the ship for takeoff. As he leaned forward to tap away at the VOOT's controls, his free hand reached back, clasping tiny fingers around one of Dib's wrists, the boy's hands still held securely around his waist.

"There! Look there!"

Brown eyes followed in the direction that the claw was pointed, where a swirling vortex of pink and blue began to open before them, as if anticipating their arrival. Dib's eyes widened, and he sat up straight in the pilot's chair, which he had slowly began to slouch further and further down into over the past hour. The sight of the anomaly brought back memories of the early days of their rivalry. Horrible, terrible, moosey memories. A shiver ran down the boy's back, though he tried his best to shove those thoughts out of his head. There was no time for reliving past ungulate-related trauma!

"PREPARE yourself, DIB-worm! The wormhole will soon be upon UUUSSS!" Zim rose a fist, which shook as he clenched it.

"A-And you're sure this thing will take us to Nerlon? I don't think I can count on the same escape plan a second time!"

"WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT!"

Slamming both hands down onto the controls, Zim sped the little cruiser forwards, and into the open maw of the anomaly. For a moment, the world around the duo seemed to warp and stretch as they broke through into the flow of the wormhole. Blue rings whizzed by the ship as time settled once more. Dib let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. He would never get used to that feeling. Thankfully, he seemed relatively unaffected. Zim, however, had fallen back against the boy, and was now holding his head in one hand, eyes squeezed shut.

"Hey," the human placed a hand against the alien's forehead, leaning down to get a better look at his face, "you alright there, Buddy? You're pale again."

It took the IRKEN a moment to allow his eyes to blink open, and he sat up with a groan, "Yes, yes," he grumbled, swatting at Dib's hand, "Zim is fine! It has simply been, eh… some time since I last passed through one of these."

"Alright…" Zim didn't sound too worse for wear, albeit a little woozy, so Dib decided not to push the issue any further. Though, he found a new seed of worry taking root in his chest. He couldn't go through all of that again.

"NOW!" the IRKEN properly righted himself once more, and reached out to check the console, "WORMNAV should be picking up on the time-space difference created by the wormhole. We should begin to receive readings based on our current position inside the anomaly, that we can then use to properly chart our course to the other side. Any moment noooww…" the steady blink of the word "CALIBRATING", written in IRKEN DOOM, soon gave way to strings of numbers and IRKEN letters. With the stream of information reflecting back into the alien's shining eyes, he selected a few of the strings, typed in a couple of commands, and received the data he was looking for, "AH-HA! Approximately 10.25 minutes until we reach the opposite end!"

"Huh." Dib's brows raised, "That's not too long!"

"I BET I CAN CUT IT DOWN TO SEVEN, EASY!"

"Wait, Zim, hang on a minute-!"

Reasoning with the IRKEN was not an option, as he had already slammed his hands once more against the controls, sending the VOOT CRUISER zipping forwards through the neon tunnel.