Chapter 2

Dib stepped tentatively into the unlit room, eyes already adjusted to the darkness from his speedy passage through the underground tunnels. The only detectable sound was the soft crunching of the glass-bits beneath his bare feet. He grimaced at the minute stinging at the soles of his feet, but forced himself to continue, eyes scanning for movement. He froze for a moment, straining his ears to listen intently for the slightest sliver of sound, a soft shift in the far corner, an alien dialect murmured amid sobs...

A large crash from behind him caused him to jump. A figure could be detected to the far right corner of the room. As inaudibly and hastily as possible he padded across the floor to crouch behind a metallic counter. A dark substance was dripping from the keyboard upon it, a small puddle forming around on the floor tiles. He knew what it was. And who it came from. He raised his head enough to peek over the surface, forcing his eyes to pick out the dark-enveloped proceedings across the room.

Zim let the mangled piece of equipment slide to the floor, clacking upon contact. Another piece of expensive garbage he had pleaded with the Tallest for. The Tallest....He could still picture the utter contempt in those large eyes, the annoyed shifting of the brow, a disgusted twitch of antennae. Thinking back upon it now, he realized it had always been that way. Their distaste for him was barely masked, if at all. So obvious now...Why hadn't he noticed before?

Dib watched the small Irken sink to the floor numbly, a limp rag doll of the once proud invader. Something horrible must have happened to reduce Zim to that pitiful heap, shaking silently on the floor. But what? The rain-drenched boy rose slowly. Perhaps his arch nemesis' rage had passed?

Zim slammed a fist down onto the floor, transparent splinters penetrating his already tattered gloves. He clenched his hands into fists until the blood welled up in his palms, eyes now leaking, as well. He hadn't wanted to believe it...the truth...not just about his mission, but about himself. No one, he realized, could be blamed for his current predicament. No one but himself. He screwed his eyes shut to the point of raw discomfort. Himself...The most loathsome of beings...He wanted to shred himself upon those sharp malice-glint fragments...

A soft crunch came from his left. He looked up, surprised. A dark figure was making its way towards him, delicately. He clenched his teeth. Would that wretched earth-child not even let him enjoy death in peace?

Dib froze. The alien was glaring at him with a never-before seen ferocity, eyes narrowed murderously. He rose, opening his hands. Bits of glass and blood fell to the tiles as he approached the boy.

"I bet you find it funny. My base like this..." he waved an arm at the room. "Bet you came to laugh while..."

"W...what happened, Zim?" Dib interrupted, silently cursed at his wavering voice. Don't let him know you're afraid! Force the tremor from your voice...

"Why do you want to know?" He fixed the boy with a deeply penetrating crimson-tinted gaze. Why isn't he smiling that disgustingly haughty smile of his? Isn't this what he wanted? To see me in dejected, undeniably defeated...

"Tell me." He returned the alien's stare, eyes pleading. I want to know. Would you believe me if I said so?

"I will never tell you, earth-stink! Now leave, before I destroy you in an immensely painful fashion..." His face faltered temporarily. Did the human sound...concerned? NO! A ploy. It must be...

"I can't do that, Zim." A faint smile crossed humorless lips. Dib took a step forward, hand outstretched. It was knocked away vehemently. This wasn't too far from how it started in the dream. He took a deep breath. Here goes...

There was a muted crunching of shards and the faint squick of fabric against the vital purple fluid as he tackled the alien to the liquid-splatter mirror-like floor. He felt the anticipated raking of the back of his trench coat, biting his lip to pacify the pain. He pressed Zim's arms to the floor with all his strength. Dismayed, he noticed that it was the direct cause of newly blossoming purple stains on the thin, striped sleeves. He loosened his grip.

And was sent flying through the air to the opposite wall of the lab as Zim kicked him off ferociously.

"I won't let the likes of YOU defeat me!" He lifted the human by the front of his shirt and slammed his back against the wall. "You will not succeed in finishing me off, you pathetic worm. Never!" He pinned the boy's shoulders to the wall, claws sinking deep. Why wasn't he enjoying this?

"Zim, stop! You have to..stop before..." He grit his teeth against the throbbing at his shoulders. He kneed the invader in the abdomen, and felt the pain in his shoulders subside remotely as the claws were retracted from the crescent-shaped wounds. His head met the wall with a dull clunk as his feet were kicked out from under him, and he groaned as they began wrestling amongst the glass once again. He began to panic. Nothing much had changed so far...the shimmer-pools dotted the floor as before, the injuries were the same as in the dream up to this point...

"No!" He dodged another blow and scooted away hurriedly, back against the icy wall. His own huffing could be heard, along with Zim's panting and the soft sizzle of skin that had come in contact with the human's drenched clothing.

"STOP! I don't want to fight you anymore, Zim." He wiped a hand across a busted lip, eyeing his enemy with a beseeching gaze.

Zim glared at him accusingly. "Then why did you come here in the first place? Did you really expect me to surrender without a fight? Huh? Did you, DIB?"

Dib winced at the malicious tone. Somehow, he had thought it would've been easier. At least, he pictured it would be as he ran here for the second time...

"No." He pulled his knees to his chest. "I came to stop it..."

"Stop what?" The Irken was utterly baffled now. He moved to scoot back a bit more.

"STOP!"

"What?!" Zim jumped at the human boy's sudden outburst, but froze.

Dib rose slowly. He could see it now. The slightest hint of a glimmer in a sea of darkness. That was it. That was what must have dealt the fatal blow...Zim turned around warily to see what the human was looking at, and gasped. He must have lost track of where in the room he was. The protruding, serrated edges of the transport pod gaped seemingly-hungrily at his bloodied uniform.

I must have pushed him into that...without knowing it. I didn't know! If I had, I wouldn't have...Dib knelt on the floor, disregarding the tiny jabs at his knees. He let out a sigh of relief. "I did it..." A faint smile played across his slick lips.

Zim sat down on the disheveled floor and watched the human in perplexed silence. He had come here to...save him? But the earth-child hated him! Surely there was something more to this. How had the human known something was wrong?

Dib caught the tint of confusion in his nemesis', still thankfully, gleaming eyes.

"GIR got me. Said something was wrong." He shivered. Why was it so cold?

Zim was silent for a long while. "And you...came to...help me?"

Dib nodded, a little dazed with relief.

After a long moment of looking at the floor, the little alien nodded, as if regarding the situation with a new perspective. "Where's GIR?" he asked meekly.

"On the couch upstairs. You'll need to fix him, I'm afraid. It was pouring..." He stood up once again.

He wasn't even wearing shoes...Zim noticed, taken aback. He frowned ashamedly at the current physical condition of his rival. He pulled his knees up and wrapped thin, torn arms around them, face hidden. He really was the ultimate screw up. Perhaps it was kind of the Tallest to point that out. He might have never realized it...He curled up tighter. What was he going to do now? He couldn't return to Irk. Ever. He bit a bloody lip in an attempt to keep from crying again. And now the human surely hated him, if he hadn't already in the first place. The tears began to flow. Somehow, he felt so much worse...

He tensed at the light touch at his shoulder. He looked up as he felt something beside him.

Dib wrapped an arm around the Irken's shoulders, vaguely remembering his mother doing the same when he was little and troubled. "Will you tell me what's wrong now?" he asked gently.

Zim stared at him long and pensively before he nodded slowly, and, leaning hesitantly into the comfort of the embrace, told Dib about his banishment, the realization that ensued, and the bitter and consuming hatred of himself, spurred from it all. Despite his suspicions, the boy just listened, nodding solemnly, understanding. The invader-no-more puzzled at this. Where was the usual disgust and reprimand? The promises of exposure and autopsies?

They sat in silence for a while, similar expressions of comfort, a secretive cache of loneliness pacified in both hearts. The beneficial charm of eachother's company.

"Zim?"

"Yes?"

"There's something I think you should know before I go home." It had to be three in the morning, at least...

"What?"

How do I say it? I don't even know what I want to say..."I...well, I..." Zim was looking at him closely, expecting the worse, it looked like. He felt the alien tense up.

He thinks I'm absolutely pathetic now. He expects me to turn myself in....Although I don't think that's such a bad idea anymore...

"I...don't want to be enemies anymore, Zim." He turned to see the ex-invader's reaction. He looked completely caught off guard. "I mean...I wouldn't mind if we could talk like this again sometimes...if its ok with you, that is."

A tiny trace of a smile could be detected on Zim's face. How long had he desired such a thing? Since their escapades began to get old, perhaps...when he began forming schemes for the sole purpose of having them foiled by the earthling...

"I'd like that very much...Dib." He smiled at his new pronunciation of the name, something only adoration could change. He returned his new companion's embrace. "Very much..."