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Description
"Open up!" Dib yelled at the purple door in front of him. Chilled rain stung his skin and soaked his hair and coat. It was a Tuesday, the second day of spring break; a day he and Zim had planned to work on the damnable health project together.
And, on the rather cold and damp weekday, Zim simply ignored his doorbell, seemingly forgetting completely. Unfortunately, he also seemed to have forgotten Dib's arrival.
'I can really blame him,' Dib thought, rather guilty. This would be the first time Dib had ever entered the others house without his intentions being to expose him.
He shook his head and sent little droplets of water every which way. "Zim!" He shouted, jabbing the doorbell three times. "Open the door already! It's freezing!"
He sighed, frustrated. This was ridiculous! Cameras, guard gnomes, lasers, security robot gofer, and an intelligent home computer, yet Zim couldn't put in a device that open a door from any point in the house?
He leaned on the door and sighed again, his mind drifting. The kids at school had been shocked when they saw the two chatting one day at lunch. They stared with open mouthed, food filled shock; Zim thought it hilarious. Dib thought it disturbing, and rather embarrassing. Sure the kids at school had laughed and made fun of him when he drew attention to himself. That was something he was used to. But this…this was new. Having someone at his lonesome back table beside the ever antisocial Gaz, though somewhat cool, brought unwanted—actually foreign—stares that he had never received before.
But still, it was nice to have a person on your side. Other than the staring, people had left Dib alone. The teasing ceased, the laughter faded. It was almost as if the horrible thirteen years of mockery had been deleted from their minds. Knowing Zim, they probably had.
His thoughts were interrupted as the lock on the door clicked, and the support against his back was lost.
"Gah!" Dib yelped as he hit the floor, landing first on his buttocks then onto his back.
A chuckled sounded from above him, and the boy let out an annoyed puff of air. Of course, even if they were friends, Zim never let up with the pranks. They weren't violent or public, but Dib would be damned if there wasn't a day that he wasn't privately humiliated but the lizard.
"A rather graceful entrance," Zim stated, mocking him.
"Oh, shut up," Dib huffed, getting to his feet. "I wasn't even prepared. Had you gotten me any other time, my reflexes would have kicked in, and—don't shake your head, you haven't even heard the whole thing!"
"Right, right," Zim murmured, closing the door. "It's amazing how, after three weeks of this, you honestly think your race is the superior one."
Dib plopped onto the couch and shook out his hair, making Zim flinch. "I'll always think that."
Zim snorted in response, stepping passed the couch into the kitchen. "Thus proving my point, Dib-thing," he said from the kitchen. "You pig-smellies think you know everything!"
Dib laughed. "We do know everything, space-boy!" he retorted when Zim reentered the room with some sort of Irken drink and a can of Poop-Dog soda. He accepted the drink and settled upright on the couch.
The television was flashing short and uninteresting advertisements. The two friends ignored the box, and just went on talking.
"What took you so long at the door?" Dib asked, taking a sip of the soda.
Zim shrugged. "I'm working on my next plan to destroy the Earth," he said, his tone casual.
Dib gaped. "Please tell me production is not in the final stage."
Zim laughed. "It is nothing more than a blueprint right now. Why do you ask?"
The boy shrugged. "Because a few weeks ago, an alien Invader nearly threw out my back in an attempt of cold blood murder. So I'm still a bit sore."
Zim feigned a shocked gasp. "YOU? The mighty Dib? How did that end, pray tell."
Dib smiled and rubbed his back dramatically. "Oh the pain was excruciating. That mixed with the death threats and punches, I don't know how I got out of there alive!"
"And yet here you sit, living to tell the tale!"
Dib chuckled. "Shaddup," he joked. "It really does hurt though. The only 'saving' I'm willing to do for the next two weeks is saving my health grade."
Zim snapped his fingers as he remembered. It was something Dib had wondered how one did with three fingers.
"I really hate Ms. Bitters," Zim growled.
Dib nodded, more than agreeing with that statement.
"Did you bring the egg?" Zim asked.
Dib nodded and dug his hand into his pocket. Something cold and plastic feeling rubbed against his knuckles as the egg rolled toward his fingers.
Dib's veins turned to ice.
He quickly drew out the egg, and handed it to Zim. The motion was rather robotic, and not at all graceful, and he knew the Irken would notice
The disk. He had the disk in his pocket. When had he put that in there? At that question, Dib realized he didn't care how; just that it was there, now, and he had forgotten what he had done. How many weeks had it been? Two or three? When did the network tell him that they'd send someone? Did he have time to stop it?
He glanced over at Zim, who was holding the egg on his gloved palm, examining it with one eye closed and the other open. The alien had made a truce with him; how the hell did Dib manage to forget? Granted, he was hit on the head that day, but could it really have affected his judgment? 'You're a fool,' Dib thought, panicked. 'What did I do?'
"Dirt ball to Dib!" Zim shouted, knocking on the side of Dib's head. Dib jump a mile high, staring wide eyed at Zim.
"What?" he asked alarmed.
Zim raised his invisible eye brows at the boy, making him flinch. The narrowed into slits again, probing his body language. "I asked if you were okay."
"Fine, fine," Dib answered quickly, wanting to kick himself.
"I'm great. Are you great? How about this weather? Spring must suck for you, huh?" he chattered. This was so not helping.
'Shut up! Shut up, shut up!' his mind screamed at him.
Zim gave Dib the oddest stare; it was filled with both worry and confusion. "Dib?" he asked.
Dib smiled too wide. "Yeah?"
"Shut up."
'How I wish I could!' he thought, as the nervously pressed his lips into a thin line. This was bad. Whenever he had been nervous, Dib began to stutter, and babble on and on. Eventually, he would say whatever was bothering him and stop. But here was not the case. If he told Zim about that disk. . .
Zim cleared his throat and Dib glanced over at his friend. The alien glanced down at his right leg expectantly. It was bobbing up and down.
Dib settled it at once.
There was a thick, heavy, awkward silence after that. Zim watched him out of the corner of his fake contacts, waiting for another outburst of blabber.
After a few moments, Dib spoke softly.
"Do you remember that night when you shrunk yourself down and tried to destroy my brain?"
Zim, seemingly relive that there was nose again, nodded and stretched out, removing his wig in the process. "What of it?"
Dib heaved a heavy sigh. "We made a truce right?"
Zim took out both contacts slowly before answering him. "If you are asking me if I forgive the heinous act of you flushing me down in the bowels of your city, then I'd have to say sort of."
Dib tensed. "Sort of?" he asked as his voice involuntarily cracked.
Zim laughed without humor. "You beat the living crud out of me until I rested bruised and battered in your disgusting bowels. I think that, after more than a year, I have the right to be a little sore over that memory."
Dib chuckled nervously. "Sorry," he said with a half hearted smile.
Zim shrugged, turning to face him. "Why are you bringing that up now?"
Dib closed his eyes. "You remember how you deleted my knowledge of the master disk?"
Zim nodded.
The boy gulped. "I…" he swallowed before whispering, "I found it."
Guilt washed over the boy in one powerful wave. This was not going to end well.
"So? I figured you'd find it one day," Zim said with a smile, his tone nonchalant.
"You don't understand, Zim," Dib said sadly. "I didn't find this recently."
He watched as Zim stiffened on the couch. The fear in those red orbs over flowed, making Dib's heart pound. He swallowed his nerves, and sighed.
"I am so sorry, Zim. The day before we made the truce, I found it in my old computer chair. When I saw what was on it, I immediately sent it to the Swollen Eyeball Network. I didn't know that we'd make a truce! They sent it to a professional investigator. He was—is still—supposed to come here and…" Dib's voice faded.
He turned to Zim, and immediately wished he hadn't. Zim's face was contorted in anger and anguish. His red orbs filled with malice and melancholy as the stared hole into Dib's cranium. The bore into him, making his guilt feel ten times worse. It scraped against his very soul with relentless, unforgiving nails. The knot in his stomach had been tied so many times, he felt like his lower half had turned to lead. Sick to his core, he looked way.
"And?!" Zim prompted, screaming the word. His scream was the only thing that was pure. It was filled with utter mistrust.
"And," Dib spoke so softly his ears strained to hear his own voice. "he was supposed to arrive three weeks from today."
Zim cursed. "You're an idiot!" he screeched. "You could have given me some kind of warning earlier! How the hell am I going to get all of this stuff together!?"
Dib looked at Zim, confused. "What?"
Zim gave him and angry, exasperated stare. "I could have made it look like I never existed! You stupid hyooman!"
Dib shook his head, unable to process his words. "You're mad because I didn't give you time to cover your tracks? Not because I exposed you?"
Zim shook his head. "I am pissed beyond all recognition on both accounts. But at least on this one, I would have had time!" He rushed into the kitchen, shouting commands at the computer.
"Dib!" he screamed from the other room.
"Uh, yeah?" he called back.
"Thanks for he heads up!"
Dib laughed nervously from the couch. "Anytime. Need any help?" But Zim was already calling out orders again.
Dib relaxed a bit and closed his eyes just as the door bell rang.
He froze, staring wide-eyed at the door. The bell rang again, this time followed by pounding so severe and strong that he could nearly hear the wood splintering under it. That ruled out it just being GIR.
Zim hadn't heard the door, yet.
Slowly, Dib slid off the couch and made his way over to the door. His gut told him to let it go until whoever was at the other end got bored.
But Dib was stupid.
He opened the door.
A fierce blow caught him in the side of his head and sent his flying into the left most wall. Everything blurred and spun. Dib moaned and tried to move, but his arms lacked the strength to. He coughed and closed his eyes as the pain of the kick sliced though his head and blood dribbled down his face.
A scream from the kitchen made Dib's eyes snap wide open. Zim! Dib fought to stand upright.
From the kitchen he heard Zim screaming at the stranger. "Who are you?!"
The PI answered his voice deep and void of emotion. "I'm the hero who's going to make you wish you were never born."
Zim's voice shook with fear. "S-stay away!" he warned. "Dib! What happened to the human sitting on the couch?"
The man laughed, and Dib could hear his boots thumping as he closed in on the alien. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was bleeding out in your living room."
Something fell and made a clanging noise and Dib assumed that the Investigator had lunged for Zim. The Irken gave out a scream on pain, which only made Dib struggle harder.
As Dib finally brought himself to his knees, the man walked back into the room. In his fisted hand, he held a screaming Zim by the antennae, squirming and pleading. Dib leaned against the wall, forcing his legs to work, as he tried to reach Zim. His vision was better now, and he could see the man's dark skin and the contrast near his lips where he smiled a dark, evil smile. The left the house just as Dib regained balance.
He stumbled out the door.
"HEY!" He screamed.
The man turned around fully and stared at Dib. At first, the man squinted at him through the shield his high-collared trench coat and matching beige phadora made.
"You the kid who took that picture?" he asked.
Dib glared at the man. "Put him down! I don't need your help anymore!" He took a step forward. "Let him go, right now!"
The man smiled darkly. He dropped Zim on the wet concrete, and Dib was suddenly thankful the rain had stopped.
The alien wasted no time distancing himself from the stranger. He bolted away from him and stood slightly behind Dib, quaking with fear and pain.
As soon as he was far enough away, Dib tackled the Paranormal Investigator. He didn't budge. Dib hurled a fist at him, but the man didn't seem to feel a thing. Instead, he grabbed the boy by the hair and dragged him to the ground. Dib cried out in agony.
"You want to go back on your promise, eh?" the man said coolly.
He slammed Dibs head down onto the concrete. He screamed, praying someone would hear and call the police.
He pulled the boy close to his face. "You befriended your enemy. That was mistake number one, parasite!" he threw Dib bask on the ground, letting out a cold laugh as Dib tried to catch his breath. Everything was swimming before his eyes.
"Mistake number two," he hissed, his eyes seeming to glow with malice from under the brim of his hat. "Trying to protect this scum who you know will only stab you in the back after he enslaves our human race." With that he brought his foot back and nailed Dib in the stomach.
The boy was airborne for two seconds before rolling and skidding along the ground. Dib coughed up blood. He tried to breath, the force of the kick robbing him of his air supply. He was at the booted feet of Zim, who shook like a leaf behind him, paralyzed with fear.
Dib was gasping still as the man drew out a gun. "And mistake number three, boy," he sneered, "is thinking you could get in the way of me and my target."
A shot rang out through the air. Dib sprung up, defending his friend so fast his vision was still on the ground. He grit his teeth. He would not let Zim die for his mistake. He would not allow this alien to spend the rest of his days in as a test subject. This extraterrestrial was the closest thing he had to a friend.
He would make sure, come hell or high water, that Zim went home to Irk with a victory. "Fuck Earth," he hissed.
His headache ended. He saw no more, and heard even less. There was peace. His body crumpled, and Dib Membrane floated to a world beyond. The last words he uttered in this oblivion would be his last ever.
"Hey, Mom."
Zim's PAK leg shot out into the man's wrist. He screamed in fury and twisted a nerve ending. The gun shot again, firing into the opposing skull.
He, too, fell to the ground.
Immediately, Zim knelt next to Dib reading for his shoulder. Something crunched under his knee, and Zim jumped up to see with it was.
Dib's blood-coated glasses.
Zim's heart pounded and his spooch tightened.
Oh no. . . .
He scooped up the glasses and bent to turn Dib over.
The side of Dib's face was bloody hole were his eye used to be. Blood seeped out of the wound and decorated the sidewalk. Small chunks flopped onto the ground as Zim dropped the corpse. He knew that they were bloody chunks of the boys brain, and the sick sound of them hitting the pavement made Zim lurch forward, ready to vomit.
"Dib," he whispered, staring at the boys still body. He felt tears in his eyes, unable to hold them back. Dib had saved his life. His wretched, undeserving life. The boy had taken a bullet for him when Zim could do nothing but watch as the intruder beat the snot out of him. Zim let out a soft sob.

Something snapped inside the Irken. A part of his chest felt hollow when he tried to breathe. His mind was lost in a sea of agony, and he couldn't find enough air to take in.

He whimpered, and clutched the glasses to his uniformed chest. The chest that still had a beating heart, no matter how empty.

Zim bowed his head and sobbed again, louder this time. They came faster now, and before he knew it, the Irken was crying at the loss.

"Why…?" he cried, his voice breaking, his tears hitting his walkway as he choked on his cry. "Why did you die…for ME?"

He gasped trying to calm himself, and at least control the flow of tears down his cheeks. He hadn't killed Dib when he had had the chance. He had wanted the boy to live. The boy was the reason he kept persisting with his mission.

"You were my good enemy…" he cried, clutching the glassed tighter in his grip. "My good…friend."

Zim knelt down next to Dib's body and wept until he heard the distant sirens of an ambulance. Slowly the alien got up. He had to get back into his disguise. Taking one last look at his friend's body, he sniffed miserably, and closed the door.

Description
"Open up!" Dib yelled at the purple door in front of him. Chilled rain stung his skin and soaked his hair and coat. It was a Tuesday, the second day of spring break; a day he and Zim had planned to work on the damnable health project together.
And, on the rather cold and damp weekday, Zim simply ignored his doorbell, seemingly forgetting completely. Unfortunately, he also seemed to have forgotten Dib's arrival.
'I can really blame him,' Dib thought, rather guilty. This would be the first time Dib had ever entered the others house without his intentions being to expose him.
He shook his head and sent little droplets of water every which way. "Zim!" He shouted, jabbing the doorbell three times. "Open the door already! It's freezing!"
He sighed, frustrated. This was ridiculous! Cameras, guard gnomes, lasers, security robot gofer, and an intelligent home computer, yet Zim couldn't put in a device that open a door from any point in the house?
He leaned on the door and sighed again, his mind drifting. The kids at school had been shocked when they saw the two chatting one day at lunch. They stared with open mouthed, food filled shock; Zim thought it hilarious. Dib thought it disturbing, and rather embarrassing. Sure the kids at school had laughed and made fun of him when he drew attention to himself. That was something he was used to. But this…this was new. Having someone at his lonesome back table beside the ever antisocial Gaz, though somewhat cool, brought unwanted—actually foreign—stares that he had never received before.
But still, it was nice to have a person on your side. Other than the staring, people had left Dib alone. The teasing ceased, the laughter faded. It was almost as if the horrible thirteen years of mockery had been deleted from their minds. Knowing Zim, they probably had.
His thoughts were interrupted as the lock on the door clicked, and the support against his back was lost.
"Gah!" Dib yelped as he hit the floor, landing first on his buttocks then onto his back.
A chuckled sounded from above him, and the boy let out an annoyed puff of air. Of course, even if they were friends, Zim never let up with the pranks. They weren't violent or public, but Dib would be damned if there wasn't a day that he wasn't privately humiliated but the lizard.
"A rather graceful entrance," Zim stated, mocking him.
"Oh, shut up," Dib huffed, getting to his feet. "I wasn't even prepared. Had you gotten me any other time, my reflexes would have kicked in, and—don't shake your head, you haven't even heard the whole thing!"
"Right, right," Zim murmured, closing the door. "It's amazing how, after three weeks of this, you honestly think your race is the superior one."
Dib plopped onto the couch and shook out his hair, making Zim flinch. "I'll always think that."
Zim snorted in response, stepping passed the couch into the kitchen. "Thus proving my point, Dib-thing," he said from the kitchen. "You pig-smellies think you know everything!"
Dib laughed. "We do know everything, space-boy!" he retorted when Zim reentered the room with some sort of Irken drink and a can of Poop-Dog soda. He accepted the drink and settled upright on the couch.
The television was flashing short and uninteresting advertisements. The two friends ignored the box, and just went on talking.
"What took you so long at the door?" Dib asked, taking a sip of the soda.
Zim shrugged. "I'm working on my next plan to destroy the Earth," he said, his tone casual.
Dib gaped. "Please tell me production is not in the final stage."
Zim laughed. "It is nothing more than a blueprint right now. Why do you ask?"
The boy shrugged. "Because a few weeks ago, an alien Invader nearly threw out my back in an attempt of cold blood murder. So I'm still a bit sore."
Zim feigned a shocked gasp. "YOU? The mighty Dib? How did that end, pray tell."
Dib smiled and rubbed his back dramatically. "Oh the pain was excruciating. That mixed with the death threats and punches, I don't know how I got out of there alive!"
"And yet here you sit, living to tell the tale!"
Dib chuckled. "Shaddup," he joked. "It really does hurt though. The only 'saving' I'm willing to do for the next two weeks is saving my health grade."
Zim snapped his fingers as he remembered. It was something Dib had wondered how one did with three fingers.
"I really hate Ms. Bitters," Zim growled.
Dib nodded, more than agreeing with that statement.
"Did you bring the egg?" Zim asked.
Dib nodded and dug his hand into his pocket. Something cold and plastic feeling rubbed against his knuckles as the egg rolled toward his fingers.
Dib's veins turned to ice.
He quickly drew out the egg, and handed it to Zim. The motion was rather robotic, and not at all graceful, and he knew the Irken would notice
The disk. He had the disk in his pocket. When had he put that in there? At that question, Dib realized he didn't care how; just that it was there, now, and he had forgotten what he had done. How many weeks had it been? Two or three? When did the network tell him that they'd send someone? Did he have time to stop it?
He glanced over at Zim, who was holding the egg on his gloved palm, examining it with one eye closed and the other open. The alien had made a truce with him; how the hell did Dib manage to forget? Granted, he was hit on the head that day, but could it really have affected his judgment? 'You're a fool,' Dib thought, panicked. 'What did I do?'
"Dirt ball to Dib!" Zim shouted, knocking on the side of Dib's head. Dib jump a mile high, staring wide eyed at Zim.
"What?" he asked alarmed.
Zim raised his invisible eye brows at the boy, making him flinch. The narrowed into slits again, probing his body language. "I asked if you were okay."
"Fine, fine," Dib answered quickly, wanting to kick himself.
"I'm great. Are you great? How about this weather? Spring must suck for you, huh?" he chattered. This was so not helping.
'Shut up! Shut up, shut up!' his mind screamed at him.
Zim gave Dib the oddest stare; it was filled with both worry and confusion. "Dib?" he asked.
Dib smiled too wide. "Yeah?"
"Shut up."
'How I wish I could!' he thought, as the nervously pressed his lips into a thin line. This was bad. Whenever he had been nervous, Dib began to stutter, and babble on and on. Eventually, he would say whatever was bothering him and stop. But here was not the case. If he told Zim about that disk. . .
Zim cleared his throat and Dib glanced over at his friend. The alien glanced down at his right leg expectantly. It was bobbing up and down.
Dib settled it at once.
There was a thick, heavy, awkward silence after that. Zim watched him out of the corner of his fake contacts, waiting for another outburst of blabber.
After a few moments, Dib spoke softly.
"Do you remember that night when you shrunk yourself down and tried to destroy my brain?"
Zim, seemingly relive that there was nose again, nodded and stretched out, removing his wig in the process. "What of it?"
Dib heaved a heavy sigh. "We made a truce right?"
Zim took out both contacts slowly before answering him. "If you are asking me if I forgive the heinous act of you flushing me down in the bowels of your city, then I'd have to say sort of."
Dib tensed. "Sort of?" he asked as his voice involuntarily cracked.
Zim laughed without humor. "You beat the living crud out of me until I rested bruised and battered in your disgusting bowels. I think that, after more than a year, I have the right to be a little sore over that memory."
Dib chuckled nervously. "Sorry," he said with a half hearted smile.
Zim shrugged, turning to face him. "Why are you bringing that up now?"
Dib closed his eyes. "You remember how you deleted my knowledge of the master disk?"
Zim nodded.
The boy gulped. "I…" he swallowed before whispering, "I found it."
Guilt washed over the boy in one powerful wave. This was not going to end well.
"So? I figured you'd find it one day," Zim said with a smile, his tone nonchalant.
"You don't understand, Zim," Dib said sadly. "I didn't find this recently."
He watched as Zim stiffened on the couch. The fear in those red orbs over flowed, making Dib's heart pound. He swallowed his nerves, and sighed.
"I am so sorry, Zim. The day before we made the truce, I found it in my old computer chair. When I saw what was on it, I immediately sent it to the Swollen Eyeball Network. I didn't know that we'd make a truce! They sent it to a professional investigator. He was—is still—supposed to come here and…" Dib's voice faded.
He turned to Zim, and immediately wished he hadn't. Zim's face was contorted in anger and anguish. His red orbs filled with malice and melancholy as the stared hole into Dib's cranium. The bore into him, making his guilt feel ten times worse. It scraped against his very soul with relentless, unforgiving nails. The knot in his stomach had been tied so many times, he felt like his lower half had turned to lead. Sick to his core, he looked way.
"And?!" Zim prompted, screaming the word. His scream was the only thing that was pure. It was filled with utter mistrust.
"And," Dib spoke so softly his ears strained to hear his own voice. "he was supposed to arrive three weeks from today."
Zim cursed. "You're an idiot!" he screeched. "You could have given me some kind of warning earlier! How the hell am I going to get all of this stuff together!?"
Dib looked at Zim, confused. "What?"
Zim gave him and angry, exasperated stare. "I could have made it look like I never existed! You stupid hyooman!"
Dib shook his head, unable to process his words. "You're mad because I didn't give you time to cover your tracks? Not because I exposed you?"
Zim shook his head. "I am pissed beyond all recognition on both accounts. But at least on this one, I would have had time!" He rushed into the kitchen, shouting commands at the computer.
"Dib!" he screamed from the other room.
"Uh, yeah?" he called back.
"Thanks for he heads up!"
Dib laughed nervously from the couch. "Anytime. Need any help?" But Zim was already calling out orders again.
Dib relaxed a bit and closed his eyes just as the door bell rang.
He froze, staring wide-eyed at the door. The bell rang again, this time followed by pounding so severe and strong that he could nearly hear the wood splintering under it. That ruled out it just being GIR.
Zim hadn't heard the door, yet.
Slowly, Dib slid off the couch and made his way over to the door. His gut told him to let it go until whoever was at the other end got bored.
But Dib was stupid.
He opened the door.
A fierce blow caught him in the side of his head and sent his flying into the left most wall. Everything blurred and spun. Dib moaned and tried to move, but his arms lacked the strength to. He coughed and closed his eyes as the pain of the kick sliced though his head and blood dribbled down his face.
A scream from the kitchen made Dib's eyes snap wide open. Zim! Dib fought to stand upright.
From the kitchen he heard Zim screaming at the stranger. "Who are you?!"
The PI answered his voice deep and void of emotion. "I'm the hero who's going to make you wish you were never born."
Zim's voice shook with fear. "S-stay away!" he warned. "Dib! What happened to the human sitting on the couch?"
The man laughed, and Dib could hear his boots thumping as he closed in on the alien. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was bleeding out in your living room."
Something fell and made a clanging noise and Dib assumed that the Investigator had lunged for Zim. The Irken gave out a scream on pain, which only made Dib struggle harder.
As Dib finally brought himself to his knees, the man walked back into the room. In his fisted hand, he held a screaming Zim by the antennae, squirming and pleading. Dib leaned against the wall, forcing his legs to work, as he tried to reach Zim. His vision was better now, and he could see the man's dark skin and the contrast near his lips where he smiled a dark, evil smile. The left the house just as Dib regained balance.
He stumbled out the door.
"HEY!" He screamed.
The man turned around fully and stared at Dib. At first, the man squinted at him through the shield his high-collared trench coat and matching beige phadora made.
"You the kid who took that picture?" he asked.
Dib glared at the man. "Put him down! I don't need your help anymore!" He took a step forward. "Let him go, right now!"
The man smiled darkly. He dropped Zim on the wet concrete, and Dib was suddenly thankful the rain had stopped.
The alien wasted no time distancing himself from the stranger. He bolted away from him and stood slightly behind Dib, quaking with fear and pain.
As soon as he was far enough away, Dib tackled the Paranormal Investigator. He didn't budge. Dib hurled a fist at him, but the man didn't seem to feel a thing. Instead, he grabbed the boy by the hair and dragged him to the ground. Dib cried out in agony.
"You want to go back on your promise, eh?" the man said coolly.
He slammed Dibs head down onto the concrete. He screamed, praying someone would hear and call the police.
He pulled the boy close to his face. "You befriended your enemy. That was mistake number one, parasite!" he threw Dib bask on the ground, letting out a cold laugh as Dib tried to catch his breath. Everything was swimming before his eyes.
"Mistake number two," he hissed, his eyes seeming to glow with malice from under the brim of his hat. "Trying to protect this scum who you know will only stab you in the back after he enslaves our human race." With that he brought his foot back and nailed Dib in the stomach.
The boy was airborne for two seconds before rolling and skidding along the ground. Dib coughed up blood. He tried to breath, the force of the kick robbing him of his air supply. He was at the booted feet of Zim, who shook like a leaf behind him, paralyzed with fear.
Dib was gasping still as the man drew out a gun. "And mistake number three, boy," he sneered, "is thinking you could get in the way of me and my target."
A shot rang out through the air. Dib sprung up, defending his friend so fast his vision was still on the ground. He grit his teeth. He would not let Zim die for his mistake. He would not allow this alien to spend the rest of his days in as a test subject. This extraterrestrial was the closest thing he had to a friend.
He would make sure, come hell or high water, that Zim went home to Irk with a victory. "Fuck Earth," he hissed.
His headache ended. He saw no more, and heard even less. There was peace. His body crumpled, and Dib Membrane floated to a world beyond. The last words he uttered in this oblivion would be his last ever.
"Hey, Mom."
Zim's PAK leg shot out into the man's wrist. He screamed in fury and twisted a nerve ending. The gun shot again, firing into the opposing skull.
He, too, fell to the ground.
Immediately, Zim knelt next to Dib reading for his shoulder. Something crunched under his knee, and Zim jumped up to see with it was.
Dib's blood-coated glasses.
Zim's heart pounded and his spooch tightened.
Oh no. . . .
He scooped up the glasses and bent to turn Dib over.
The side of Dib's face was bloody hole were his eye used to be. Blood seeped out of the wound and decorated the sidewalk. Small chunks flopped onto the ground as Zim dropped the corpse. He knew that they were bloody chunks of the boys brain, and the sick sound of them hitting the pavement made Zim lurch forward, ready to vomit.
"Dib," he whispered, staring at the boys still body. He felt tears in his eyes, unable to hold them back. Dib had saved his life. His wretched, undeserving life. The boy had taken a bullet for him when Zim could do nothing but watch as the intruder beat the snot out of him. Zim let out a soft sob.

Something snapped inside the Irken. A part of his chest felt hollow when he tried to breathe. His mind was lost in a sea of agony, and he couldn't find enough air to take in.

He whimpered, and clutched the glasses to his uniformed chest. The chest that still had a beating heart, no matter how empty.

Zim bowed his head and sobbed again, louder this time. They came faster now, and before he knew it, the Irken was crying at the loss.

"Why…?" he cried, his voice breaking, his tears hitting his walkway as he choked on his cry. "Why did you die…for ME?"

He gasped trying to calm himself, and at least control the flow of tears down his cheeks. He hadn't killed Dib when he had had the chance. He had wanted the boy to live. The boy was the reason he kept persisting with his mission.

"You were my good enemy…" he cried, clutching the glassed tighter in his grip. "My good…friend."

Zim knelt down next to Dib's body and wept until he heard the distant sirens of an ambulance. Slowly the alien got up. He had to get back into his disguise. Taking one last look at his friend's body, he sniffed miserably, and closed the door.