Betray and Rebel

Chapter 4: Panic

"PAK 9001 rebooting."

Zim felt his antennae move to gather his surroundings. They moved left, right, left, and right before settling down. So far he could feel himself to be in a closed off room.

"Preparing to analyze body and PAK functions."

He felt his PAK release a signal that shocked his body. He wanted to let out a short scream, but his body reacted on its own and instead chomped down on his tounge.

"Body functions at 100%."

Another shock was released but was limited to his PAK. He waited and listened for his PAK's good or bad news.

"PAK functions at 100%. Preceeding to complete rebooting...rebooting complete."

A sharp breath was his first action that woke him. He panted slowly forcing himself into a sitting position. It wasn't until he went back into a normal breathing pattern that he scanned the room he was in. His eyes scanned over white beds with white covers, cabinets with labels in Vortian.

Zim stood and walked to the cabinet. "Pain Killers, Benadryl, Adhesive tape." He moved to the next cabinet.

These labels where in Crytalien. "Blood, needles-could this be the medical bay? But who's medical bay?" Zim turned around scanning the room. The room had two other unoccupied beds and no windows. He could have sworn the medical bays in the Armada had windows.

He turned deciding to figure out exactly where he was. Walking to the metal door he stopped. He stood on his tiptoes and peeked out the small window. The walls were a dark gray but nothing special from what Zim could see. With a deep breath he pushed open the door and stepped out.

Zim looked down both sides of the hallways. He sighed and decided to go right. Zim found himself inspecting the hall as he walked jumping and preparing for a fight at every creak or thud. When he jumped and prepared the fifth time he stomped his foot angrily only to jump again.

Zim looked down realizing he only wore a blue gown. He grimced at least back in the Armada they gave you the Prisoner overalls and shoes. At least with the overalls he felt somewhat safe, now he felt unsafe and exposed. Without realizing it he had pressed himself close to the wall.

He walked down the hallway pressing his hand against the cold metal wall. The wall would vibrate or creak every so often making Zim flinch or silently curse. He hated being this jumpy, he wasn't even this jumpy back in his cell. Even when he found out the place had been drugging him to hallucinate.

"Pass it!" Zim froze at the shout. He looked up finding if he had taken one more step he would've stepped into the line of sight of whoever was in the room to his left.

Zim quickly planted himself to the wall. He took a deep breath and peeked around the corner. The room seemed to be a training area. He quickly pulled his head back upon catching sight of a fellow Irken. He knew he had to leave, to escape.

His mind raced with questions and plans that he couldn't decide what to do. "Have you guys seen Zim?" His mind abruptly stopped in its tracks.

"No sorry Dib. Why? Did the little guy leave or something?" A soft voice asked.

Zim perked up at the name. Dib his Dib! He quickly made to step into the room but realized he had taken Dib's home from him. Dib could've been upset, angry even at Zim. He pulled back his foot setting it back on the floor.

"I hope not. I went to check up on him, but he wasn't in his room." Dib responded worry weaving itself into his words. "I gotta go. Later." Dib's shoes squeaked against the metal and made their way towards Zim's direction.

Zim jumped in shock and made to turn and run but found himself hitting something hard yet warm. He looked up finding a hostile looking Hobo.

"Uh...hi!" Zim said his voice wavering. It was clear that Zim was frightened.

The Hobo sighed before gesturing towards the room Dib was coming from. Zim looked at the room and back at the Hobo before shaking his head. The Hobo's right eye twitched in what seemed to be frustration. He bent down picking Zim up and walking into the room.

"Oh hel-Zim!" Zim looked up meeting eyes with an all too estatic Dib.

The Hobo grinned and placed Zim into Dib's arms before walking further into the training room. Zim felt Dib's grip around him tighten ever so slightly.

"Don't do that again...please." Dib's voice sounded vulnerable, terrified even.

Zim looked up finding the human weeping. "I thought I lost you again." He shakily let out before walking out of the training room and down the hall Zim came from.

"Why-why is the Dib crying?" Zim asked mentally cursing himself for stuttering.

Dib smiled down at Zim. Tears still making their way down his cheeks and onto Zim. At the moment he couldn't care less only caring about the weeping human.

"I'm crying because," He paused as if thinking. "Actually I don't know why. I just am." He answered staring straight ahead once again.

Zim looked down at his hands. He turned his eyes to look at Dib's hands. They were gloved with, what Zim assumed was, leather gloves. He looked back at Dib deciding then to examine the boy.

He still looked like Dib, but the innocent look in his eyes was gone. As if the young boy Zim knew had dissapeared. He looked at Dib's hair, still back, still spikey. Except now the scythe was shorter and only draped just a bit behind his head. The glasses Dib wore were still there except more rectangle and had scratches on the lenses here and there.

To put it simply. The Dib Zim knew when they were younger was gone. Dead most likely. Zim didn't know why that thought hurt but it did.

"Here we are!" Dib announced startling Zim out of his thoughts.

"Whoops sorry Zim didn't mean to scare ya." Dib placed Zim back on the floor. Zim watched Dib remove the glove around his hand. Zim couldn't help but let out a gasp fuelled by his overwhelming dismay.

Dib's hand was covered in scars of all kinds. Burns, cuts, bites, and so many more. Dib looked down at Zim meeting his eyes. "What's wrong?" Dib asked perplexed.

"Y-your hand." Dib looked at his hand before ultimately shrugging. "Yeah it happens when you join the Resistance." He answered opening a door and walking in.

Zim walked in after him. Then with the woosh of the door shutting he exploded. Fury, dismay, and terror found their ways out of Zim in the form of tears and words.

"What the fuck!?" Zim screamed running at Dib and knocking the boy-no man to the ground.

"How are you alive!? Why did you join the Resistance!? How am I alive!? HOW? HOW? HOW?" With every word cried out he pounded Dib's chest, but not enough to hurt the man. Tears made rivers down Zim's face as he weeded and shouted.

"HOW AM I HERE!?" He shouted before succumbing to the sobs and hiccups rising from within his throat. He rolled off Dib and curled into himself. The weight of everything that had happened finally catching up to his frail broken form.

"Zim" He heard Dib call him. He couldn't respond too overwhelmed by the emotions within him. It wasn't until warm arms wrapped around him that he found himself calming down.

"Zim do you really want to know all the answers?" Dib asked pulling Zim up and onto a chair. Zim hiccuped one last time before firmly nodding.

"Well there's a lot of questions and a lot more answers. So you can ask me anything to begin." Dib said sitting on the floor before Zim.

Zim looked at his lap. "How are you alive and here?" He asked looking up to meet Dib's eyes. They stared back at him in pain but courages.