My eyelids are still heavy when I come to, and through my fuzzy thoughts I can make out voices. I can barely hear them, though I can't tell if they're being quiet or it's just my unfocused hearing. I can't understand what they're saying- again, most likely due to having just woken up and my senses aren't one hundred percent- but I don't want to put in the effort to try and figure it out. In addition to a slight headache, my arms and legs are too heavy to move. Or... wait. I'm tied down. Okay, this is not good.
I force my eyes open despite the bright light above me, tilting my head, as it's not held down like my limbs. To my left, I can see Zim, along with two other figures who I can't exactly make out due to them being covered in shadow, but I can only assume that they are Zim's 'Tallest' based on their height.
As soon as I've turned my head, Zim's eyes- still between that of his normal self and the strange primal personality he switches between- flick toward me. He turns his body as well, showing me the reason for the half-way state: his Pak is connected to various wires. A Control Brain. It has to be. Otherwise he'd most likely be one way or the other, not in between. However, when he speaks, it is very clearly the deep growl of his malfunctioning other side.
"My Tallest," he says, confirming my suspicions about the other figures, "he is awake." The large room gives his voice a chilling echo, and a slow smile spread across his lips, once again revealing his abnormally sharp teeth. I barely register what he says, though, because my mind is running, trying to figure out how to get out of here.
If his current state is due to him being connected to a Control Brain, then if I get the wires off of him he should go back to normal. Of course, I cant exactly do that while I'm tied down. I need to free myself first. A quick glance down shows that my binds are just leather straps. I won't be able to break through them on my own, but if I could get something sharp...
I'm snapped out of my thoughts when a clawed hand slams down next to me, and I look back up to see a giggling Zim, eerie magenta orbs staring through me as though I'm some sort of play-thing. And to him, maybe I am. The thought sends a chill down my spine.
"Zim," the red Tallest says, stepping into the light. Zim turns his head to look at his leader. "Do you want to execute the procedure?"
Zim's antennae flick up for a second at the question. "I am... allowed... to do it? Just... me?" He sounds innocent, surprised at what I can only assume he thinks of as a gift.
The Tallest nods. "Yes Zim. You've been good." He uses a tone similar to the one I'd been using before Zim knocked me out.
A disturbing smile still on his face, Zim turns back to me. "I get to... cut you open. All... by myself," he says happily, "because I've been... a good... invader... for my Tallest."
My arms and legs tense up as he says it, going numb once again at the thought of being cut apart. I take a slow breath. "Zim, calm down a bit. You just need to wait, this will go away soon." Zim's eyes flicker for a moment, opening a little bit.
"But... my... Tallest," Zim argues weakly.
"No, it's okay, just focus on me. This isn't you. You don't make your own decisions right now." My eyes wander up to the wires. I don't know how well I can influence him when he's being controlled.
"I... have been... told to... to... to..." His voice trails off, his eyebrows pulling up in concern, his voice lowering, slowly converting back to himself. Then, he shakes his head, and any semblance of normal dissipates as the wires start flashing, presumably forcing him back into his primal state. "I have been told... to kill... the... human."
I sigh, my body going limp. The Brain is reversing any progress I make. I have to do this myself. Blankly, Zim reaches out his arm beside him and his hand returns, fingers clenched around a knife. My pulse races as he stares at it in awe for a few moments before looking back to me.
He doesn't say a word as he lowers the knife to my arm, gliding the blade across my skin softly, not breaking it, simply feeling the knife grace my skin, gently pushing down every vein it passes over. Then, he changes his approach, lifting the knife high, preparing to bring it down, presumably on the arm he's just been teasing at. A quick spark of an idea flits through my mind, and as Zim brings the knife down, I lean as far as I can to the right, causing the knife to stab at the strap around my arm, Zim's force breaking it, letting my arm free.
For a few moments, Zim stares confusedly at the broken strap, and I take the advantage, undoing the other straps at a speed I didn't know I was capable of. I leap off the table, very grateful that I didn't get any more injuries, and run to the door. Zim growls and hisses as he realizes what's going on, trying to chase after me, but is yanked back as he reaches the limits of the wires on his back. As I run out the door, I can see the wires disconnecting, allowing Zim to leap toward the exit. I turn my head and don't look back.
When I turn the corner, I ram directly into someone. 'Oh, shit. This is it. I'm actually going to die.' I think, squeezing my eyes shut. But just a second later, I hear a loud gasp, which causes me to flinch.
"Oh Tallest Almighty. Dib. Holy crap. Oooh, jeez." The voice is high pitched, and doesn't sound familiar at all. I open my eyes to see another Irken, with blue eyes and curled antennae. Before I can say anything, she grabs my arm and tugs me up, dragging me as she flies down the halls.
"Okay, wait, who are you?" I ask, my voice panicked. For all I know, she could be taking me on an indirect path back to that room. That's probably what she is doing.
"Oh, sorry," she says. Looking around, she forces me into a tight room and presses a few buttons, causing a few mechanical whirs to fill the room for a second as the door locks. When everything is silent, she turns to me, grinning wide. "I'm Raz," she chirps- somehow quietly- and flicks her antennae. "I'm like, your biggest fan. Well, other than Zim of course. But, I mean, lately, I've been saying that about everyone that I-"
"Alright, alright, slow down," I interrupt, waving my hands around. "You... don't want to kill me?"
Raz shakes her head slowly, a concerned look on her face. "Nope. I want to help. Though... I don't really know how to get Zim on an escape pod with you, so I'll have to send him later-"
"Slow down," I say. Geez, she talks fast. "How do you know me?"
"Zim told me about you," Raz says lowly. "They erased his memory, I know they did. But before that I was working on his Pak, and he was talking about how he missed you, it was really cute," she purrs.
Wait.
"You were the one who screwed with Zim's Pak?" I have to keep from shouting, but Raz flinches anyways.
"I'm sorry! I wouldn't have done it if I could choose. I love Zim! I mean, platonically, of course. But if I didn't mess with his Pak, The Tallest would have killed me." Then she straightens. "But I was supposed to make him like that," she gestures to the door, "all the time. If it were anyone but me, he would have no chance of being himself. I hate that I ruined him, but it is possible to fix him manually. I just... don't exactly know how."
"I can kind of sway him, usually. But he was just connected to a Control Brain, so I couldn't help any-"
"How... do you know about Control Brains?" Raz asks, interrupting me. "I doubt they have them on Earth."
"Oh yeah, I read a journal that I-"
Raz squeals- again, somehow still keeping quiet- and grabs my shoulders. "My journal! That's where it went! Zim must have stolen it." She stops to giggle. "Isn't that just so funny."
"You wrote it?" I ask, excited. "So... do you know how to reverse the effects of the Brain?"
Raz shakes her head again. "No. You can't. It's impossible, you just have to wait for it to wear off on it's own." She grabs my arm again. "I'll be sure to send Zim with you when that happens, but for now, we need to get you out of here."
She tugs me toward the door again, not stopping to close it once we're out, rushing through the halls. Still whispering, Raz says, "You're lucky I found you. Anyone else, and you would've been brought straight to The Tallest."
I don't respond, trying to gain control of my legs as we run down the passage. Suddenly, Raz squeals, jumping into the air excitedly. "Sorry, I'm just... aah! I can't believe it! A human, finally, after-"
We're stopped in out tracks, the sign indicating the direction to the escape pods at the end of the hall. In front of us, however, is a team of Irkens, looking very disappointed. Raz stiffens, letting go of my hand. "Run," she whispers. When I don't listen to her immediately, she pushes me in the opposite direction, and my legs start working on instinct. When I look back, I see Raz fall to the floor, a pink pool forming below her. She risked her goddamn life to save me.
Trying to shake off the sight of seeing her die, I twist through the halls randomly. I can already hear the clattering of Zim's Pak legs on the walls and floor behind me, slowly gaining on me. I turn in to another passage, hoping that I can take enough detours that he'll lose me. As I continue running, I hear the skid of metal against the floor as he struggles to slow his momentum and turn. While he's distracted, I throw myself through the nearest door, hoping it's another passage, only to find myself falling through a hatch into a dimly lit room below.
Knowing that I can't get back up- the hatch is too high to reach- I run to one of the walls, looking for a hiding place, finally settling to squeeze behind some sort of chair until I hear the sound of the door above me opening, and I don't have time to push the chair away, instead pressing myself as hard as I can against the wall.
Zim drops down from the hatch, and I huddle further against the wall, holding my breath, though I know it's useless; the room is too small for him not to see me.
As soon as the thought runs through my mind, Zim's eyes lock with mine. I try to press harder against the wall, to no avail. My breathing picks up, pulse racing. I'd been so willing to calm him down before, but now all I could feel was terror. I don't know if I'm shaking or my vision is swimming.
Zim inches closer, each step excruciatingly slow and precise. A low laugh emerges from the back of his throat, and his lips are curled up in his now signature demonic smile. It doesn't take long for him to have me pinned against the wall. Two of his Pak legs extend from behind him and shoot out suddenly, piercing through each of my palms, blood dripping to the floor as I scream in agony at the sudden pain.
"Hello there, Dib~" Zim sings, as if noticing me for the first time, undeterred by my loud screech. The solid magenta orbs stare though me, and I shiver uncomfortably once again. Zim giggles lowly at my reaction. Then, without a word, he leans forward and presses his lips to mine, but nothing about this kiss is loving. His mouth is hard, forceful. He forces his serpentine tongue into my mouth.
"Zim," I mutter, my voice muffled by his skin. "Zim stop," I beg, hoping against everything I know that he'll listen. Surprisingly, though, he does pull back, though inly a little, allowing him to stare into my eyes again.
"Isn't this... what you want?" he purrs. "Don't you... want to stay... with me? I'm sure the Tallest won't... mind... me having a... pet."
"No," I say, my voice still low. "No, I don't want that. Not like this."
Ignoring me, Zim forces out mouths together again, and I resist the temptation to push at him- it would tear my hands apart even further. Instead, I turn my head, pulling my face away from his. My face burns with embarrassment. This isn't right.
Zim growls, placing a hand on my cheek and pushing my face back to his, forcing me to look at him. A shine flickers through his eyes, and for some strange reason, I can't close my eyes anymore. I blink stupidly until he leans back in, though, this time, I can't protest.
The kiss is still aggressive, with too much pressure being forced into me, but I can't move my body. To my horror, I lean into Zim, every fiber of my being trying to fight against my insane urge. I can feel Zim smirking at my inner turmoil. Tears threaten to fall, but I blink them away. My mind and body are arguing with each other, both trying to make me do different things, but common sense just isn't strong enough this time.
Suddenly, I feel Zim's hand on my leg. Not thinking, I let out a moan. Taking my unwanted outburst as a good sign, Zim places his other palm on the opposite leg. Oh god, this isn't happening. Oh, no no no. He starts pushing my legs apart from each other, his goal obvious.
"Z-Zim," I mutter, my face burning. "Stop... this... this isn't you."
My protest seems to have angered him, and he growls loudly, pulling away from me and retracting his Pak legs, only to slam them back into my palms for a second wave of excruciating pain that washes through my body.
"I could... kill you," Zim growls, his gaze hardening. "I could kill you... right now, and... you know... what? No one would... care as much as... if you killed someone." His eyes narrow, and he glares straight at me. "Because... I'm just a... monster. Aren't I... Dib?"
With that last word, he lets out a shriek and the last thing I see is one of the Pak legs racing directly for my heart.