To Which Our Future Holds (A ZaDr Story)

Chapter 26

Dib spun around in the woods desperately calling out to the irken "Zim! Zim! Please Come Back Zim!" Dib grew increasingly more panicked as he searched further into the woods with a growing silence, his only response "Zim Answer Me Please!" Dib yelled.
"No!" Came the irken's reply from deeper in the woods "Zim Where Are You!?" Dib called out, running in the direction of his voice "Go Away!" Zim shrieked as Dib entered a small clearing. Zim's purple voot cruiser lay hidden within the woods, it was round and compact with a large domed windshield leading into the cockpit where Zim now sat curled up on the seat, fully out of disguise. His anteni drooped over his arms, and his head was tucked between his legs as he sat curled up. "Go Away Dib! Just Leave Zim Alone!" He whimpered. Hearing a soft tapping Zim glanced up to see Dib standing outside the voot cruiser "Please let me in space boy" Dib asked softly. Zim stared at him for a while before permitting Dib access to the ship.

Carefully climbing in next to Zim Dib looked out the voot cruiser window. "You picked a really nice place in the woods" Dib smiled, trying to get conversation with Zim "It's really Pretty out here" Dib looked down at Zim who just continued to have his head buried in his knees, ignoring Dib. "Do you want to talk about it... What's upsetting you?" Dib asked. With still silence Dib just looked out the window and watched as the creatures ran about the forest, seeming to be far too comfortable with the ship's presence.

Dib felt slightly startled when Zim finally broke the silence "You love them don't you?" Zim asked "Ash and Lizzy. You love them don't you?" Dib smiled solemnly and nodded, looking off into the distance "Yea I do." He said softly, Zim seemed to droop. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you anymore." Dib continued. Zim lifted his head and stared at Dib in shock, dry tears across his cheeks. Dib continued as he looked out the window "Zim I know things seem really different, I've grown up and it seems like everything has changed, but despite all of that, you are still a really special person to me Zim. I don't want you to run away again."
Zim looked down before letting out a soft whimper "But it's not the same is it?" Dib furrowed his eyes "No I guess it's not. But that is just part of being human. Things change, they always have, and they always will." Zim looked up at Dib "What about Zim?" He asked meekly "Has Zim Changed?"
Dib paused for a moment as he looked down at the whimpering irken, "Yea," he said somberly "You really have." Zim's gaze turned into a glare as he looked towards the ground, almost seeming disappointed in himself "Irkens aren't supposed to change. just get better, and stronger to-" Zim paused as his whole body began to tremble "-To serve our Tallests" he continued a deep fear layering his voice. "Zim?" Dib questioned, concerned for the change in the irken's tone. "What really happened after you left?"

Zim closed his eyes as he seemed to sink back into the memory, almost as if the events of that night had only happened mere minutes ago. "After Dib yelled at Zim, I ran home, I don't think I even cared that I was out of disguise..."

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Zim threw open the door and walked past the couch, where a small grey robot with round blue eyes sat, it had a rounded cup like head and a soft square body, its arms were flexible and connected to his body with blue orbs and his legs stood connected through an invisible force.
"Welcome Home Masta!" The robot cheered "I Filled The Tub With Puddin!" He shrieked happily. Zim continued to march past the small grey robot a somber distant look in his eyes "That's nice Gir" he said. The robot paused and began to panic "You Ain't Gonna Yell At Me?!" It shrieked. "No Gir, just go find Minimoose and meet me down in the lab."
The robot jumped up from its seat on the couch and saluted its eyes turning a red glow as it followed Zim's order "Yes Master." The robot said in a deep voice before hopping off the couch, his eyes returning to their original  blue color, and running off excitedly it's voice one again high pitched.

Zim stood in the lab flickering lights illuminating the irken's stiff figure "Computer, Prepare the base for relocation. Minimoose, go help Gir prepare the voot cruiser for departure. I will join you both shortly."
The two robots departed as Zim stood in front of the large screen that flickered the black irken logo above a sea of static. Minimoose let out a confused meep behind Zim as the irken glared at the screen.
Zim turned to face the last of his robotic companions. Minimoose was a small, round, purple floating robot with small cream antlers and four nubs for feet, his large round eyes sat on either side of his face as he tilted his body slightly in confusion. "Nya?" Minimoose questioned. How Zim could understand the robot was a mystery but he did. "Yes everything is fine Minimoose. Just go prepare My ship." With another meep Minimoose agreed and flew off. Leaving Zim to make his last minute preparations.

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Dib stared at Zim, "That's when you took all of my research right?" Zim shook his head, "Zim waited till the Dib had left for school before removing all evidence. It was not until after that Zim left."
Dib glanced out the window not finding comfort in the memory. "Where did you go after that?" Zim turned back to the ground "At first, nowhere. Zim just traveled through space. Zim could have been there for years, months or hours. Afterall without a rotation of sun in space, time is irrelevant... it's just a long and hollow nothing."
Zim paused. "In fact, it was actually Minimoose who eventually suggested we found a planet. After having drifted in space for so long I agreed and we eventually found one. A dead planet." Dib looked back at Zim in surprise "A dead planet? You mean one like Mars?" Zim looked at Dib and shook his head. "No, a dead planet is different. It's one that the Irken Empire has under its reign, but who's culture or resources were deemed useless to the Empire and, Destroyed."

Zim smiled softly to himself "Irkens Don't usually return to dead planets, so Zim never imagined that one could ever recover so... beautifully." 

Dib stared in awe as Zim smiled with a fond memory of the planet. It was not often that the irken showed such emotions, and there was just something about when he thought of the planet that made him look so genuinely happy.
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