Operation: Incentive - Invader Zim fanfic (ZADF)

Last Attempts

"Dad!" Dib called. "I'm going out!"

For the last couple of days, Dib had hidden in his room, cradling his increasingly green body, desperately trying to find a way to either cure his condition or find a sustainble way to live with it... He had thought about it over and over, and the second was the only viable option. He had next to no information on PAKs, and that had to be resolved.

"Dib?" Gaz yelled from the kitchen. "That you?"

Drat. Gaz was no fool. If she saw him, she'd realize what was going on. His eyes were both completely Irken, albeit covered by goggles, and his body was covered with green splothes. By now, his chest was more green than peach.

His hair had started peeling off like a wig, and one side was completely floppy, but it was useful for concealing an antenna he had grown.

Although his disguise was just as good as, if not better than, Zim's, Gaz would see through it right away.

"Um...er.... No!" Dib replied. His intelligence was astounding. He cursed himself silently as he dashed out the door. 

He couldn't risk anything happening wrong on this operation. He was gonna make his most daring move yet. 

He was going to break into Zim's lab, learn how everything works and steal a blueprint of his PAK. The only other time he had successfully broken in, he had seen the Irken uploading some of his memories onto a computer, along with some files. If he could hack the computer, he could find some clue of how to build a PAK.

All this was simple enough in theory...

He shook himself out of his daydreaming and took a left onto Zim's property. The rush of liquid adrenaline flowed through his veins; pushing him further and further into enemy territory... In his drunken haze, he faintly noticed that the gnomes didn't react to him this time. Perhaps it was his biological trace. 

It must have been his lucky day! The door was wide open, and Zim's robot assistant sat on the couch, desperately slurping up a chocolate and bubblegum milkshake. He must have just come in. Dib pulled his mask further up his face and proceeded to walk in. The little unit made no sign of recognition, but instead stared blankly at the TV, which was off. 

"Um... can I pass?" Dib asked hesitantly.

Gir gave a single nod, then carried on his staring contest with the black screen. 

Dib walked past, to the nightstand where Zim led him. He was at the point of no return. His head now flooding with doubt, he pressed the button and entered the elevator, which gave a terrifying shudder, and started descending. There were no buttons; it seemed the elevator had learned Zim's routine, or maybe just knew where the occupant wanted to go. 

It took him to the same floor he had been in a week ago. The screens were all on this time, as if the user had just left.

This made Dib rightfully suspicious, but he ignored the creeping feeling and kept going. 

There were two spaceships in the corner now. He recognized one as Zim's, but the other was identical in shape only. This new one was dark blue, and the Irken symbol was a shocking neon green. A pale white streak encircled the wings, and the logo too. 

Dib made to walk towards the ships, but stopped, as he felt cold breath on his neck.

"Hello, Dib."