Hey Spacejerk

At His Mercy

The image opened up on Zim as he staggered back from the camera. He looked no better and no worse than he had in the previous video and Dib could only guess that either Zim hadn't tested his limits further or very little time had passed from the surgery Zim had performed on him. The video had been taken in this cell. Dib could see the box centered in the camera view, wires leading away from the box in both directions.

"Last task," Zim gasped, "before ex... experiment...ation... on human monkey... Dib... assessing PAK... for damage... repairs... make sure I'm in... perfect condition... cannot be swayed... by screams.... by pity... recording for... further analysis."

Zim weaved over to the beaver-sized box in the center of the room. The top flipped open at a touch and he reached behind his back. A low hum resonated in the room as Zim's PAK slipped off and hovered around in front of him where he could grab it. Stiffly, he lowered it inside the box out of sight. Stooped over, he continued moving his arms around inside the box, wheezing, "Must... secure PAK... to surround...ing inspec...tion... panels. And. Al. Most." With a quick motion he jerked his arms out and slapped the top shut.

Immediately the low hum increased to an angry whirr and the box rattled.

Zim leaned on the box, speaking through clenched teeth. "Should. Hold." He lifted his eyes to the camera. "Human. Earth. Worm. You..." he coughed, green dots flying from his mouth. "You. Owe Zim. Mighty debt. Also." He paused, panting. "Also. Are in. My power. Dib. I..." his eyes dulled. "Not much time. Must preserve body... past ten minute mark. Must go. You." He tapped a claw feebly on the box, now buzzing like a hive of wrathful bees. "You will fix. My. PAK. Need PAK. Survive. But. Is killing me. Thoughtcrimes, Dib. Make." His voice caught. An undeniable note of pleading entered it. "Make it. Stop."

He swept one arm out to the side. The camera did not move, but Dib's eyes followed the motion and saw, again, the strange helmet sitting on the pallet. "Go. Inside PAK. Destroy Big Brother. Please. Or else." Zim smiled, and a note of the old malice crept into his face. "No exits. No more food. Rot here. With Zim. Forever."

"Hah." Dib was deeply unsettled by Zim's pleading, but he had bigger worries than rotting here. "Like hell I'd fix you. So you can just kill me and wipe out the earth? Be stronger than before? No way." He crossed his arms. "Not even a life debt could make me sell out the planet."

On screen, Zim stared down at the box, his head shaking back and forth slowly. "Not. Enough. Not en. ough. You wouldn't. Would you." He lifted his head, fixing his eyes back on the camera. "Will tell." He flinched, his muscles tensing as he cringed. "Will..." he forced the words out. "Will... answer... any question... make sure... parental unit... never finds you. Not. Kill. You."

SCRAPE. SCRAPE. SCRAPE.

Zim's eyes darted back down to the box, whimpering. "You. Help. Zim. Zim. Help. You."

The screen went black.

There was no denying it no. Zim had spelled it out for him. Dying, suspecting the source of his torment, Zim had tracked down Dib, kidnapped him, and performed surgery on him in the desperate hope that Dib would be able to fix him.

Dib pivoted on his heel and approached the pod that held Zim's body. He'd never seen the alien like this. Zim floated, unclothed, in a green fluid. There were no visible indications of a sex on Zim, not that Dib could tell, but from the neck down to the feet Zim's skin was a latticework of scars. Thick scars, thin scars, ropy scars, fresh scars, puckered and twisted scars, long scars that ran the length of his body. Two holes, one above the other, remained open on his back.

Dib touched his own stomach. Once, many years ago, Zim's PAK had gotten knocked off and had attacked Dib, trying to take him over. He had felt the horrible incursion of Zim-like thoughts overwriting his own. The details were fuzzy and he wasn't completely sure how he'd survived or gotten the PAK off, but the feeling of those two wires burrowing into his stomach wasn't something he'd ever forget.

Zim wanted Dib to go up against the PAK programming with just a helmet and his own brain? How was that even supposed to work?

He rested a hand on the pod, glaring at Zim. Usually he'd just jump right on in, feet first, but this was different. He knew it. Zim knew it. Jumping feetfirst into this could... he didn't even know what could go wrong. Maybe Dib would really lose his marbles. Maybe he'd be the next Zim. Maybe he'd succeed in freeing Zim, and then Zim would kill him anyway.

Help Zim. He'd never seen the alien quite this miserable. And there were questions, so many questions. Dib could feel them skittering around his head, frantic to be fed. A comatose Zim could never answer them and could never release Dib. He weighed the chance of Zim keeping his word against the probability that the planet would be invaded by a competent Irken soldier by year's end. It didn't look good for the Earth.

"But... But there was something there!" Dib smacked the pod with an open hand in frustration, sending Zim's body gently drifting toward the far edge. "I saw it in your face. You were scared. You didn't get what was happening to you. You were sorry for me, weren't you? And it knew, that thing knew and punished you. Is that it?" He spun on his heel again, pacing across the room and then pacing back. "What do I know? For all I know your face meant something else entirely. You're not even human."

He stopped in his tracks. Dully, he asked, "What do I know? I only spent half my life watching you. Trying to prove you exist. I know what faces mean fear on you even when you're denying it. I know what words betray that you're tense. I can predict which human idioms you'll mistake and how. And you know what, Zim?" He walked back to the pallet and sat next to the helmet. "You're not screwing around. You wouldn't put yourself in a position this vulnerable if you had any other option."

He grabbed the helmet, inspecting it for any markings. The inside had several black circles pressed to the inside and a large red arrow pointed from the center outward to one side. "This side out, huh?" He settled it on his head. "Okay, Spacejerk. Let's see what you-AUGH!"

In the center of the room, a transparent humanoid female hovered mid-air. She stared balefully at him as he pointed, shrieking, "G-G-G-G-GHOST GIRL!"