AFTER THE FLORPUS

Last Straw

(Dib looks out the window at Zim's house and suddenly remembers the warning Zim gave him. He decides to himself that his main focus now is eliminating Zim as a threat to not only his life but his family and friend)

(at school the next day)

Gretchen: Hey Dib, wanna come sit with me?

Dib: No, I, uh. Look, maybe it's best we don't hang out for a while, I'm sorry it's-

Gretchen: You need to tell me what's wrong.

Dib: It's for your safety, from Zim. You saw how he struck me after that wedding, if he thinks he can get to me through you, you're better off staying away from me. I'm sorry.

Gretchen: I understand.

***

Dib: Zim, what are you doing here.

Zim: Oh, nothing. Just implanting tiny bombs that will blow up your house.

Dib: You need to get out.

Zim: Why, you're Dad doesn't care if I'm here.

Dib: Dad doesn't know- doesn't believe you're an alien, I'm giving you to the count of three to get out.

Zim: What are you gonna do, you're a weakling.

Dib: I don't know, I just know that I won't lose to someone like you, a thing that's all alone!

Zim: I am not alone! I'm an alien and I've managed to get more people liking me than anyone ever will you!

Dib: You're just a stupid alien freak! You ruined my childhood, and now you want to ruin everything for everyone else!

Zim: Then you should've stayed out of my way from the start

Dib: I was- still am- a freaking kid. I didn't mean any of this.

All I wanted was to believe in something beyond what everyone else believes, be it mermaids or bigfeet or wot-knot. I probably would've grown out of that, I could've been seen as sane by my dad, by everyone. I could've kept my girlfriend! But instead, I've had to push away everyone I care about away because you're not satisfied with obliterating me or the world anymore! You want to attack my entire family and my classmates and everyone I love! And now look at us, now we're both all alone, you don't even have GIR anymore because you pushed him away.

Zim: (transform into insect-like cyborg form, and pins Dib down) You shouldn't have messed with me. This is the last straw stinky.

(Dib stares right into his eyes in pure hurt and terror, he closes them, accepting that this is the death he deserves and just wanting it to end quickly.)

(Zim, upon feeling his last ounce of sympathy, if you could call it that, hesitates for a second too much, and turns when he sees a tall, dark shadow looming over them.)

(Membrane doesn't hesitate to attack the strange creature actively threatening his son. He uses his robot blast to knock him off, and starts to physically punch him again and again. He prepares to finish him with a close-range, full-force blast when Dib, tugging at the back of his coat, cuts through his blinding rage)

Dib: Dad! Don't kill him! Please! We can experiment on him but please, don't kill him!

Membrane (giving Zim a suspicious look): Fine, but he goes in the cage. Don't come into the lab until further notice.

Now, tell me, are you alright.

Dib: Yeah. (sighs)

Membrane: I just don't get it. I'm a real scientist, with a fictional creature in my lab. I need some time to comprehend this.