Work Text:
~~~
The technology to jump dimensions was surprisingly...simple.
Complex to the simple-minded, but to him it was as simple as 1 2 3.
That was good, there was nothing for him in his own dimension anyway.
Dib and GIR were dead, his Tallest weren’t coming, there was no point to such a universe for him. He had no purposes there, he had nothing there waiting for him.
But in this dimension, there was something for him.
Of course flying under the radar of this universe’s armada while making monies to support himself was a whole other problem. Taking up mercenary contracts and supply runs and tedious tasks of the sort was enough to keep fuel in his ship and food in his spooch. But all of this was just a stepping stone, a few first steps of a long journey.
The universe was big, big and expansive and his reason for coming here could be at any of the million corners of the galaxy. Maybe he didn’t have enough time in his life to find his reason for coming here, but he wouldn’t stop looking, he would give up on the idea of finding him again one day.
Well, this is what he thought as he poured his koffee anyway, mixing in the sugar and french vanilla creamer. He took a long drawn out sip and clicked his claws against the counter, going to a small rotating warmer and pulling a box of dehydrated scoonchies from it.
Once he was paid and out of the store, a familiar voice caught his antenna. He flicked it a few times as he walked, pausing in his tracks and doing an about face.
Oh.
There he stood a few meters away, much different than the last time 2im had seen him.
He was much taller, maybe a foot or two over 2im, he could see new wires and upgrades to the PAK on the back of his head. His hairy antennas curled back and down, but they flicked ever so slightly in anticipation as their eyes met.
Yet despite his changes, 2im knew those eyes from anywhere. Wild and flaming like fires from a crashed spaceship, full of nothing put raw potential.
“2…?”
It was him.
He dropped everything and ran at him in a full sprint, fully aware of the impact they were about to make with Zib sprinting at him with the same force.
He collided with him, the surge of powerful emotions making him violently ill and dizzy.
“2-”
“I hate you. I HATE you!” He snapped violently, ripping himself away and pacing. He had what he was looking for, it was all right there in his grasp and he just had to pull the trigger but…
But Zib had to know what he had done to him.
“You left me there!”
“I guess...the virus isn’t in your PAK still?”
“Oh yeah, your VIRUS! Almost killed me!” 2im snapped angrily, snarling like a dog. “I couldn’t do anything! I was so worried about you, I couldn’t think of anything but you and if you were okay but I bet you forgot about me! Did you even think about me Zib?! No, I bet you didn’t even care…”
“Two I thought you died…” Zib whispered, slowly putting his hands out. “I didn’t know you had survived the explosion.”
“I did. And it sent me right back to my universe, no Dib, no GIR, no Tallest. There was nothing for me there!”
“So why did you come here then?”
2im growled, pacing again. “To kill you. I came here to kill you. This, this is revenge,” he muttered, almost as if he was telling himself this. He reached for his gun. “I’m going to kill you Zib. And get rid of you from my life, so I stop thinking about you.”
He aimed the end right up between Zib’s eyes. Zib slowly held up his hands. “Twoey-”
“Don’t ‘Twoey’ me. You ruined my life.”
Zib took slow steps towards him. “I know, I’m sorry. You deserve to be angry at me, you deserve every reason to hate me.”
“Keep walking and I’ll pull this trigger and blast your hideous brain guts out.”
Zib’s hands slowly came down, grabbing the gun and pushing his aim down. “Twoey. I can’t change what I did to you. But I do want to try and make it right. Let me make it right.”
“How could you make it right?”
~~~
Well, after screaming in the parking lot of a SpaceStop for thirty minutes before trailing off into soft agreement to go with Zib to see how he could make it right. Once again...he was stuck to Zib.
The quiet between them was tense, it was like a solid piece of cake that could be cut with a thirteen inch knife.
Zib flicked on the auto navigator and stood up, stretching and leaving the pilot seat, glancing over at 2im as he stared out the window.
“I’m uh, I’m getting a drink. Do you want anything?”
“No.”
Zib’s gaze fell as he left. 2im continued to stare out at all the stars, playing over the last few weeks in his head again, and the fateful night at the SpaceStop. He could still do it now, shoot Zib and take his ship.
Yet, and maybe it was from some small trace of the virus, he didn’t. He couldn’t, part of him wanted to hear Zib out, despite being a slippery eel that only cared about himself.
Worse comes to worse this whole thing was a wild goose chase and he shot Zib at the end of it.
Zib came back again, holding two cans of soda and placing them both in the cupholders.
“So, uh...what have you been up to?”
The same softball question he had been throwing him for weeks. 2im would often just ignore him and he would get the hint.
He did, turning back to steering and letting out a sigh. “Twoey-”
“No. Shut up, shut UP! Until you tell me or show me whatever it is that will make all of this right, I don’t want to listen to you.”
“I changed, I...it was wrong of me to do that to you, okay?” Zib turned back to him.
“What part was wrong Zib? Lying to me about who you were? Lying to me what your intentions were?! Putting a virus into my PAK?!” 2im was standing now, growling like a rabid animal.
“All of it! All of it was wrong! And I’m sorry I hurt you, I just didn’t know what I had...I didn’t know-”
“I would have followed you to the edges of the galaxy, I would have put down my life for you because I believed in you and what I thought you were trying to do for me. I thought you were the greatest tithing that had ever happened to me...but it was all a lie. Everything was a lie...and now I have nothing, I don’t even have a universe to call home.”
“I know…” Zib muttered.
“No you don’t know. You don’t know anything.” He swallowed thickly. “Did you even see me as your Number 2? Or was I just another pawn to you?”
“You weren’t a pawn Twoey, that part was never a lie. I...I made some bad decisions when I was younger. I was blinded by anger and the need to be a hero that I hurt you, that I didn’t see that I had lost everything.”
2im paused for a moment. That part was true. As Number 2, Zib entrusted him with many secrets of his past that he shared with no one else. 2im knew Zib had lost his father and sister, he had lost his home planet to Pandora’s Quadrant, his species, he had lost everything…
Just like 2im.
2im shook this thought from his head. “It doesn’t excuse what you did to me.”
“I know. But believe me when I say if I had known you were alive, I would have come looking for you.” He took a pained breath in. “And maybe it was better I didn’t, so we both could have time to heal and...I could understand the impact of what I had done to you.”
2im didn’t reply, he only stared at Zib for a moment, studying him. Then, he carefully picked up one of the sodas and went off to his quarters.
He locked the door to his room behind him and went into the refreshing room, turning on the sink and letting it run to create a noise to focus on. He slowly sat the can of soda beside him, leaning onto the edge of the sink and shakily breathing in and out, glancing up at himself in the mirror and feeling a pain grow in his chest.
He took his cloak off, hanging it on the hooks behind him and turning his attention back on his reflection in the mirror, running his hands over his face as he stared at the reflection, focusing on his broken antenna he had earned after a particularly nasty run in with an irken patrol.
The lack of an antenna was insulting, he couldn’t hear out of that antenna, he couldn’t properly express himself or sense danger.
Broken and useless, the end bandaged up to cover the sensitive end.
He looked back at himself in the mirror, feeling a disconnect at the irken he saw. An irken had purpose, a job programmed into them from the very beginning, worked into their very DNA. But the virus had destroyed that programming, ripped it all away from him and left him a burnt out star floating through space and time, no direction or purpose.
Who was he? He didn’t feel like the once confident Zim he once was many moons ago, he felt…
How did he feel?
This question went unanswered in his mind as he slowly looked down at the soda can. He picked it up slowly, cracking it open and taking a few sips.
~~~
“What have you been up to?”
Right on time, right on que, that was Zib. But this time, he felt ready to answer. He turned his chair towards Zib, eyes narrowed at him as he sighed and took the can of soda from the cupholder, slowly opening it. “Well, I came here looking for you to kill you. Took jobs wherever I could get them to earn monies for myself.”
Zib nodded along. 2im took a sip of his soda. “You look different, taller.”
“Oh, yeah…” Zib muttered. “Missed a few birthdays, no big deal. I lost track of that awhile ago,” he confessed. “You look different.”
“Me?”
“You’re just different. In a good way,” He did something incredible.
He laughed.
Laughter, honest to goodness laughter. Even if it was just a small chuckle, 2im couldn’t help but straighten up at the sound.
He allowed himself this moment, he allowed himself to smile. That should have been the first warning sign.
It was nice to just talk, to just forget the maniacal existence of his life for one minute and focus on small things, like Zib asking about proper antenna care or 2im telling him about one of his mercenary missions. Minutes ticked by like seconds, and once their soda cans were empty, the conversation died away.
They stopped for food and a restock of supplies, and shared dinner on the last step of the cargo entrance of the ship.
“So...what exactly are you showing me?”
“Huh?”
“This thing you’re going to be showing me. You know I still haven’t decided about you.”
“About me?”
“If I can trust you or not. You say you’re taking me somewhere to show me-”
“Yeah, I am. But I can’t really tell you, this is something you have to see for yourself.”
2im looked down at his half-eaten food, then back up at Zib. “So, you haven’t told me what you’ve been up to.”
Zib laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Same thing as you really, picking up stray jobs, upgrading my PAK, making the life of the Irken empire a living hell,” he took another bite of food. “I really just want to go to Earth and, well...like you. I have a revenge story I’m trying to tell,” he took a long sip from his can of soda.
“But you’re going out of your way to take me to this strange thing you need to show me?”
“Mhmm, I figure I owe you that much, one thing I can do right from the past. But most importantly, I want you to get some closure.”
“Closure…?”
“You’ll see.”
Well, okay.
~~~
“No, you’re doing it wrong,” 2im clicked, pulling Zib closer to readjust his stance. “You’re stupid, smellie.”
“Shut up, you don’t know what you’re doing either,” Zib purred. His antennas went forward, brushing over 2im’s forehead lovingly and 2im nuzzled him, his PAK legs moving slowly in a steady rhythm.
He purred gently, resting the top of his head on the top of Zib’s head and hugging him close, nibbling the top of his hair to preen him.
A sudden jolt interrupted them. 2im fell back while Zib quickly stumbled to the pilot chair. “We’re here-”
“What?”
“Buckle up, it’s going to get bumpy.”
2im fell into the co-pilot seat, quickly clicking the seat belt into place. It looked like they were passing through a...wormhole?
“Zib?”
Zib didn’t answer, busy navigating the rough terrain.
The exit to the wormhole only opened to the vacuum of space. For a moment 2im was confused, and it wasn’t until he noticed the Massive he slowly began to realize where they were.
“What are we doing here?! I told you there isn’t anything for me here-”
“I’m bringing you closure. I...lied to you in the past. I don’t want to do that again.” Zib flicked on a cloaking shield for the ship. “Nothing but openness and honesty between us from now on, okay? That starts with fixing a lie I told you, about where you came from. I told you what made you special as a Zim was your inaccuracy in throwing a blade. I was lying to you since I knew the truth would distract you.”
“What are you saying?”
“There’s an information Control Brain in the belly of the Massive, I found it after studying some pirated blueprints of the ship. We need to go there and plug your PAK in.”
“My PAK…?”
“It will explain everything.”
Zib flew up beside the Massive and connected an arm to it, opening a hole in the side. “Come on, let’s go.”
~~
Zib glanced up and down the narrow corridor before making a dash for the elevator, 2im behind him. He was quick to click the elevator button to go to the lowest level.
“Hurry up,” 2im hissed.
“I’m trying, I think-”
“Hold up you two.”
They both froze, three irken soldiers staring at them in the entrance. “What is going on here invader? Who is this?”
“Invader, what-” 2im glanced over his body, realizing he still resembled somewhat of an Irken Invader. “OH! Nothing soldiers, just taking this prisoner to the lower jail cells,” he said, holding Zib by his back. “Caught him trying to sneak equipment.”
The patrol seemed satisfied, joining them in the elevator as they descended down to the lower bridge. Luckily, the patrol got off on an earlier floor, leaving 2im with Zib, alone.
They got off in the dark below, Zib motioning for him to follow, running past the many storage units for old voot runners.
He punched in a quick code to a door that 2im would have otherwise missed.
He stepped inside, his eyes wide at everything around him. Hundreds of small little drones, each programming into a small computer and feeding into a massive Control Brain.
“The official Irken records, or at least one of them. Each Control Brain contains the sum of all Irken knowledge. Very few Irkens know about this spot,” Zib looked to 2im. “This is what I wanted to show you...you have to plug in.”
2im slowly approached the Control Brain, feeling her eyes lock onto him.
“Scan PAK ID, identify,” Zib said from behind him. The Control Brain slashed a long cord out like a bolt of lightning, locking onto 2im’s PAK. 2im hissed loudly, convulsing from the sudden influx of information as he felt every strand of DNA within him be scanned.
“SCANNING IN PROCESS, 30% COMPLETE.”
“Zib-” 2im’s eyes seemed wide and open, fear making his eyes seem more bulbous then they actually were. Zib smiled gently. “It’s okay Twoey, you’re okay…”
“50% COMPLETE.”
Loud bang came from the door. “Irken soldier squad #2445, open the door immediatetly!”
“85% COMPLETE.”
Zib went to the door, slamming his back against it. “No no, we’re fine, we’re fine-” he said, going to his utility belt and pulling a small round button from a pouch and placing it on the door, clicking it to lock it on. A forcefield formed over the door.
“You have 10 seconds to comply before we use force.”
“SCAN COMPLETED.”
“Identify PAK ID!”
The Control Brain hummed as the door began to pound as if thunder shook them. “Open this door!”
“PAK identified as: Tallest Zim.”
2im froze, his eyes becoming larger. “What…” His head slowly began to spin round and round like a carousel.
“Replay sector 2394, smeetery #7 footage, hour 13:00 AM on cycle 3430-” Zib’s antenna flicked to the sound of the shield breaking. “Shit-” he pulled two guns from his belt and stormed off into battle, leaving 2im connected to the cord. “Wait! Zib!”
Too late, he was pulled back into his PAK, a memory playing in his head like a movie.
~~~
There he was, the PAK let him pick out himself in a crowd of a million. He was in a chamber, but not the chamber he remembered. This was a chamber that was saved for special smeets, smeets that showed signs of having enhanced heights…
...Tallest.
Memories flooded back to him. Yes, he had always been taller than the average Zim, hadn’t he? His height had always made him the best, it got him extra favors and extra cozy spots when he was once with the Armada.
Because he was supposed to be Tallest…
But what had happened? How had he gone from a to-be Tallest to a throw-away Invader?!
Oh…
There he was, Tallest Red, or perhaps just Red now. He snuck into his chamber and opened it, stealing him away to the small unattended coding machine.
Then, with his new code in place, Red slipped him into an open smeet chamber and sealed him away.
Then he left without another word.
~~~
2im was spat out of his head violently. He breathed heavily, the world around him spinning as he stared down at his hands.
Who am I…?
“I’m 2im…” he muttered. “And...and…”
The ringing turned to the muffled sounds of explosions, slowly coming into definition as if they were emerging out of water.
“...and I have a friend to save.”
There was no time now to dwell on what had happened, his instincts told him to get Zib and get out, ask questions later.
He quickly dislodged himself from the Control Brain, scrambling to his feet and putting his hood up.
“Safe travels my Tallest,” the Control Brain said.
2im took off, sprinting to find Zib.
He travelled a few hallways down, spotting a patrol of soldiers heading down another corridor. He went to follow after them when he paused before a storage case labeled S-2-214.
Oh, machine rays.
He grinned, grabbing the latch and popping it open, grabbing as many of the big guns he could sling over his shoulder and a few of the shock grenades for good measure.
~~
Zib coughed up a bit more blood, gripping the wound on his abdomen. He growled, popping open the watch on his wrist. “Ship...GPS pick-up.”
The oxygen barrier around the ship would protect them from suffocating at least when the big bang happened.
“Come out with your hands up,” one of the soldiers said, Zib could feel their guns aimed on the small shipment container he hid behind. He was about to come out with his hands raised when he heard a soft beeping, followed by an explosion.
His head darted out from behind the container.
2im…
He walked in like a giant, holding a gun twice his size and mowing down the lines of irkens, grinning like the Zim he was, laughing like he had just taken over the Earth. The tiny shots of light took down many of them, and those that were left were quick to fall back.
2im dropped the gun in his hands and came barreling over to Zib. “Oh Irk-” he reached down and placed a hand on Zib’s abdomen.
“I-it’s fine, it’s a blaster wound, not bleeding.”
“It’s still a gaping hole in your body.” 2im scooped him up, raising up on his PAK legs. “Where’s the ship?”
“GPS tracking us, it’ll be here in three minutes.”
“Good, you aim, I’ll run.”
Zib nodded. “Good plan.”
2im spotted the ship zooming over to them. His PAK legs broke into a sprint, jumping and dodging the fires of blasters. Two PAK legs faced forward when he made one final leap towards the glass window, firing a blast just as the ship opened fire.
There was a heartbeat, and in the next moment they were on the floor of the ship. 2im clambered to his feet, aware of the ship pulling away to retreat as the irkens opened fire. He slipped into the pilot’s chair. “Ship, switch over to manual defense systems.”
“Do as he says-” Zib coughed.
“Manual defense activated. All shields and weapons online.”
2im grinned again, feeling that rush in his veins.
It was a good day to be a Zim.
He maneuvered the ship around to the side of the Massive and went full throttle on the blasters and canons.
It only took three hits, but the side compartments opened, and out flooded the snacks of the Armada.
He pressed a button on the counsel.
“
Vacuum opened.”
Revenge was a snack best eaten hot he supposed.
“Two, they’ve locked their canons on us.”
2im paused, noticing the canons of the Massive firing and ready to blast.
They had a good portion of the snacks, that was good enough for now.
“Ship, take us back to our home universe.”
“With pleasure 2.”
~~~
Zib woke up with a loud gasp, a sharp pain shooting up from his abdomen.
“Twoey…?”
The door slid open, and in walked in 2im, a bag of special snowsage chips in his claws.
There he laid a few meters away, much different than the last time 2im had seen him.
He was much taller, maybe a foot or two over 2im, he could the wounds he had tended to and patched up healing nicely under the white linen bandages. His hairy antennas curled back and down, but they flicked ever so slightly in anticipation as their eyes met.
Yet despite his changes, 2im knew those eyes from anywhere. Wild and flaming like fires from a crashed spaceship, full of nothing put raw potential.
“2…?”
It was him.
2im slowly walked over and sat in a chair next to his bed, and he smiled. “Chip?” he pointetd the bag towards him. Zib smiled up at him softly, slipping his hand into the bag and taking a chip.
His smile slowly faded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all those years ago Twoey, I just, I didn’t want you to leave because of this. I-” he looked down, trying to find what to say. “-you were special to me back then, you still are. You’re not just any old Zim, you’re-”
“I’m 2im.”
“Yeah. And, and-” he struggled to find his footing in his words. “I lo-”
“Shh,” 2im purred. “It’s okay.”
“Red re-encoded you, he put a line of code in your PAK to make you forget and mess with your-”
“Zib, Zib….my Zib,” he slid closer to him. “I...I don’t care. Whatever it was, I don’t care. It happened so long ago and-” he looked up at Zib, meeting his gaze. “-it’s just us now, okay? Nothing from the past, it’s all just water under the bridge. From this point on, nothing but openness and honesty, keep the past in the past.”
Zib smiled again. “Yeah, I’d like that. I’ve been lonely out here, flying around with no one.”
“Well, you’re stuck with me now,” 2im kissed his forehead. Zib froze, then melted in a flurry of chirps and purrs.
“Now get some rest, we have work to do, yeah?”
“Yeah.” He pulled down 2im’s hood gently and clasped his face. “We do.”