Chapter Text
If there was one place Dib did not want to spend his Saturday morning, it would be Zim’s basement, yet there he was, strapped to a table, his wrists and ankles restrained by cold, metal cuffs. It felt like something was fixed to his head, but he couldn’t see it or shake it off.
That alien creep abducted me in my sleep, didn’t he? That’s a new low, even for you, Zim.
Trapped for the foreseeable future, Dib did the only thing he could do in such a situation.
“ZIM! I don’t know what your game is, but you can’t hold me here forever!”
“Could you please shut-up?”
That wasn’t Zim, but Dib could recognize the voice of his sister anywhere.
“Gaz? Where are you?”
“Tied-up on the floor because I tried to rescue you. If we make it out of here alive, can you try not throwing yourself into life-threatening danger? I’m getting sick of having to save your ass multiple times a week.”
“Well sorry for trying to save the world from alien imperialism, Gaz. Really, you should be happy I keep getting into these messes, because I’m actually doing something to save the planet from total annihilation.”
“Keep telling yourself that all you want, Dib, but as far as I’m concerned the only good thing you’ve done for the planet is nearly wiping yourself off the face of the Earth.”
The ‘ping’ of an elevator rang throughout the cavernous space and the slightest sounds of a sliding door could be heard, followed by two sets of footsteps. Dib couldn’t see anything, but the source of those footsteps was unmistakable.
“Good to see you’re finally awake, Dib. I’ve been waiting for you to regain consciousness so I can tell you all about my genius plan.”
“Whatever it is, I’m not letting you get away with it, Zim!”
“Oh yes, you’re totally going to stop me while you and your sister are confined by Irken containment technology.”
“Well you underestimate my superior, uuuh, escape.. ability. ”
Dib strained against his restraints and tried desperately to wiggle free, but to no avail.
He was pretty sure he could hear Gaz snickering from wherever she was.
“Oh, you think this is funny?”
“I thought you didn’t mind life-threatening peril so long as you were ‘saving the planet’ or whatever.”
“Quiet, both of you! I still need to tell you all about how I’m going to eliminate you once and for all!”
Dib’s table aggressively tilted forward, angling him towards his foe, and once the blood finished rushing through his head and his vision cleared, granting him a better look at his surroundings.
He saw Gaz, handcuffed to some pipes close-by; Gir, carrying a large bundle of pudding cups; a strange device in which a glowing plasma was suspended; and Zim, standing next to a panel covered in buttons and levers, wearing a bulky, metal hat connected to the device by coils and coils of wires, with a shit-eating grin across his face.
“You see Dib, this,” Zim rested his elbow on the control panel, “is the machine that will be the end of you and your stupid human meat-face. This is a Bizmarkian Mind-Swapper. It can transfer one’s consciousness into almost anything, be it animal, mineral, or vegetable. I’m going to use this beauty to trap your mind in an acorn or a dirty shoe or something, and then I’m going to use your body to infiltrate your Earthen defenses and achieve world domination. And there will be nothing you can do to stop it.”
“You’re as crazy as Dib if you think stealing his body is going to get you anywhere,” Gaz interrupted.
“Silence Dib-sister! How dare you criticize my master plan. GIR, fire-up the Mind-Swapper!”
“Awwwww, but I wanna finish my pudding.”
“Now, Gir. I don’t have time for your foolishness when we have a planet to conquer. All I want you to do is pull that lever.” Zim pointed to a large, red lever mounted on the wall. “Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
Gir saluted to his master before hastily stuffing the pudding into his head and hopping towards the lever.
Oh shit, this is actually happening. And I can’t do anything about it. No! I can’t let Zim get away with this.
The lever was easily within three feet of Dib and Gaz. If he played his cards right, Dib could at least buy himself some time.
“Hey, Gir,” Dib whispered as the small robot approached the switch.
Gir looked at him.
“Why do you always have to listen to what Zim says?” he whispered, “If you want to finish your pudding, I say go for it!”
Pure, unfiltered joy spread across Gir’s face. He opened his head and retrieved a leaking cup. Pudding was splattering everywhere as he tore open the lid and shoved his tiny, metal hand into the slop.
“Gir!” Zim shouted in a panic. “You can’t do that around the equipment! If one drop of that goo gets on the machinery it’s going to-”
In that moment a huge glob of pudding slipped between Gir’s filthy hands and soaked into the console on which the red lever was mounted. A few sparks flew from Zim’s metal hat, the Mind-Swapper began to fill the room with a blinding, pink glow, and then everything went black.