Sleeper Agent 6

"Sleeper Agent"

'Chapter Six'


Meanwhile in the lab Zim had busied himself with the progress of his machines, observing with a calculated stare as the different robot hands carefully measured out the substances and applied them to various empty beakers. The slow 'drip-drip' of the liquids and the whirling of the robotic limbs was a soothing backdrop to contrast Zim's tense poise and furrowed brow.

Having Dib stay at his base for a whole two days and NOT locked up in some kind of containment cell left the Irken a tad uneasy. For all he knew the boy was installing spy cameras and audio bugs into his walls upstairs, completely avoiding the terms of their truce… but in an odd sense, Zim knew Dib would not do so.

After so many fights and so many years the two had developed an unspoken code of conduct, almost rules to their epic battle. There would be honor and dignity in their last fight, and though Zim could not speak for the human, the Invader had grown too much an ego to simply blast the child with a plasma beam, which would be easy though to do.

No, he wanted the end to be worthy of this drawn-out struggle, something that truly made him the superior one.

Not that he wasn't superior to Dib already.

He just wanted it to be… well, more superior. And so far none of his plans had been good enough. Zim had even thrown some away that were probably perfectly usable but they did not achieve the level of disastrous victory that he desired. They would not be enough to hand Dib the most humiliating of defeats. And now, with all their verbal fights, Zim had the highest inclination to best Dib in an argument a few times before handing him a physical trouncing.

Zim wanted to win, and keep on winning, until he finally felt satisfied with his victories.

But still it never felt like enough, and he hungered for more.

The computer beeped a few times, drawing Zim from his reverie to signal that the mixtures were complete. The robot arms sealed and labeled each bottle with decent speed, and packaged the flasks in a box for him to carry in the elevator. Zim grunted a bit as he lifted the box and shuffled into the elevator, still quiet as the lift dropped him off on the ground level. Still thinking. With his greed, how would he ever really beat Dib, if he only wanted a bigger, better victory after that?

Defeating Dib could wait, he decided. At the moment Keef was the true problem, though a minor one at that, and it would take the assistance of his nemesis to bring this predicament to a close, whether they liked it or not.

Zim set the box down on the kitchen table, aware of how quiet it was save for the drone of the television and GIR's random squeaking, both typically expected sounds. The Irken walked into the living room, taking in the orange glow from the window that indicated the ending of the day, and how it illuminated the figure lying across his pink couch.

The Dib-worm appeared to be resting, his cow-skin jacket tucked beneath his head as a pillow as GIR sat attentively on his legs, giant eyes focused on some hideous mating scene on the TV screen. Zim eyed the event with distaste, unfortunately realizing that the sounds the human female was making were dangerously close to the ones he had emitted when Keef touched him.

Ick.

His red eyes moved back to the sight of Dib drowsily watching the film. He oozed vulnerability, and Zim felt hyper-aware of how easily it would be to just walk over and stab him through the head with a PAK leg, or shoot him with a plasma ray, or choke him with his own cow-lick.

How easy it would be to kill him.

And how much he felt reluctant to do so. That would be TOO easy, he rationalized with himself. If he did that, he would never receive his epic battle followed by his equally epic victory. And that was what he really wanted, right?

Gnawing on his upper lip in absent frustration, the Irken finally crossed the room to sit at the other end of the couch, pushing Dib's legs so that they folded close to his torso. "GIR, give Zim the remote."

The small robot looked away from the screen after a few seconds and squeaked. "Awww, but I LOVE this show!" He replied, but reluctantly complied, handing the small black rectangle to his master.

Zim snatched it quickly before the android could change his mind, if he had one. "You love every show, GIR." He reminded the SIR unit irritably, settling into the couch to flip absently through the channels, thinking less about what to watch as to how much he wished this time of awkwardness would be over.

Dib remained on the couch, half aware when he heard the hum of the elevator and the shuffle of something heavy on the kitchen table. He didn't care to try and turn and see what was going on, quite comfortable in his current position and he didn't feel like moving.

He heard Zim's footsteps across the floor, heard the pause, and then finally felt the weight on the couch and when the Irken roughly shoved his legs out of the way. Dib grumbled but complied, curling up a bit more to allow Zim to sit on the couch with them.

Damn it.

Now his legs would cramp.

Dib frowned, knowing he'd have to move soon but still didn't really want to. Stupid alien. Dib noticed when the scene changed, Zim started to flip through the channels but he didn't really complain; he wasn't interested in the previous movie anyway.

Dib knew he had to rouse himself awake; get ready in case Zim decided to break the truce but for the moment he stayed curled up and sleepy. "Hey Zim, do you have a bedroom?" Dib asked without even thinking. Dib caught himself a moment later, "Uh, so is the goo done?" He asked quickly, covering the other question since he was only supposed to wonder such things in his head but he always seemed to be unaware when thoughts became verbal.

Zim paused his channel surfing for a moment, seeming to think about the questions, and then resumed the activity. "Yes, the goo has been made." He replied, not looking at Dib as the different shows flipped by, the Scary Monkey Show making an appearance every once in a while to be answered by GIR's occasional squeal. "Everything is set for when the Keef-worm arrives…" He paused again, considering whether or not to respond to the first query, before opening his mouth once more, "Zim does have the room of sleeping, though it hasn't been used during the duration of my mission. It came with the house design."  

"Oh." Dib murmured, a little surprised Zim answered his foolish question. He finally looked over to the alien who seemed intent on the t.v, taking in his profile and how the orange of outside high-lighted everything in the room -- casting dark shadows over Zim and Gir's features.

"Why?" Dib asked, deciding it wouldn't hurt to start a conversation of some sort. It was rare they had civil conversations; something that consisted of things other than death threats and insults, but Dib decided to give it a shot. "Do you not sleep?" Besides, he could store any information Zim gave him away for facts about his alien species as well as just his normal routine.

"Heh." Zim's chin tilted up haughtily, "Irkens do not NEED sleep like you pitiful humans do. Our PAKs provide enough energy to maintain our bodies for extended periods of time. We can sleep, and it is encouraged so as not to burn out the PAK's efficiency, but it is not necessary, unlike you puny stink-monkeys who can't go more than an Earth rotation without convalescence." The Invader watched Dib with an arrogant leer, too vain to note that he was probably giving away vital information to the future paranormal investigator. Why shouldn't he boast how he was SOO much better than his nemesis? He was, after all. The feeling gave him a few more inches over Dib mentally, since he could not have them physically. Plus the way the child seemed in awe of his bountiful knowledge only proved to inflate his ego larger than the Massive itself. "Is the Dib requiring rest now?"

Dib kept his slight frown as Zim recited the information.

Zim's Pak really was like his life line; he knew he couldn't survive ten minutes without it, but it was an amazing thing if he could go without sleep and have all those gadgets inside of it too. Dib didn't know everything it could do, but he had to admit, it was kind of cool. Though, at the same time, it was a huge weak spot, not that Zim probably viewed it that way.

Dib snuggled back into the couch, shifting so he could stretch his legs out behind the Irken; his feet on the other arm rest and showing just how tall he was since he barely fit on the couch itself.

"No." Dib said defiantly. He didn't want to fall asleep in front of Zim, he had never let his defenses down that low with his enemy ever before and he wasn't planning on it now. Though, he was tired, and if he was staying over for the rest of today as well as two more days… well….

He'd have to sleep sometime, but he'd ignore it as long as he could. His eyes turned back to the t.v, not really focusing on the useless programming but rather thinking of the days ahead and when they would vanquish Keef.

Zim's conceited smirk lost its edge at Dib's refusal, and fell completely with the realization that the human could stretch his whole body across the length of the couch, almost unable to fit on it, whereas Zim had a comfortable inch or two left when he lied down.

He turned his gaze back to the TV with an indignant huff. "Then tell Zim when you do." He grumbled. "You are needed for the exploding goo to work, and I can't have you falling asleep so that the Keef-worm can tou… get near me again." Zim scowled and quickly continued on to cover up the mishap, "Zim suggests you do so tonight, since the happy pig-smelly should not arrive until tomorrow, though that can never be guaranteed with him."

Dib took in Zim's logic.

He couldn't be tired for tomorrow in case something unexpected happened and who knows when Keef would decide to show up. Dib hadn't slept well the past few nights, staying up too late doing research and it was wearing on him. "Yeah, sure." He finally murmured, trying to remain comfortable as the silence stretched between them – well, as silent as it could be since Gir made random noises every now and again.

--

Dib only lasted another hour and a half before his eyes kept closing without his consent and he finally had to concede to sleep. He groaned, slowly pushing himself up from the couch, getting to a sitting position as he rubbed at his eyes. "So," Dib murmured, glancing to his alien foe, "Where am I sleeping then?" He expected to be stationed out on the couch, but Zim did mention a bedroom and he didn't use it, so maybe he wouldn't care if Dib used that instead.

Zim pulled his bored eyes away from the TV to glance at Dib, noticing the sleepy expression that had weakness written all over it. The Invader smirked. "So, finally decided to submit to your urges, Dib-pig?" He stood up fluidly from the couch, the opposite of Dib's drowsy motions. "Zim does not care where you sleep, so long as I'm aware of where you are." Gloved hands sat at his hips as he mulled over the choices, finally just heading for the kitchen and waving Dib to follow. "The bedroom should do just fine for tonight. It is on the upper floor, in a room near where the Voot Cruiser's garage is set up."

Dib followed the Irken into the kitchen, walking over to the fridge elevator since he saw no other place to get to the upper floor. He wasn't really aware that the elevator could go up until he stepped in it and he asked it to take him to the bedroom.

It was a short ride to the bedroom; at least two minutes shorter than riding to the lab.

Dib had never been there before, and once he stepped foot into the hall his eyes took in the sight of the strange new area. He was curious why Zim didn't follow him but he didn't really care, so long as he got a good rest so that tomorrow Keef would explode.

The hallway was almost suffocating, the floor a deep purple, the walls a softer shade, leading him towards a single door at the end. There was no handle to pull it open and there wasn't a keypad either. Confused, Dib continued to stare at the door wondering how the hell he was going to open it.

Finally he placed his palm flat on the smooth surface of the maroon colored metal and in a hiss the door slid open and granted him passage into a round room. Dib stepped into the space, the metal door snapping shut behind him causing him to start.

Dib looked around the space, the walls a somber pink, the carpet a deep plush purple, the round bed taking up almost all the space in the circular room.

"So weird." He murmured aloud, having never seen a room like this before, but then Zim's whole house wasn't very conventional anyway. He walked over to the bed, setting his hands on it and feeling the squishy texture that begged for him to lie down. He smiled to himself, running his fingers over the smooth texture of the red silken blanket that was imprinted with the Irken symbol.

Even if Zim didn't have to sleep Dib wondered how the alien could turn down such an inviting bed.

He shrugged back out of his coat, unbuckled his belt and threw it on the heap of his trench coat; he removed his glasses and set them near the bed on the square night table that seemed so out of place in the round room. He then kicked out of his boots and paused, thinking to just slip in bed still mainly clothed, but then again – that wouldn't be very comfortable and he hadn't had a good night sleep in ages and the bed was so very soft…

"Screw it." Dib grumbled, tugging off his shirt and kicking out of his pants, leaving himself in his black boxers before he slipped under the covers and settled himself against the plush pillows.

Zim probably wouldn't come in, and even if he did it wasn't like he was naked or anything. He'd be fine. When he was summoned in the morning he'd just get dressed quick and then they could destroy Keef.

He let out a moan of content as the fluid texture of the fabric caressed his naked flesh; burying his head into a pillow as he let his eyes shut. Thoughts finally ceased as he gave himself over to sleep.

Zim stayed downstairs in the dark kitchen, staring at the fridge door intently. Now that the boy was upstairs he could go about his business, knowing where he was… but with the truce still in effect, he wasn't allowed to work on his plans for Earth's conquest, which removed a great deal of his workload.

His eyes darted at a random shadow along the wall, then swept across the desolate living room, the hum and glow of the TV the only things piercing the rather dead atmosphere. Normally Zim was accustomed to the silence, reveling in it when GIR was absent and he could work in peace… but after what occurred in the lab that afternoon, the empty ambiance of his base left him uncomfortable. Nervous, even, though he was hardly going to admit that. It was obvious that despite his high security, Keef could effortlessly get inside and find him. It was only thanks to the Dib-beast that the creepy ginger wasn't decking him out like a giant colorful birthday present.

The Irken tapped his foot, edgy in the quiet. Any little noise made him twitch, antennae folding back instantly in avoidance of any further 'trauma'. Magenta orbs fell back on the refrigerator once more, thinking of where Dib was. The bedroom was a fairly safe area of the base, where neither he nor GIR went to often, and without the SIR unit present there was little chance the android could give that knowledge away to Keef. It would be the best place to hide, then, until his rival was conscious and they could attack Keef together.

Zim's eyes narrowed at the idea, his ego bruised by the thought that he actually NEEDED the presence of the Dib-thing in order to feel safe. Well, he rationalized, he didn't NEED the boy… but he was useful in keeping Keef away.  And it wasn't that he was feeling scared or unnerved or any weak emotions like that… no, certainly not, he was just thinking in his best interest. Yes, that was all.

Sucking in a breath Zim entered the fridge elevator and traveled to the second floor, the small area within the roof of his house where the Voot Cruiser was held, with the bedroom moved off to the side down a tiny hallway. His boots thudded along the dark violet floor as he approached the door, gloved hand reaching out to open the door. It hissed and slid away to grant him passage, to which the Irken peered warily inside.

"Dib-human…?" He whispered, walking inside with the door sealing quickly behind him. Zim made no sound along the plush carpet as his eyes adjusted instantly to the dimmer lighting, approaching the circular bed he had not once slept on. In it was his enemy, apparently unconscious, his clothes in a pile on the floor nearby.

Zim stopped close to the bed, staring at the sleeping teen with an odd expression. It was a little off-putting to see Dib so relaxed, unable to fight or do anything-it was as if a completely different person was there, wearing his skin. The Irken eventually averted his gaze, feeling peculiar about the entire situation, though he couldn't identify why.

He chalked it up to never dealing with Dib when he was so… vulnerable-looking. Listening to the shallow, even sound of the boy's breathing Zim sat down, his back up against the round bed, facing away from Dib. Yes-he should be safe there, at least for the night. There was very little chance of Keef finding him up in this part of the base-he was never here himself, it was the last place anyone would look.

He leaned his head against the edge of the bed, feeling how it gave beneath his weight. It felt so comfortable, the silken sheets so soft… the Invader felt his eyes slip shut for a moment before he forced them back open, face set in a frown.

Irk damn this cozy bed-it was the reason he never visited this room in the first place. It was so tempting just to take a nap on it. Something Zim hadn't done at all. Zim hadn't slept the entirety of his mission… multiple Earth years, nearly a quarter or so of an Irken year, without rest.

It was probably one of the least recommended things to do as an Invader. The PAK's ability to keep an Irken going was designed in case there was too much risk to sleep, and was not meant to be used for this long. Even though his PAK could maintain his energy levels, the body eventually needed natural rest, and the machinery could only run for such a time before things started to break down from over-use.

Most Invaders were smart enough to realize that whenever sleep could be taken, it should be taken, and grabbed any chance they got. It allowed the PAK to reboot and re-sort its information, and took pressure off the main mechanisms so that they wouldn't wear out as fast. Not to mention that being awake for too long did a number on one's mind even more so than one's body… and Zim was glaringly conscious of those consequences. But he had forgone sleep the moment he took up this mission, determined not to waste time sleeping and to have his assignment finished before anyone else.

It had been three years, and like Dib was fatigued from defending the planet against him, Zim was tired after relentless work.

Listening to Dib breathe, with the soft bed beneath his head, wasn't helping matters. It wasn't long before the alien was contemplating that maybe, just this once, he could place his PAK in idle mode… just for a few hours, nothing serious-

No. He was in a room with an earth-smelly determined to have his guts removed on an autopsy table. Even if they were in a truce, he couldn't trust Dib to not side with Keef just to bring him down. At least he didn't think he should.

So he wouldn't sleep. He would sit there. And wait. He could wait this out, he had endurance, he was an Elite, for Tallest sake!

And so he did wait.

For hours.

Staring at different patches of the wall and poking at Dib's clothes for spy materials and not listening to Dib breathe in what was probably a very pleasant sleep.