Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?	By : Lopez0101 Category: +G through L > Invader Zim > Het- Male/Female Views: 2292 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
~I apologize for the delay for anybody that has been looking forward to the next chapter (a questionable number). I'm just lazy and often unmotivated. Life has a tendency to do work me so long I just want to do something mindless and writing takes effort. Enjoy and let me know what you think if you think highly enough of my humble skill to review.~

Zim stood proudly in his living room, admiring his handiwork, beaming to himself. After so many years of the same old cover house he had decided to make it livable by Irken standards. Gone was the hanging picture of the hideous green monkey and atrocious wallpaper. The walls were now a dull red, appearing metallic like the bulkhead of a ship. He left the ceiling maze of tangled wires uncovered so the computer could still function unrestricted throughout the house. A new, massive holographic screen replaced the dated monitor and a large table finished the room, squatting in front of the couch. Zim realized long ago that Humans were too closed minded to ever believe he was an alien, so why bother having a nasty Human decorated home. Even at times he was exposed to Humanity the Dib Human always seemed to cover it up or convince the daft otherwise.
The green alien cast a piercing crimson glare at the nearest wall at the thought of Dib. Years ago when the Dib and himself began High Skool the Human changed. Zim didn't notice at first but Dib's constant complicating of his plans did not go beyond trying to expose Zim as an alien attempting to subvert Humanity. Initially Zim surmised that Dib had a plan and was simply waiting for the perfect time to act against Zim's own plans but it never came.
Eventually Zim came to the conclusion that Dib was just thwarting Zim's plans for entertainment. Saving the Earth was just an added ego boost. This only served to infuriate Zim further. He sighed and slouched onto the couch, sinking into the supple purple cushions. He closed his eyes and leaned into the armrest. Living on Earth so long had changed him. He was still arrogant and egotistical but his own opinion of himself no longer blinded his every action. He didn't have to prove anything; he was Irken after all.
Zim repurposed his previously squandered intelligence to more useful activities like making his miserable life on the filthy planet enjoyable. He knew he would never be expected back by his own race, he was infamous as an exile. Exile had a certain air about it, buffing his prodigious self image. While he missed home, Irk, he could make his current surroundings favorable, homely even. The Tallests still endured his transmissions, for entertainment reasons, but Zim had turned the game against them by showing them the most insignificant Human items and told of the horrors they were capable of. If the Armada ever did decide to converge on and take over Earth a simple toaster or blade of grass would paralyze even the fiercest Irken Elite soldier in fear. When Zim conquered the Earth it wouldn't be for his people.
Bored, Zim left the couch and went into the renovated kitchen slash dinning room. The Human appliances were all gone and replaced with Irken food preparation equipment. The toilet was gone as well, not normally being in a kitchen, Human or Irken. His secret elevator was relocated inside of a pantry, properly hidden. Zim stared back at himself in the full length mirror on the pantry door. He was taller then ever before. The years of decreased gravity had allowed his body to change, helped along by his own experiments in physical enhancement. Of course the Tallest had been less than welcoming of his gain in stature. He made sure to leave out the part of mad scientist meddling. However, he was still significantly shorter than Dib. Zim ground his teeth just imaging the Human looking down at the mighty Zim!
Zim double checked his improved disguise to take his mind off of the horrible image. His natural green skin was plainly visible. Humans were oblivious to it years ago; he saw no reason to change it. However, for comforts sake he improved his wig to mimic real hair, short black hair in place of the old plastic piece. It was styled in no particular manner, sitting messily on his head to hide his straight antennae. A thorough redesign of his contacts eliminated the previous discomfort but retained his natural, crimson eye color and holographically mimicked the movement of a normal Human iris. Another considerable change was his clothing; gone were the standard issue Invader uniforms, replaced by more acceptable Human attire: faded jeans, a slightly modified pair of his usual black boots and a light weight, long sleeved, black and white pattered jacket. While wearing such inferior clothing was undesirable, complete integration into the culture was a commendable skill; aside from changing his skin of course, some dignity had to be retained.
The renovations had given him a much desired reprieve from scheming. His formerly blind devotion as an Invader, or wannabe Invader as it were, kept him from realizing the Tallests' ire towards him. Indeed he was an exile, however, he would still subjugate Earth and without ever needing the assistance of the Armada. The enslavement of Earth would be the pinnacle of his achievements. His only opposition was the insatiable Dib. The Human consistently seemed to know the perfect moment, perfect time and place to thwart his dream. Zim had scoured and scanned his base tirelessly for listening devices and other spying equipment. Every search ended fruitlessly. The Human was either smarter than Zim, laughable, or dumb luck was his benefactor. Zim refused to believe he was being outwitted by a mere ape.
Zim peered at his reflection a moment longer. The alien turned from himself and walked defiantly through his home, exiting the front door. Four oversized lawn gnomes guarded the four corners of his front yard. The gnomes had not been forgotten in the overhaul. They now had black bodies and hats that bore a wicked shade of red to appear more sinister. Zim found them very useful for deterring solicitors. The heads of the gnomes watched anything that crossed the threshold of his property. Unsettling, moving lawn gnomes seemed to strike fear into the hearts of all Humans.
Upon arriving at a red fire hydrant at the curb Zim turned to inspect his vast improvements. The house was now properly square and level. Slanted windows and off kilter walls were gone, as was the hideous teal and purple color scheme. Zim favored the purple but on his base and in such combination it was terrible. His home was two stories proper now and with an expanded attic turned hanger bay. If his base blended in before it most certainly was the most unassuming home in the cul-de-sac now.
With a proud gait Zim returned to his base. The deep rumbling of an unknown internal combustion engine echoed down the street to him but Zim ignored it. Primitive device. The door closed automatically upon his entrance and he looked around one last time to admire his handiwork. He intended to retire to the depths of the underground labyrinth of rooms that was his base proper but a sudden knock on the door made him jump in surprise. The knocking persisted in a familiar pattern and Zim didn't need the door to become transparent to know exactly who stood on the opposite side.
The Dib.
Zim growled and opened the door forcefully, slamming it into the wall. Dib smiled down at Zim like he didn't notice the loud crash, one hand hidden in his tight leather jacket, one supporting his weight against the door frame.
“Hey.”
How dare the Human regard him in such a relaxed, friendly, unafraid manner!
“What do you want, Human?” He put as much venom into 'Human' as he could muster, spitting it at the ground. Dib laughed lightly. Zim's hands balled into fists, fuming.
“It has been a while since I last harassed you, Zim, so I thought I would stop by,” Dib motioned in a wide arc to the house, “really like what you've done to your base. Very Human.” Zim fell victim to the trap, tripping over his own ego.
“Of course you do! I redesigned it myself, better than any Human architect could dream of accomplishing.”
“Now nobody will ever notice!” Dib squinted at Zim, examining the updated disguise. “I'm digging the new disguise. Very well done, tasteful even. I would have suggested against the natural green skin color but nobody seemed to notice before.”
“Exactly!” Zim shrieked, “why further degrade myself than required to fool your fellow dim witted monkeys?”
Dib looked over Zim's head into the redesigned interior. “Well, invite me in so you can continue to brag about your greatness. It's customary.” Dib grinned. Zim eyed the taller Human cautiously before stepping out of the doorway into the living room. Dib followed Zim inside as the alien began the tour. The Human unzipped a pocket on his jacket and removed his smart phone, tapped the screen a few times and frowned. Zim noticed his frustration and jumped on another opportunity to gloat.
“Silly Earth monkey, your rudimentary communications device will not function in my base. All unauthorized signals are intercepted and blocked. Only certain frequencies and types of radiation are allowed to penetrate the walls of my base. Your attempts to spy are as obvious as they ever were.” Dib shrugged and put the device away, running a diagnostic program on every piece of equipment he had planted in Zim's base. He had cracked Zim's cryptography and infiltrated his communication system years ago; periodic testing was necessary to keep his network of devices transmitting properly. The signals his devices sent were piggy backed off of Zim's own and the only way he would ever know is if he monitored the amount of data being transmitted. Obviously Zim had never bothered to do that.
Zim did as expected and carried on about his hard work and immense skills in redecoration. The pair moved on to the kitchen and Dib examined the new Irken appliances. When he began to start touching them he was reprimanded then he would move on to the next device, rinse and repeat.
“What if a person got into your house and noticed all of your weird stuff on the counter?” Din inquired.
“What a stupid question, Dib. Nobody gets into my base.”
“I did.”
“Only because I let you. I have nothing to fear from you! Go ahead, go to the media and tell them I have strange food preparation equipment! They'll just call you crazy.” Dib rolled his eyes.
“I doubt you've noticed but I've been on the news on multiple occasions and not because I was being laughed at. I have a bit more credibility than I did as a child.” Zim laughed and returned his attention to boasting. As an afterthought Dib opened the nondescript trashcan and was surprised to find garbage in it. He moved it easily and found nothing underneath; no secret elevator or sign of one. Zim laughed behind him.
“Shocked, Dib-worm? I couldn't have you knowing so much about my base. An elevator disguised as a refuse container my have been brilliant but it was degrading.” Zim frowned at the memory.
“It is nice to see you finally upgrading and making an actual attempt to blend in. I suppose I may just have to start snooping around more often. Make sure you're not up to anything foul.” Dib cocked an eyebrow when Zim appeared to smile for a fleeting moment, had he just witnessed Zim display happiness without causing misery first? Before he could react Zim had turned away to tend one of his gadgets. Did Zim, an Irken Invader, want him to follow through on his threat? Zim turned back to face Dib and laughed obnoxiously.
“You can try, Human, but you won't get very far. My base and every defense has been completely upgraded! You'll never be able to infiltrate these walls.” Zim boasted, making a wide gesture.
“I'm pretty sure I already have. I am standing in your kitchen.” Zim growled and jabbed a finger into Dib's chest.
“Silence! You only stand upon my superior linoleum because I allow you to!” Dib stared at the shorter alien, unfazed.
“You know, I just thought of something.” Dib walked around the kitchen, rubbing the patch of hair on his chin thoughtfully.
“What? Tell me,” Zim demanded, curling his fingers.
“What if making all of these drastic changes has the opposite effect of what you want and causes you to stand out even more?” Dib paused dramatically, drawing Zim into his game.
“Elaborate, Dib-thing.”
“Your old house was messed up and weird, nobody likes associating or talking to weird things or people-” Zim interrupted with a shrill laugh. Dib glared at the green alien until he stopped. “As I was saying, the way your base used to be kept anybody from wanting to bother you. Now it's normal, nice even, so your neighbors might start stopping by to say hello or try and get to know their neighbor. They probably think they have a completely new neighbor with the drastic changes you've made. You'll get more attention than you ever used to.” Dib could see the cogs turning in Zim's head but there was a glint of disbelief in his eyes. He would have to convince him; messing with Zim like this would entertain him for at least a week.
“Take me for example,” Dib continued with an air of authority, “back in Skool. Nobody wanted to be around me or even talk to me because I was-”
“A freak.” Zim offered nonchalantly. Dib huffed.
“-different. Human's don't like something that differs from their own social norm. They don't like things they do not understand and try to avoid them. However, when something is similar to what they know, safe in their own view, they will gravitate towards it. Your base's new appearance is familiar, inviting and friendly to people. They'll be coming before you know it and when they see you in such a home, they'll start investigating.” Dib didn't think Zim's eyes could get any larger. The Invader steeled himself and set his previously slack jawed expression.
“Ha! You spout nonsense Dib! My cleverly disguised base is so normal it will attract no attention. I am so normal that I appear mediocre. Nothing will stop the almighty Irken Invader Zim! No pig shall snoop in my perimeter without me knowing even before they do. Now, take your filthy Human psychology and rid yourself from my base before I have you tossed out.” Zim was nearly hysterical; Dib smiled happily to himself. The alien had fallen for it and now Dib was ready to leave. He had gotten a rise out of Zim, seen his reorganized base and hopefully embarked him on a pointless mission. Dim sometimes wondered if he received too much pleasure from toying with Zim.
“Kicking me out of your base won't keep them from coming, Zim. They will be coming!”
“Your filthy words mean nothing, Human!” Dib grinned broadly at Zim's inability to recognize sarcasm. Dib turned and Zim stalked him to the front door. He made a grand gesture of opening the door. “Don't expect me to come save you.”
“Out,” Zim screeched.
The Human turned and strolled past the empty gaze of the watching lawn gnomes. He never thought the lawn gnomes could be more creepy than they were previously but Zim had managed the feat. Upon arriving unmolested at his murdered out Ducati 848 he donned his helmet; the mirrored visor reflecting Zim standing defiantly on his front step. The Irken approached Dib as he straddled the sport bike, leaning it upright and flicking the side stand up with his heel. Dib pulled a shiny key from his jacket and inserted it into the ignition followed by a twist. The headlamps flashed to life, brightening in the waning light of the encroaching darkness.
“What sort of horribly inefficient form of transportation vehicle is this?” Zim asked churlishly as Dib lifted his helmet's visor.
“It is a motorcycle.” Dib twisted the key one more click into the 'On' position and thumbed the engine kill switch. The motorcycle buzzed through its self diagnostics briefly. He pulled on a pair of leather gloves that had been tucked under the windscreen.
“Obviously, but why would you spend money on such a thing?”
“This might be hard for you to understand since you didn't grow up with this archaic technology but it's raw, powerful and really fucking fast. It helps break up the day to day mundane. Plus I look like a badass riding it.” Zim laughed, head tilted back.
Dib sighed at the alien disdainfully. He turned his attention back to the bike; left hand pulling in the clutch lever while his left foot ensured the bike was in neutral. A green 'N' illuminated on the dash cluster and Dib thumbed the red start button. The engine stuttered and coughed before rumbling loudly to life, engine chugging and exhaust exhaling a sibilant growl. Zim stared at the outrageous contraption. It was obviously inferior to Irken vehicles by design and completely impractical but it had something even his Voot didn't. The sound was absurdly loud, headache inducing and brash; its auditory vibrations felt demonic. It contained power he could feel just standing next to it.
Zim reached out a tentative hand to the black bodywork. His gloved fingers almost touched the rough paint when Dib twisted the throttle. The engine cackled with an evil Zim had never heard and he jerked back before the engine returned to its idle chuckle. Dib laughed and rested his arm on the tank.
“Want to go for a ride?”
“On that deathtrap! You must think I'm stupid.”
“Hardly, I can see that you're tempted.” Zim softened and looked at the motorcycle in more detail.
“But you could be right. I might just get you on only to push you off at a high speed just to see how your skin handles grinding against pavement.” Dib's smirk was sinister.
“I don't see how any Human could ever trust you.”
“Who said they did?”
“You Humans all seem to be so trusting of each other.” Zim crossed his arms and walked around the bike. He retched when the exhaust from the tail section blew into his face.
“No catalytic converters and a full race exhaust will do that to you.”
“I doubt you'll survive long enough to see the end of burning fossil fuels.” Dib shrugged.
“That's not my field of study. I'm not sure I would want to live in a world without the scream of a high performance engine. Anyways, I'm going to head out. I'll stop by in a couple of weeks and see how the neighbors have been treating you.”
Zim stiffened at the mention of his neighbors. He had forgotten his earlier fears and was sure Dib was lying to him but horrible things did seem to happen after a visit from the Human. A loud thunk came from Dib's motorcycle and its rattle seemed to get even louder. Zim thought it sounded like it was about to fall apart.
“See you later, Zim.” Dib said cheerily, closing his visor. Zim stared back at himself in the reflective silver, feeling smaller than he already was in the distorted image.
Dib blipped the throttle and slowly released the clutch. The bike rumbled forward as the bass crescendoed into a scream through three gears out of the neighborhood; sound echoing into an angry swarm off the surrounding homes. Two car alarms wailed in the distance. Zim could still hear the Human racing away five minutes later.
“Pest.” Zim muttered as he turned to his remodeled base. A smirk threatening a corner of his mouth.
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?