Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Memory Burns	By : sickindulgence Category: +G through L > Invader Zim > AU/AR-Alternate Universe-Alternate Reality Views: 3211 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
The lab was dark and Dib shivered in his trench. His head felt light, and he could not shake the feeling of deja vu that had settled in his mind. He expected his father to be sitting at one of the few lab benches. Any moment he would lay eyes on him and feel that same intense childhood fear he always felt in this room.

The house had been bare. It was surprising, and Dib ruminated that it had possibly been vandalized, but all the doors and windows had been locked and there were no signs of a burglary. In the final tally, most of the furniture was gone and there had been little food in the fridge. There was a lone bed upstairs. The table was still in the kitchen. Dib couldn't believe Membrane had been living like this, but he had no frame of reference since he hadn't been in the house since...well he couldn't really remember. The lab was the only room that had furnishings.

They fanned out around the cold room. Gaz was looking at some of the machinery, dusty from disuse. Zim was inspecting some of the smaller inventions left on the bench tops, though he usually made some kind of dismissive noise and put them back. Otherwise, none of them had any interest in speech. The place felt like a library or a tomb, where sounds seemed to be dampened. It was probably just imagination, but there wasn’t anything to talk about anyway. The place was just too depressing.

In the end, it was Dib who found his way to the computer that his father had always been working on.

The POWER button on the CPU was the only thing in the room that was lit up. Except for some lights near the door, none of the other machines seemed to be on. Its blue pulse drew Dib toward it, hypnotizing him. After a moment's hesitation, he pushed it.

The computer sprang to life immediately, a cheerful tone announcing the startup. The light from the monitor cast an eerie glow in the dim room. Dib blinked, but the computer was done booting already and the desktop had only one icon. A video file.

"For my children" it was named.

His hand shaking, Dib moved the mouse over the file and double clicked.

The media window popped up. It started, and at first the screen was black, but after a moment the video jerked around and Professor Membrane came into view. It looked like he was fiddling with the controls, and finally the picture was still and he sat down. His head filled the screen, and Dib could see the age in his face. Bags had formed under his eyes and his hair had streaks of grey. He wore his lab coat and goggles.

"...recording?" Membrane was mumbling. Nodding, he adjusted his goggles and cleared his throat. "This video is meant for my children. If this isn't Dib or Gaz watching, please alert them that this video exists. These are my last words to them."

Dib's throat felt like it was full of cotton. He wanted to scream, or move, but shock froze him in place. Gaz was by his side in a moment, materializing there after Membrane's first couple of words. Dib also suddenly felt Zim's hand on the small of his back, but these were peripheral sensations. He felt like his brain was going to short out.

"Children." Membrane began. "I'm afraid there isn't much time left for me. In fact, that you are watching this means I have passed on. I'm certain also that you've found out by now that aggressive lymphatic cancer was to blame, barring some other serious injury I may have received. I was diagnosed about six years ago and have been battling it ever since. My doctors gave me a year to live, but I refused to succumb to this disease. Tirelessly, I have been searching for a cure." He stopped for a moment to cough and clear his throat again.

"Regretfully, my results have been mediocre. I have finally come to the realization that this disease will kill me and it's just a matter of time." Membrane paused again. Sounds of paper shuffling. "In the words of the great philosopher, Plato..." He squinted down off screen. "Uh...Good actions give strength..." He frowned. Some strong emotion crossed his face and the papers, until now unseen, were thrown behind him. He looked straight into the camera.

"Screw that speech. Here's the thing." Dib was struck by the image. It was as if Membrane was actually talking to them, as if he was still alive and this was a vidcall. His gaze was intense and Dib felt the power of his eyes through the screen. "I realize I haven't been the best father in the world. In fact, I imagine my parental file is pretty lousy. I wasn't there for you, ever. Dib, Gaz, it's a miracle you both came out okay, because you basically raised yourselves. And you are okay. You are. You are well balanced, hardworking, amazing individuals and I didn't understand that until both of you figured out that I wasn't worth your time and rightfully left me." He leaned back in his chair, looking old and sad. "For all my experiments and science, I failed at the one thing that meant the most." He shook his head. "I'm an idiot. And I consider this cancer and my silence, my penance." He sighed. "You see, if everything goes according to my plan, I will die alone. After everything I have taken from you, I will not allow myself to take your time, or your comfort. Those are the last things I deserve.

"What you, my children, my legacy, should know that I love you both, more than I can say, and probably more than you can believe. After all this time, why should you think I love you? But I do, I always did, and no amount of apologies is going to show you that." He shook his head, sitting up.

"Gaz" He smiled. "I'm glad you've decided to lead the life you've always wanted; as computer programmer. I could tell you were good with electronics from when you were just a girl. I remember one time when you were little you hacked into my database because I grounded you. Damn near brought down the entire system! Now that you are grown, I want you to show the world what you showed me, and do it with my blessing.

"Dib." Dib felt his heart thump and his palms sweat, and a shiver raced through him. "I know we haven't always...agreed on everything. I can't hold you back now. I never should have. Please...forgive me for that. I was and am a foolish old man. I..." He seemed to break down a bit. He looked down, off camera, breathing hard. "I'm proud of you, son.” He looked up. “I'm proud of BOTH of you." He sighed.

"What I want to say is…please, do what you want with your lives, and be happy. As long as you're happy, I don't care what you do. But don't make the same mistake I did. Love each other. In the end, it's all there is. Do that, and everything will be okay..." Membrane put a fist to his mouth as a coughing spell overtook him. Wretched hollow hacks. After a minute, he was able to speak again.

"I'm feeling a bit tired now. I think I've said everything I can say. I hope you get this message soon, I don't particularly want to live like this much longer." He looked into the camera and put a shaky hand up to the lens, touching it gently.

"I love you. Good bye."

The screen went black. Dib looked over with streaming eyes to Gaz, tears rolling down her cheeks. He reached over and stroked her hair and she gave a loud hiccup, quickly turning to hug him. Next to him, Zim had been clutching Dib's arm and Dib grabbed him in a hug as well.

Holding on to one another, their muffled sobs echoed through the bare walls of the house they grew up in. Membrane had been right. Everything was okay.

----

Wow! I can't believe I actually finished it! I tried really hard to keep the sap factor down in this last chapter and that's why it was so hard for me to write, but I'm definitely proud of my work. Thank you all who took the time to read it!

Lici: Thank you for your support and reviews. I'm sure my jump in readership probably has something to do with you!

Keisan: Well, here's the rest of it. And THANK YOU! I’m new to this “being reviewed thing” (I haven't written one in SO long!) and yours made me positively glow!

shockscohorts: Your review really struck me. While I enjoy the wacky "let's put these two opposites together" ZADR stories that put them in some kind of messed up relationship (hilarious!), I often find myself wanting them to be in a kind of normal-ish coupling and see where that goes. I'm glad you think it ties into the show, to be honest, I feel like this story mostly wrote itself!

Thank you all again! Maybe I’ll think of some more stories to write in this little universe. Stay tuned!

P.S. don't know how to make my email unprivate. Drop me a line at autoclave239@yahoo.com
- 8
- 9
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

Memory Burns