Possessed

Threats

"And that, Earth-smell, is why you will grovel this instant at the feet of Zim and beg for your filthy life before returning my robot minion to me and making me ruler of the planet!"

Zim was in a foul mood. Not only had he been captured by the enemy because of Dib's stupid pig-headed nose sticking into his business and GIR's incompetence as a defender, but he was trapped in a smelly lab with dozens of white-coated hyumans who seemed to have just enough technology to render his PAK weaponry useless. He'd realized they weren't falling for the "I-am-a-perfectly-normal-hyuman-worm-baby" bit and begun shouting for his release. In response, they'd locked him in an observation room for a whole day, where he'd yelled himself hoarse. And finally, to add insult to injury, the Dib-stink's parental unit stood in the same room as Zim, gawking at him like he was some kind of freak, and taking notes on that horrid little pad of his.

Zim had just finished a lengthy explanation as to why the Professor should hand the rulership of the planet over to him in what was a very reasonable argument, and now he leaned against the wall, awaiting the groveling pleas for mercy.

What he got was stunned silence.

As the minutes ticked by, Zim became impatient. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He growled. "Grovel, filth!"

The Professor's eyebrow arched in what Zim could only guess was amusement. "Little alien, you don't seem to understand. You're not ruling anything. You're not even free right now. You're under 24-hour observation, and we'll begin testing soon."

Zim's antennae stiffened.

Soon your Zim guts will be strewn all over an autopsy table.

From there it's just a short trip to the hospital, then to an alien autopsy table, and then you're just another segment on Mysterious Mysteries.

They might even name your autopsy video after me!

"YOU WILL NOT GET MY ORGANS YOU BARBARIC PIECE OF SLIME!" Zim crouched, his hands hooked into claws and his teeth bared. The Professor took a step back, slightly alarmed.

"Who said anything about your organs, little alien? I said testing. The scientific principles that could be unlocked through studying your voice alone could expand the realms of human knowledge tenfold! Think of the implications for acoustical science, even for the deaf!" He stepped forward again, his goggles reflecting Zim's frightened aggression. "We may move on to other tests, but we may not need to, not if you cooperate. And even then, we aren't so barbaric as you'd like to think. We have anesthetics, painkillers. You won't feel pain during our tests."

Zim tilted his head back and screamed, "I AM ZIM, YOU FOOL, ZIM! IRKEN INVADER ZIM! I AM NOT SOME TEST SUBJECT, I AM YOUR RIGHTFUL SLAVE MASTER! RELEASE ME NOW BEFORE MY PATIENCE IS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED!"

The Professor stumbled back, clutching his head. He turned and knocked frantically on the door. Zim blinked, surprised to see a streak of red running down the side of the Professor's head. He'd seen hyuman blood before, usually when he fought with Dib, but he was surprised that he'd drawn this man's blood without touching him.

The Professor disappeared through the door. Zim rushed at it, but found it locked. Frustrated, he aimed a kick at the door, and only succeeded in bruising his superior foot. Grumbling, he returned to the center of the white padded room and sat, glaring at the black square of glass he knew was a window into his cell. Silence gathered around him.

An irrational fear for GIR flickered through him. They'd taken him separately, before they'd caught Zim. They might take some care with Zim since he was a living being, but GIR they would see as just a machine to be taken apart and examined.

Bolting to his feet he shouted at the black pane, "GIR had better be in one piece, you hear me, filthies? If one bolt is out of place, I'll make your heads explode with my superior voice. EXPLODE! And don't forget it!"

His PAK flashed. His eyes widened a little. He was receiving a transmission! From the Massive no less! He couldn't believe his fortune, the Tallests had found him and were going to tell him about their rescue plan! Eagerly he extended his communicator and unfolded the screen. He grunted impatiently as the loading bar filled up, then vanished.

In its place appeared an all-too-familiar face. Not his Tallests, not by a long shot. His eyes narrowed angrily and he hissed in outrage.

"Dib!"