VINDICATION

Chapter 33: Caught in the Act

Dib pulled on a black pair of jeans and a black turtleneck, slipping into his trenchcoat and adjusting his glasses. GIR had already helped him load the data canister into Tak’s ship, and Dib had made sure they had all the equipment they would need for the mission that evening. It had taken him ten hours to hack into the Octagon database, but once he got in, he’d downloaded the information onto GIR’s memory disk. With that and the guidance chip Zim had permanently installed in GIR’s body (after a previous incident where GIR had actually removed it), the mission wouldn’t take long.

Zim watched from the shadows as Dib took off into the night in Tak’s ship with GIR riding beside him. He shook his head and went back down to the lab, returning to work on his damaged pak.


Landing about half a mile away from the Octagon, Dib cloaked the ship and helped GIR put the data canister on properly. Entering the building through one of the side entrances, they made their way down into the bowels of the once-proud government building, stepping over a few corpses that had not yet been removed. GIR poked at one of them, then stepped over it.

“Okay, GIR. Where are the main archives?”

GIR’s eyes glowed red and he pointed.

“Good. Let’s go.”


About twenty minutes later, GIR was plugged into the Octagon’s main system, downloading all of the data in the archives. Dib watched the door, checking his watch occasionally. “How much longer, GIR?”

“DATA CANISTER IS 88 PER CENT FULL, SIR!” GIR saluted, then returned to his downloading.

Dib nodded, tensing when he heard a noise down the hallway. “Okay, just keep it quiet…” It was probably his imagination…being in a building full of dead bodies did that to him…

GIR saluted, his eyes glowing red.

A few minutes later, GIR removed his download cables from the system. “DATA DOWNLOAD IS COMPLETE, SIR!”

Dib jumped, then nodded. “Okay, let’s get out of here, then.”

As they walked back towards the exit, Dib stopped in his tracks, backing up when he saw two armed guards in full biohazard suits. They turned, catching sight of him and pulling their guns out, pointing them directly at him.

“HALT!! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!”

GIR put his hands up, and Dib smacked him. “Dammit, GIR, GO!! Get out of here! Take the canister back to the base!”

“Okeedokie!” GIR saluted, then rocketed past the guards, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off his metal body and the data canister as his jets singed their uniforms.

Dib put his hands behind his head, cursing when he was grabbed roughly and his hands were cuffed behind his back.


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Thanks again to everyone for the reviews and for the get well type wishes.