Goddess Rising

The transmission was staticky, almost as if the pilot had no idea how to use the controls.

"Are there any humans aboard? Please, I've been drifting for ages, when I heard your transmission..."

"Transmission?" Zim cried, looking around at everyone on the bridge. "GIR! What did you do?!"

GIR shrugged, and Gaz spoke up. "I sent the transmission." They all turned to her. "It's in International English, only a human would know it."

"...but why?" Dib asked, confusion written across his features.

Glaring, Gaz replied, "Because there are OBVIOUSLY other humans out there, and I wanted to find them..."

"Or at least, someone pretending to be human." Zim pushed the communication button and announced, "Prepare for docking procedure," and headed for the door. When he reached it, he turned to them all and said, "Get ready to shoot it when it comes through, if it's not what we're expecting." Perturbed at basically being told she was wrong, Gaz glared, but nodded stiffly. "GIR, when we get down to the dock, open the door SLOWLY."

They walked swiftly, but Zim was sure to go at a pace where Dib could keep up. As they went, his Pak handed them both pistols from somewhere in its depths. When they reached the door, all three pointed their pistols and Zim cried, "Open it up!"

As it slid up, Dib could see human feet; human legs clad in dirty, ripped jeans. A thin female body with a slightest hint of a figure... Clinging frightened to the side of the Spittle Runner, which had been awkwardly docked so that it was almost leaning to its side.

She was blonde. With thick glasses.

"Valerie?!" Dib cried, immediately dropping his weapon.

Almost passing out from joy, the girl immediately ran to him. "DIB!" she cried, climbing the stairs two at a time until she had reached the door. Before he could even react, she had wrapped her thin arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "Dib..." she sobbed, beginning to cry uncontrollably.

Dib looked helplessly at Zim, hoping not to rouse his all-too-potent jealousy. He didn't look angry; he was, in fact, more confused than anything. Placing his weapon aside, following Dib's lead, he asked, "Who is this?"

"She's a friend I met... When I was visiting my kollege," Dib replied sheepishly, finally chancing to put his arms around the poor girl, holding her tight. "Ssh... Val... Don't cry... It's okay now." He lay his cheek against the side of her head, lightly rocking her back and forth as she bawled.

"Wow... You made an actual FRIEND?" Gaz snorted. "I didn't know you were physically capable."

Glaring, Dib replied, "I'm picky as to who I spend my time with."

Showing no indication of whether she was listening to their conversation, Valerie squeezed him tightly, causing him to wince in pain. "Careful there, Val... I have--a--broken rib."

Pulling back, she cried, "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She looked at the other two inhabitants, finally gaining some composure. Wiping her eyes, she nodded to both of them and stated, "Hello... I'm Valerie."

Dib smiled and gestured to his companions. "This is my little sister, Gaz... And this--Is my--Partner. Zim."

Staring quizzically at the alien for a moment, Valerie asked, "Partner...?"

Gaz leaned in and murmered, "By 'Partner,' he means 'Homosexual, Inter-Species Lover.'"

"Gaz!" Dib barked, his face flushing.

Looking at Zim, and then at Dib, Val started to giggle and covered her mouth. "Oh! That--explains a lot!" She gasped and tried to stop laughing. "I mean.. Oh, I shouldn't be laughing! I'm sorry! It's no laughing matter!" Blushing, she stammered, "I mean, not that it's BAD but I shouldn't be laughing at it. I mean... I mean..." She turned and grabbed Dib's shirt, looking forlornly at him. "I mean..." Looking at Zim, she finished, "You're very lucky to have him."

Aching to change the subject, Dib grabbed her shoulders and said earnestly, "I'm so happy you're safe, Valerie."

"It's all because of you!" Val cried, tears springing to her eyes again. "One of them, they caught me and some other civilians hiding out in the basement of a homeless shelter..." She dug in her pockets for a moment as she continued. "He was so SHORT! But he was riding some sort of two legged-mechanical thing, a battle droid I guess you could call it." Finally fishing out a familiar pen-like object, she raised it before them all and cried, "But one button-push on this signal jammer and his robot fell on top of him! We all ran out of the building and I saw a ship sitting right there in the street!" She laughed, "It must have been his, I guess he was expecting to kill us all and get right back on it. Sure showed him, huh?" Looking down at the floor, Val shook her head. "Nobody else would get in with me... But I just left them behind... Thanks to..." She looked back up at Dib. "Thanks to me studying your theories for so many years, I already knew a lot about how the things worked."

Zim was still stuck a few sentences back. Glaring at Dib, he cried, "You STOLE one of my signal jammers?!" He grabbed it swiftly from Valerie's hand and shook it in Dib's face.

"Not 'stole,'" Dib yammered helplessly. "'Borrowed.'" Zim was not convinced. "Hey, it was for a good cause, okay?!" Dib cried, gesturing to Val. "You never know when one of those might come in handy."

"How many other things have you stolen from me?!" Zim growled, grabbing Dib and turning him so they were face-to-face.

Gaz rolled her eyes as they continued to argue and took Valerie by the arm. "I bet you're pretty hungry, huh? And I bet you'd like to clean up a bit... I have some clothes you can borrow." They began to walk down the hallway toward the kitchen.

"Oh, that would be so wonderful!" Valerie cried. "Gaz! Gaz Membrane! I can't believe I finally get to meet you!" When Gaz merely blinked in reply, Val bobbed and went on, "You and Dib, I've been your biggest fan for YEARS! I've been following your inventions and theories..."

Laughing, Gaz barked, "That's pretty sad."

"What..? Why...?"

Dib and Zim had trotted to catch up with the two. "I think it's wonderful that someone finally appreciates us for our brilliance!"

"Ha!" Gaz snorted. "You just stole your little boyfriend's ideas and put them on your computer. I would hardly consider that 'brilliant.'"

"Actually, all Irken technology is stolen as well," Valerie stated in a scholarly tone. "They haven't evolved on their own for over a millennium." She turned to Zim and whispered, "Sorry," and continued, "After they discovered they could just take OTHER planets' improvements and use them as their own, they stopped trying to come up with their own ideas." Shaking her head, she finished, "Irkens don't even learn on their own. From birth they are given those Paks, which basically have all the knowledge of their ancestors stored inside it."

"Wow, I didn't think there were any species in the universe more lazy than humans," Gaz observed, smiling wickedly.

Dib shook his head and spoke up, "But that doesn't mean they CAN'T learn on their own, or invent things of their own accord..." He looked at Zim, who was only half-listening to the conversation. Hopefully he wasn't still angry...

Stopping and turning to them, Valerie said, "That may be true. You would know more about that than me..." Smiling at them, she cried, "You two are so CUTE!"

Raising an eyebrow, Zim asked, "'Cute'??"

"Oh, it's so obvious how in love you are. I can hardly believe it!" She looked at Gaz, who she figured had to be included in the conversation. "Irkens typically keep to themselves... I can't believe one would fall in love with a human. But you know, Irkens and humans aren't that far apart genetically..."

"How do you KNOW so much about Irkens?" Dib asked, incredulous.

Blushing, Valerie said, "Well... Sitting in that little ship for so long... All I had to entertain myself was... Irken propaganda vids and history reels." She laughed. "It took a while, but I'm pretty good at understanding Irken now!"

Even Gaz was impressed by this. "No wonder you got so far out here..."

Valerie's face fell. "I was... losing hope... It wouldn't have been much longer, you know. I was out of rations, almost out of fuel..." Shaking her head, she murmered, "I just started hitting buttons at random. I couldn't dock anywhere... Nobody would let me.... Because it was an Irken ship, I'm guessing..."

"A misplaced S.R. will automatically gravitate towards the closest mothership," Zim stated, nodding. "You probably activated the autopilot, and we were the closest thing to you."

"Thank God!" Dib cried, trying not to think about what would have happened to her if she had come across an actual IRKEN ship full of IRKENS...

Wrapping a friendly arm around Val's shoulders, Gaz said, "Well, we have plenty of food here for you to eat," and pulled her down the hallway.

***********************************

Dib's fears about Zim and Valerie were proved wrong. Zim was actually not jealous at all, but instead quite fascinated with her. He had never really gotten to know a "typical" human female (as Gaz wasn't typical at all), and her vivaciousness was perplexing to him.

"She's always so... Happy," Zim observed once. "I've never met such a... nice human."

Balking, Dib asked, "What about me?"

"You're not very nice at all," Zim replied, completely serious.

Dib pretended to be huffy and crossed his arms. "So what, you like her more than me?"

"What do you mean?!" Zim cried, blinking stupidly.

Dib laughed and pulled him into his arms. "Never mind..."

All drama abated for a while, while Valerie got settled into her new surroundings. Gaz was more absorbed into her newsnets than usual, and Dib almost entirely healed of his former wounds... Though at times he still felt incredibly ill and dizziness forced him to lay down. But he didn't mention much of it to Zim, for fear of worrying him. The alien had been increasingly more attentive since Dib's injuries, and exhibited affection moreso than ever before. Their lovemaking became more intense and twice as frequent.

Zim particularly enjoyed taking Dib by surprise, because he always had the advantage in those situations. One quiet night he pulled Dib into a small supply closet as the boy was walking by. Dib squawked as he was pushed against the adjacent wall, but his mouth was quickly covered with Zim's, and his protests soon became moans. He leaned forward against the wall, bent over at a 45 degree angle as Zim shoved his hands down, around, encircling his manhood in warmth. His pants were soon on the floor, while Zim was totally nude, working languidly over the human's dick as he pushed ever further and deeper inside him. So dark, so warm, so good. Dib tried hard to contain himself, but was soon calling out in strangled cries, his cheek pressed against the wall as he reached back with an awkward hand to find his lover.

It was at this point that the door swished open, and Valerie stood framed in half-light.

"Oh! Oh my God! I'm sorry--" and the door quickly shut again.

Dib was absolutely mortified, but Zim didn't even seem to notice. Without his pace broken in the least, it didn't take much longer for Zim to coax Dib into a noisy finish anyway.

The next day, Dib approached Val rather sheepishly in the kitchen. "I hope you're not--aah--scarred for life," he chuckled, trying to laugh off the horrid situation.

"Not at all, Dib!" Val replied, looking a bit sheepish herself. "In fact, quite the contrary..." A conspiratorial wink.

Dib hoped to God that she was only joking.

Somehow, perhaps through this incident or something else Dib hadn't witnessed, Valerie and Zim struck up an odd sort of friendship. Though Dib still commanded most of Zim's time, the alien would occasionally be found sitting at the kitchen table licking his lips as Valerie cooked up some sort of hideous-smelling, sugary confection she had invented. They would talk about all sorts of things, though the conversation would mostly focus on his race.

"You need to eat more," Valerie commanded as she put a bowl of something-or-other before him. "You're so skinny and pale and sickly...!"

"Just like his boyfriend!" Gaz laughed, having caught the conversation on the way from her study to the toilet. Dib turned to glare at her as she continued walking, then looked back at Valerie.

Shaking his head in confusion, Dib asked, "What do you mean...?"

As Zim eagerly slurped up his meal, Valerie explained, "Irkens... Are a lot like--well--bugs. They needs lots of sugar to thrive..."

Of course he wouldn't admit it, but the fact that Valerie knew so much about Irkens really made Dib feel insignificant. After all the trouble Zim had gone to to learn about humans, he had done little to reciprocate. The human decided that he would try to learn at least a small amount, and spent many nights sitting beside Gaz at his own console, watching the same history reels that had captivated Valerie. With a little bit of digging he had even managed to find some Irken "pornography," which was not nearly as disturbing as Dib thought it would be. In the past he had wondered if the Tallest and Zim were odd in their homosexual pursuits, but from what he gleaned it seemed that females were rare in their society. They were typically treated like priceless gems (dependent on their height, of course), and even in the pornography they were looked upon almost reverently.

Meanwhile, Zim and Val decided that fixing up her ship would be a good idea. If it functioned properly they could use it for equipment runs without having to dock the unwieldy Goddess (the few places it COULD dock, anyway). Dib offered to help, having an immense amount of knowledge due to Tak's ship, but he received a lukewarm reaction. Naturally feeling a little put out, he buried himself in his studies again. Over the week or so that they devoted to fixing the ship, Dib began feeling more ill than usual and typically went to bed early.

His eyes had just closed one night when he heard the door to the chambers rush open. Thinking it was simply Zim finishing with his project for the night, he didn't stir.

"Look what I found, Dib!" he heard Valerie cry. Opening his eyes, he saw her holding a nearly full bottle of some clear liquor. There must've been at least 20 ounces left.

Sitting up and rubbing his head, Dib asked, "Alcohol?"

"Vodka!" Val giggled, nodding. "80 proof. A guy I was hiding out with in the shelter gave it to me. He said it'd help me out if I ever got in a jam... Luckily I never needed it..."

"We're not even old enough to drink, Valerie," Dib stated in a know-it-all tone.

Her face became absolutely comical. "Dib! What, is excise gonna nail you?! We're floating in freaking SPACE, for crying out loud!"

Zim was standing quietly behind her, cocking a thin black antenna in interest. "'Old enough?' Does it only work on old humans, then?"

Turning to Zim, Valerie giggled, "No. It works even MORE on young people." She stepped up to Dib, handing him the bottle for inspection. "I told Zim we should get you drunk, I thought it'd be really funny."

Zim's Pak blinked and a small kotatsu appeared in the center of the floor, surrounded by many fluffy zabuton pillows. It looked pretty inviting... Dib looked at the vodka inquisitively. "I've never drank anything this powerful before..."

"Even better!" Valerie laughed, sitting down under the table, and gesturing for him to come sit. Zim mimicked her, sitting down and putting some more information into a control panel next to the table. A pitcher of some lavendar liquid and a few glasses popped up in the middle of the table. Sighing, Dib finally relented and crawled off of the bed onto the floor.

"What is that?" he asked, poking the lavendar pitcher.

Valerie poured some of the liquor into a glass with the liquid behind it. She shook it up a bit and slid the glass in front of him. "It's like some kind of juice, I don't know what exactly but the processor made it and it tastes GREAT with vodka..."

Grinning, Dib said, "You've already HAD a few drinks, haven't you?"

"Oh, I couldn't leave Gaz out of the fun, I gave her some and I tried it myself..." Her thoughts meandered for a moment before she set eyes on Zim again. Clapping her little hands together, she cried, "Oh! Zim! We have to show him how to play 'Zeeglit!'"

Nodding in reply, Zim produced some small yellow cards and a box of little, marbleized balls. "DRINK!" Val ordered breathily. Feeling as if she would choke him if he didn't, he finally took a drink. His throat burned as it went down and he coughed, wincing.

"It's like cough syrup and nail polish remover," he proclaimed, looking a bit cross-eyed at Zim. The alien was eyeing him with interest.

Taking a hearty drink of her own, Valerie cried, "DELICIOUS!"

Zeeglit was kind of like poker and candyland with a violent side..which got exceedingly more difficult for Dib to play as he continued to imbibe. Valerie (and occasionally, Zim) continued to force the liquor on him, making up absurd rules that made him take a drink when certain conditions were met, like whenever his piece moved more than 2 spaces. Before long he had downed a glass and a half of the powerful substance and could no longer focus on the game, much to his frustration. Meanwhile, Valerie had only partaken of half a glass.

"You're... yoooou... are not drinking as much... as I," Dib slurred, glaring haphazardly at the female in the room.

Shaking her head, face flushed, Valerie answered, "Don't be silly, Dibbles! I've already had--plenty." She giggled and pushed him playfully, causing him to nearly topple over.

"This is amazing!" Zim laughed, inspecting the vodka bottle. "I must reproduce some more of this amazing chemical..."

"What?" Dib turned to his lover. "Don't--even SUGGEST--such a thing. I'm just a TOY to you both, aren't I? A TOY." He nearly lost all decorum. "Go off and--play without me--get me drunk and--and--LAUGH at me!"

Valerie was mortally offended. "Dib! How can you be so cruel?" She rubbed her eyes. "You take everything so PERSONALLY! You hurt my feelings when you talk that way!"

Tears sprang to Dib's eyes. "I'm always the BAD guy, aren't I?" He slammed his fists on the table, causing his drink to nearly spill. "Nobody wants to spend time with ME. I'm such a horrible person--I always have been." He covered his face and lay his head on the table, feeling as if he would cry.

"Oh, you're hopeless!" Valerie whined. "Don't ruin the mood, Dib! You're supposed to get drunk to FORGET your problems!"

He felt Zim's hands on his back, caressing. "I'll help him forget his problems..."

Raising his head to question Zim's uncharacteristic behavior, he was met with a pair of alien lips. He barely had the faculties to protest, so Zim easily had his way... Probing his mouth passionately, slowly pushing his hands up Dib's shirt.

The kiss was broken shortly so that Zim could remove his shirt. He began to question Zim's actions, but was quickly pushed onto his back atop the soft pillows, mouth covered with Zim's again. The world began to spin as Dib finally gave in, closing his eyes and moaning softly as Zim ran those slender talons down his chest, working their way into his pants. A penetrating heat, caused by the liquor, was already gathering there... He instantly felt himself stiffen under Zim's touch.

Pants and underwear were quickly removed. Still working fervently at Dib's dick, Zim removed his own clothes and began to kiss him again. In what seemed like hours but could have been seconds, Zim pushed his fingers inside of Dib, skillfully working him into a fevered state. Dib cried aloud, covering his flushed face with his hands, trying hard to regain some type of composure. It was then that he felt Zim's body leave his. He looked up at the alien, confused. Zim pulled him to a sitting position, turning him away and helping him get on his hands and knees. It was then that he remembered Valerie was still in the room...

She was sitting before him, totally nude, legs spread, probing herself with her fingers. When their eyes met, she smiled at him with a sensual glint in her expression. Dib made to ask what was going on, but Zim was suddenly gliding into him, causing him to cry out desperately instead. He looked down, bracing himself against Zim's thrusts, and Val was suddenly face to face with him. Grabbing his face with gentle hands, she bent down and kissed him, pressing her body against his. Zim grabbed him around the chest, and Dib was pulled to a near kneeling position with Valerie's help.

Zim's pace was barely slowed with the change in posture. Dib groaned helplessly, his dick aching for attention, which Valerie gladly gave. Wrapping her soft hands around him, she began to rub him as she pushed her breasts into his face. They were so soft, so warm, so lovely... He turned his head, rubbing his cheek against her skin as he licked and suckled at an already hardened nipple.

"Dib..." she whispered, hanging from his shoulders as she lay back. She spread her legs, reaching down and guiding his manhood toward herself... Zim slowly pushed him back down on his hands as Valerie found her prize. Dib let out a long sigh as he felt himself become enveloped in her warmth, her tightness.

A voice cried out in the back of his mind.

'They planned this!'

He was incredulous.

But there was nothing he could do at this point. It took his lovers a moment to find a good rhythm... Valerie brought her legs up to Dib's sides, clinging to him with her knees. Zim held Dib's hips as he continued to bury himself within... With the retreat of every thrust, Zim pushed him forward as Valerie brought her hips upward, sheathing Dib completely within herself. It was all Dib could do, as drunk as he was, to simply keep himself hoisted in midair above the girl. He closed his eyes, finally surrendering to the feelings that were washing over his body. This was a fantasy; this was something most people would go their entire lives without experiencing. And it was here. It was now. It was good.

Valerie's cries reached a fevered pitch as Dib continued to enter her. Her fingers worked desperately at her clitoris until she moaned with finality, and Dib felt her spasming around him. It was too much for him to take. "I... I'm about to..."

Taking the cue from them both, Zim's pace quickened and he began pounding Dib almost violently. In moments Dib's pleasure came to a head, and he spilled himself inside Valerie with a shuddering sigh. She looked into his eyes and grinned as Zim climaxed as well, expanding and causing Dib to whimper and almost collapse atop her.

All was quiet for a few moments, as they all sat rooted in place, panting and enjoying the afterglow of their experience. Zim finally rolled off of Dib and pulled the human down with him, curling up in the small of his back and caressing him gently with his antennae. Valerie turned so that she was facing Dib, and smiled wide.

"Valerie..." he whispered, eyes fighting for a focal point, "...why?"

Her eyes closed and she reached out, putting a calm hand on his shoulder. "To preserve the human race," she answered, in such a simple tone that it made the proclamation sound absurd. Dib sighed softly, almost in exhasperation, and she finished, "And... because I've wanted to fuck you ever since we've met."

It was all Dib could do to keep from laughing at the situation. Feeling the alcohol pulling on his brain, not having the strength to express his emotions, he simply looked at Valerie's peaceful face, felt the soft touch of Zim's antennae, and thought about what his life had come to. Soon both of his companions had drifted off to sleep, leaving him to stare at the wall for a very long time.

End Chapter 8