Chapter 4

Poll Results:

Search Norm's apartment: 5 votes

Ditch Zim and report back to agency: 0 votes

Take Zim and go into hiding: 1 vote

Phil and Zim plan and execute an elaborate assassination plot against the FEA heads that fully utilizes Zim's sexual skills and Phil's mutant eleventh finger. : 1 vote

"Well, now you've killed Norm he won't be much good to get information out of." Zim walked briskly beside Phil. They had walked about 4 kilometers since escaping from the basement and Zim had not let Phil out of arm's reach. "And obviously something was going on there. I could lose my job over this." Phil was panting and out of breath. He was starting to feel dizzy and his head was pounding. He hadn't eaten since the night before.

"Where are we going?"

"You can go wherever you want. I need to figure out what Norm was really doing here."

"I'm not leaving you."

Phil reached into his wallet. "Oh. Sorry, how much do I owe you?"

Zim actually looked hurt. Phil was beginning to feel very uneasy about her. Cyborgs weren't supposed to go on the run or kill people or get their feelings hurt and Phil couldn't think of a malfunction that would cause all of this behavior. "You don't owe me anything, I just want to stay with you."

"Why? I'm not going to turn you into authorities if that's what you're worried about."

"Does it matter why? You need me. You would have been tortured or worse if I hadn't been there."

"I guess." Phil looked around. "We're only about two blocks away from Norm's apartment now. You can come with me but try to look inconspicuous." Zim smiled.

"What's your name?"

"Dennis."

"Is that your real name?"

"No."

"Norm called you Phillip. Is that your real name?"

"No." He lied.

"Good then. That's one less thing he knew about you." Phil sighed. He wished that were true. He needed to know immediately just how much Norm did know.

Phil jimmied the lock open at Norm's apartment. It was exactly the same as it had looked that morning. There was dirty laundry lying all over the floor. The communicator on the wall looked out of order. The kitchen was bare save for appliances and a trash can full of disposable plates and forks. Flies were gathering. Phil didn't know how much time they would have before somebody came looking for Norm but he knew if he didn't eat he wouldn't be able to think clearly. He went into the kitchen and looked through the cabinets and refrigerator while Zim busied herself looking through Norm's drawers.

Fortunately for Phil, whatever Norm lacked in the rest of his self-care, he sure ate well. Phil found bread, lunch meat, potato salad, and strawberries. This would be the best meal he'd eaten in weeks. There were unused disposable plates in one of the cupboard and he sat himself down to eat. Within minutes he started to feel more like himself again. The headache ebbed away, the hunger pangs died down, and he was finally able to think clearly again.

Zim, meanwhile, had a very fruitful search. When Phil re-entered the main room, Zim had spread out a number of files and a shoe box over the coffee table. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Much."

"Good. Listen, these over here" she gestured to a pile of papers covered in coffee stains "...seem to be all the intelligence he gathered on you. He has your employment file. Apparently, he already knew what agency you were working for, Phillip." She smiled. "I don't know why he would have gone to all that trouble to torture us, then."

"Me either."

"Over here he has files on a number of other people from your agency and beyond, and over here..." She seemed to hesitate as she lifted the shoebox. "Well, this one is troublesome."

"Did you find anything about the FEA? Any uh... memos or... I don't know, anything?"

"No, sorry."

Phil took the shoe box from her and sat on the couch. She carefully lowered herself beside him, looking warily at the box. Phil opened it with care. Immediately, he could see that it was indeed troublesome. Inside the box were a number of IDs and badges. There was a police badge from Q450, a badge from Earth Intelligence Unit, Phil's agency, an Earth passport, a badge from Somia Federal Force and an operating license for class B transporters. The passport and operating license had Norm's name on them but without a special reader, Phil could not know what names were attached to the badges. For security purposes, they weren't displayed in case an undercover agent lost one.

"They could belong to anyone." Phil explained to Zim. "He could have stolen them."

"He could have..." Zim looked uneasy. Phil knew what she was thinking.

Suddenly there was a deafening boom. The ground quaked beneath them and the walls cracked. All of the windows blew out and shards of glass landed on the floor all around them. Phil could hear nothing but ringing in his ears. Zim covered him with her body and they took cover under the coffee table.

When the dust in the apartment settled, Phil stood up. There were screaming people and sirens in the street. Somebody banged on the door.