Plague
of Babies
It
is night. The Voot Cruiser hurtles from the sky towards Zim's house, smoke
spewing out of the back of it. Inside, Zim and GIR scream (both of them out of
their disguises), GIR holding a hotdog. Sparks of electricity flicker on the
inside of the Voot Cruiser. Zim quickly hits some buttons on the control
panel. The roof of Zim's house opens up, and the Voot Cruiser flies over it
and then drops inside.
Zim:
Computer!
Repair bay.
GIR
sucks on a SuckMunkey slushie in a plastic suck munkey cup made to look like
a monkey. GIR stops sucking and coughs.
Zim:
After
we fix the Voot Cruiser, GIR, I wanna run a few tests on your artificial
intelligence chip.
The
roof starts to close over the Voot Cruiser.
Zim:
It seems to be... bad. I- UH!
Zim
notices the silhouette of a baby watching from the window of a neighbor's
house right before the roof closes completely.
Zim:
Oh
no!
The
living room floor opens up and the Voot Cruiser lowers down. Zim hops off of
it onto the floor as the Voot Runner lowers towards the repair bay.
Zim:
Hurry
GIR! The mission's been compromised! I think we've been seen out of our
disguises... by a human!
GIR:
But
Dib's seen us before.
GIR
hops off of the Voot Cruiser onto the floor next to Zim as the Voot Cruiser
lowers completely beneath the floor.
GIR:
And he knows where we live.
Zim
chuckles.
Zim:
Dib.
No, this is different. This is serious.
GIR
screams. He walks over to the TV making 'doo dee doo' noises. He turns it on
to the Scary Monkey Show. The scary monkey growls.
Zim:
GIR!
GIR:
Oh yeah.
GIR
screams and then follows Zim out. Cut to the back of Zim's house. On the wall,
electricity creates a window. On the other side of the wall, Zim peers out the
new window. His insectoid binocular helmet extends over his face. He moans.
Zim:
Yes! A spy! In the top window of that house! Something must be done before he
gets to the Earth authorities!
GIR
pops up next to Zim and looks out the window.
Zim:
Who knows what-
GIR:
Awww...
He's cute! And stinky lookin'!
Zim
leaps backwards and his binocular helmet retracts.
Zim:
Cute!?!
This is a serious threat to our mission!
GIR:
He's
just a baby!
GIR
flips on a light switch and waves at the baby.
GIR:
Hi baby!
Zim
tackles GIR and shuts off the light. The baby breaths heavily creating fog on
the window of its bedroom. Zim holds GIR down.
Zim:
What
are you doing!?! It'll see you!
GIR:
So?
Zim:
You
think it's not a threat?
GIR
nods.
Zim:
As
far as we know that's exactly what it wants us to think, GIR! I must find out
what it knows!
Electricity
shoots from the window making it disappear. Zim stands outside of the
neighbor's house wearing a modified disguise, holding a clipboard and a pen.
The new disguise includes a coat, a fake mustache and eyebrows, a red rubber
nose, and a headlight helmet. Zim rings the doorbell. The baby's mother, who
has a band-aid on her head, answers the door.
Mother:
Yes?
Zim:
I am the neighborhood baby inspector! I have come to inspect the baby.
Mother:
Oh
goodness! Inspect him for what?
Zim:
Your
resistance will be noted!
Mother:
Oh...
Zim
walks inside.
Zim:
Where
may I interrogate the little one?
Mother:
Well
what's wrong with Noogums? He's always so well behaved, I uh-
Zim:
There's probably nothing to worry about, but we just wanna to be sure.
Zim
looks over at a row of pictures on the wall of Noogums over the years. They
show Noogums from when he was 1-7, and he looks identical in every picture.
Mother:
He's
upstairs, I'll go get him.
Zim
is already at the top of the staircase.
Zim:
Stay!
Due to the threat of contamination, I must speak with Noogums alone.
Mother:
Oh
my...
Zim
walks into Noogums' room. It is a typical baby's room, with a crib and toys
scattered everywhere. Noogums sits on the floor playing with blocks.
Zim:
And you must be Noogums. Cease the silent act, sticky worm!
Zim
walks up and knocks away some of Noogum's blocks.
Zim:
Your
pathetic facade is as transparent as the drool on your face. What are you up
too?
Noogum's
pupils shake. He drools. He then smiles as he starts to wet himself.
Zim:
Tell
me what you know! I will not be-
Zim
sniffs Noogums and screams.
Zim:
What
is that (Zim screams again) stink!?!
Zim
groans.
Zim:
Some kind of defense mechanism!
Zim
falls to the ground.
Zim:
So powerful... Smell!
Zim
crawls across the carpet, groaning. His rubber nose and one of his eyebrows
fall off. A stack of stuffed animals falls on top of him. He bursts out of the
pile and screams. He then runs away. Noogums simply watches, drooling. In the
repair bay of Zim's lab, a mechanical arm works on the Voot Cruiser, sending
out sparks of electricity. The arm retracts into a large mechanical arm that
it was extending from. More mechanical arms unfold from another larger
mechanical arm. Zim is out of disguise.
Zim:
The human (Zim gags) infant is much stronger than I (Zim gags) suspected. I'll
have to use a higher percentage of my brain skills to outwit him.
A
spider-like hovering device flies by in the foreground. Zim gags, putting his
hands over his mouth. In the background, GIR (who is out of disguise) has
wires attached to the top of his head. The wires are connected to a power
amplifier. GIR presses a button on the power amplifier and blue electricity
surges through him, lifting him off of the ground. GIR howls. The electricity
goes out and GIR drops back to the ground.
Zim:
Either
that or through some miracle of chance.
GIR
presses some more buttons on the power amplifier. GIR is lifted into the air,
sending out a wave of the blue energy.
Zim:
You
were right about him being harmless. Perhaps I overestimated him, or
underestimated m-
Zim
groans as the blue wave sweeps over him, making him stupid. His eye color goes
solid and he fills to the ground, groaning. The wave drifts away. Zim
twitches. Zim's Irken utility pack blinks.
Computer:
Reactivate.
Electricity
surges through Zim's body. Zim recovers, smoke drifting from him. He gets up
and sees GIR floating in the air with the blue energy surrounding him.
Zim:
GIR!
Get away from that power amplifier!
GIR:
But
I-
The
blue energy dies down and GIR lowers to the ground.
Zim:
I should worry less about what a baby can do, and worry more about the damage
you can do.
Zim
grabs the wires attached to GIR's head and yanks them out. He lets go of them,
and they recoil back into the power amplifier.
Zim:
Stay away from the power amplifier! It's sending out deadly waves of
stupidness!
The
doorbell rings. Zim looks up.
Zim:
Hmmm?
Zim
screams.
Zim:
The doorbell! But the security system should have warned me as soon as
anything set foot in the perimeter!
Zim
grabs onto one of the larger mechanical arms. It lifts him up to a higher
level where the exit is. Zim drops off of it as the door opens. Zim exits. GIR
grabs one of the wires from the power amplifier and attaches it to his head.
He lifts above the ground, creating a field of blue energy around him. Outside
of Zim's house, Zim peers out of the door, now in disguise. Zim glances around
and then shuts the door after finding nothing.
Zim:
Computer,
run a diagnostic on the doorbe-
Zim
stops mid-sentence as he turns around to see a crowd of babies huddled in the
center of the living room, with Noogums in the front.
Zim:
What are you babies doing here!?! Get out! Shoo! At least I know why the alarm
didn't go off.
Noogums'
eye twitches.
Zim:
You're
too small to-
Noogums
yells at Zim in a deep voice.
Noogums:
Seize
the enemy!
The
babies run towards Zim.
Zim:
What
are you-? Noooo!
The
babies leap on Zim. Cut to Zim tied to a chair in the living room, out of
disguise except for his left contact. One of the babies yoinks the contact
out.
Zim:
Noogums, I should've known.
Noogums:
Don't call me by that name. It is demeaning to a leader of the proud and
fierce race of the Nhar-Gh'ok to be dubbed Noogums.
Zim:
What should I call you then?
Noogums:
Shnooky!
Gorkspace Sergeant Shnooky!
Zim:
I
knew it! Earth babies come from space!
Shnooky
(formerly known as Noogums): No.
Our people look exactly like human babies. But we didn't know that when we
landed here seven years ago.
Flashback
to seven years ago, in the maternity ward of a hospital. The Nhar-Gh'ok
soldiers crouch up against a wall.
Shnooky
(voice over):
It was our first information gathering mission on this planet. Everything was
going fine until-
A
nurse walks by. Once she is out of sight, Shnooky carefully peers out of the
hallway. Private Fooby gives a hand motion from a nearby hallway. Shnooky
motions to the soldiers with him. A Nhar-Gh'ok soldier in the very back of the
soldiers behind Shnooky runs forward and out of cover. More follow, hiding
behind objects in the hallway before running back into the open and then into
the hallway where Private Fooby is. The hallway is dark.
Shnooky:
Report, Private Fooby.
Private
Fooby: You
won't believe it, sir!
The
Nhar-Gh'ok soldiers peer above into a window. On the other side of the window
is the human maternaty ward.
Shnooky
(voice over): Private
Fooby had found the human maternity ward. We thought that somehow, the Earth
military was keeping our people hostage. How could we have known any better?
And then, disaster!
Suddenly,
the light switch goes on. The soldiers scatter. Some of them launch grappling
hooks into the ceiling and pull themselves upwards. Shnooky and Fooby hop into
the laundry bin.
Shnooky
(voice over):
Fooby panicked and hailed the mother ship, calling for emergency rescue.
In
the maternity ward, the babies get sucked out of their cribs right before a
Red Cross soldier walks by.
Shnooky
(voice over): He
gave the wrong coordinates.
The
Red Cross soldier walks over to the laundry bin and sees one of their feet
sticking out. He chuckles and pulls out Shnooky and Fooby by their feet.
Red
Cross soldier: How'd
you little fellas get out here?
The
two Nhar-Gh'ok soldiers clinging to the ceiling fall off as the ceiling tile
breaks. They fall right into the Red Cross soldiers arms.
Shnooky
(voice over): They
eventually caught the entire landing party.
One
Nhar-Gh'ok soldier is found when the Red Cross soldier lifts off the top of a
trash bin. Another is found when a doctor cuts open the bandages on a patients
head and finds the Nhar-Gh'ok inside.
Shnooky
(voice over): By
the time we were left alone long enough to call the mother ship again, it was
out of range.
Another
Nhar-Gh'ok is found in the Urine Sample Storage locker.
Shnooky
(Voice over): They
left us here, stranded.
The
Nhar-Gh'ok soldiers are put in the maternity ward cribs, now in baby clothes.
Shnooky
(voice over): We
had no choice but to assume the identities of the babies that had been beamed aboard
the ship.
One
of the Nhar-Gh'ok soldiers cries. The flashback ends.
Shnooky:
It's been seven long years since that terrible night.
Zim:
What do you want with me?
Shnooky:
Your
ship! We're going home.
Zim:
You can't take my ship, it's mine!
Shnooky:
We'll
tell the humans all about you if you resist us!
Zim:
Computer!
Open the entrance to storage room two!
Zim
hops with the chair he is tied to and uses it to knock away the two
Nhar-Gh'oks standing on either side of him. The couch starts to rise,
revealing the entrance to the storage level. Zim grunts as he hops backwards
in the chair into the entrance. Zim falls a long way down. When he reaches the
storage level, he hits the ground, breaking apart the chair. Zim grunts.
Shnooky:
Get him! Eat his feet off!
The
Nhar-Gh'oks hiss, revealing sharp teeth. Their eyes bulge out and go
pupil-less. The couch lowers to cover the entrance of storage level 2, but the
Nhar-Gh'oks place a toy piggy under it to keep it from lower all of the way.
They then lift the couch back up. Zim screams as the toy piggy falls and hits
him on the head. Zim runs over to the elevator shaft. He pants as he goes
inside the elevator.
Zim:
Computer,
take me down to the Voot Cruiser repair bay.
Zim
falls over as the elevator shakes. The sound of the Nhar-Gh'oks laughing evilly
is heard. The Nhar-Gh'oks pound dents into the top of the elevator.
Zim:
The ship is mine Noogums, or Shmoogy, or whatever your name is!
Shnooky:
It's Shnooky!
Zim:
It's invader property! You won't get your filthy little nub hands on it!
Four
mechanical spider legs extend from Zim's Irken Utility pack. They curl in
front of Zim and created a square shaped welding tool. The welding tool sends
a blast through the elevator shaft, knocking out a square shaped chunk of the
elevator wall. Zim crawls into that space. From that space, Zim watches as the
elevator continues to go down with the Nhar-Gh'oks on top of it. Zim uses the
mechanical spider legs to scamper around. Zim finds a grate covering a shaft.
Zim removes the grate. The spider legs latch together to create two prongs.
The prongs create an energy shield around Zim. Zim slides down the shaft with
his energy shield. The shaft ends right above the Voot Cruiser. Zim falls on
top of the voot cruiser, causing his shield to go out. He bounces off of the
ship and falls to the ground. He looks over and sees GIR beat boxing into one
of the wires of the power amplifier while he stands on the power amplifier.
Zim:
GIR!
GIR:
Yes?
Zim
walks over using the mechanical spider legs.
Zim:
The
babies are inside the base, GIR.
Zim
uses one of the spider legs to grab GIR and put him on the floor.
Zim:
They're
after the Voot Cruiser.
GIR:
I like babies!
Zim:
I have to get the cruiser out of here!
Zim
uses the spider legs to crawl into the Voot Cruiser. The spider legs retract
back into the Irken Utility Pack.
Zim:
I
only hope the repairs are finished. You hold the babies off while I-
GIR:
I'm gonna play with the babies!
Zim
presses a button on the Voot Cruiser control panel.
Computer:
Malfunction.
Zim
groans as a blanket thing wraps around him and grips him tightly and two pads
from the ceiling extend down to cover Zim's head. The Nhar-Gh'oks laugh evilly
as they start pounding on the door to the repair bay. Zim gasps as he
struggles to get out of the thing wrapped around him. In the background, GIR
attaches wires from the power amplifier to his head.
Zim:
They're getting in, GIR! Do something!
GIR:
Okay!
GIR
turns the power amplifier on. He shouts happily as he flies into the air, the
blue energy surrounding him. Zim gets out of the thing wrapped around him and
hops out of the Voot Cruiser. He runs towards the power amplifier, dodging
GIR's energy wave. Zim makes it to the power amplifier and shuts it off,
sending GIR to the floor. Suddenly, the Nhar-Gh'oks burn through the door
using acid saliva.
GIR:
Babies!
The
Nhar-Gh'oks run towards Zim.
Shnooky:
We
will take your ship, and for the trouble you caused, we're going to destroy
your base, leaving you stranded here, just like we were. And we'll tell the
humans all about you. Now my minions, form Giganto Baby!
All
of the Nhar-Gh'oks jump into Shnooky, melding together to form one large mass.
The mass of babies still has the faces of the Nhar-Gh'oks sticking out. Zim
gasps. Zim mass sprouts out two lumps of babies connected to the original mass
as feet. The Giganto-Baby stands up. It is wearing diapers. Another lump
attached to the original mass sprouts out as an arm. Yet another lump begins
to sprout, but it gets stuck. Giganto Baby uses its one arm to help pull the
new lump out, creating a second arm. One of the babies projects an electronic
face from its mouth. Giganto Baby starts tearing up the ground around it. It
yanks on a wire, causing an explosion. Zim uses his spider legs to hop into
the air and grab one of the smaller mechanical arms. He swings on it over to
Giganto Baby and sticks it into the top of Giganto Baby, falling through its view screen
head. Zim grunts as he struggles to jump away. Giganto Baby tugs on the
mechanical arm, pulling down the larger mechanical arm. The larger mechanical
arm falls on top of it. Zim falls to the ground next to Giganto Baby. One of
the Nhar-Gh'oks pops out of Giganto Baby and swings a claw at Zim. That
Nhar-Gh'ok then jumps back into Giganto Baby and hisses.
Zim:
Hey, quit it!
Zim
kicks Giganto Baby. The Nhar-Gh'ok frowns. Giganto Baby uses one of its arms
to knock Zim against the wall. Zim groans.
GIR:
Wooo-hooo!
GIR
pulls out a large drumstick from a bucket of fried chicken and prepares to eat
it. Giganto Baby gets back up. Zim uses his mechanical spider legs to spring
away as Giganto Baby launches a fist at him. Zim scampers away, narrowly
avoiding fist after fist. Zim grunts as he crawls past wires, the Giganto Baby
close behind. The Giganto Baby breaks apart one wire, causing an explosion.
GIR dips his chicken drumstick in mayo while wearing the empty bucket of fried
chicken on his head. He eats all of the chicken off of the bone in one bite.
Giganto Baby gets tangled in the wires. Zim makes it out and reaches the
platform where GIR is. GIR dips a live, featherless chicken in mayo and lifts
it towards his mouth.
Zim:
The amplifier!
Zim
grabs GIR and attaches GIR's head to the wires of the power amplifier. Giganto
Baby breaks through the wires and lifts up. Zim dangles GIR down in front of
Giganto Baby, then turns the amplifier on at full power. GIR screams as the
blue energy overtakes the room. It blasts upwards, so the platform underneath
Zim protects him from getting hit. Giganto Baby is engulfed in the energy.
Giganto
Baby:
Am...dumb!
Giganto
Baby screams. The power amplifier shuts off and Giganto Baby falls apart into
individual Nhar-Gh'oks. The Nhar-Gh'oks cry. GIR dangles from the wires,
smoking. Zim climbs down to where the Nhar-Gh'oks are with the help of his
mechanical spider legs.
Zim:
It worked!
GIR:
Aw... I wanted to explode!
Later,
Shnooky is launched through the window of his room and bounces against the
wall into his crib. He starts drooling. At Zim's house, a baby launcher sticks
out of the new window. The baby launcher retracts.
GIR:
Bye,
baby!
Zim
groans and knocks him down. The window disappears. Shnooky lies in his crib.