Author's Note: Due to school, work, and other circumstances I haven't really had the time or inspiration to write and so it has been a long time (I'd say around 5 years actually) since I have attempted to write anything substantial. I had actually started to write this story so that I could get back into practice and to try a style I have never really attempted before (1st person). I love Invader Zim and so I immediately knew what I wanted to write about and what story I wanted to take place (something that never EVER happens). I began going over the series in greater detail to get all the facts I could (even though I have already seen the series multiple times) and to my excitement I found that a new movie was going to be made! I can't say for certain what the movie will be about but if it happens to have a similar plot I hope that this can at least prove to be an enjoyable story. Although I will say that this story will likely be far more violent than anything that will be released. I also do not plan to place any romantic pairings in this story.

Sincerely,

HaleyRiler

Chapter 1: Impending Doom

Imagine what it would be like if you couldn't even trust your closest friend not to kill you. Now imagine what it would be like if your closest friend was also the person most likely to kill you. Imagine if you could never tell the truth and were lightyears away from anything you could remotely refer to as family other than a malfunctioning robot. And even if you were to return home you would be regarded as a worthless failure who would likely be carted off to be reprogrammed to produce a more uniform soldier that might be capable of succeeding.

This is my life… and I tremble at the very thought of it.

Bravado is a necessity in this world though. Although the loneliness and fear are crippling, if you force yourself to foolishly believe that you can accomplish whatever you set out to do the fear will at least subside long enough for you to move forward… if only one step at a time. It is still only a matter of time, however, until reason begins to set in and the fear, the loneliness, and the anger threaten to push you to your knees.

As an Irkin loneliness comes with the territory. From the moment we are born independence is expected. Programmed with the thoughts, feelings, and memories of past generations we are confronted with every emotion on the Irkin scale and yet we cannot replicate the very feelings we crave. Instead we compartmentalize our memories and block off anything that could potentially compromise our missions or our minds. I have never been very good at this, however.

I scare myself sometimes. I can tell that I'm beginning to crack under the pressure. I catch myself having thoughts about the very people I begged to send me on my mission… thoughts of their eyes staring back at me from decapitated heads. Their expressions are always of complete disbelief as they stare at me from the floor.

I've always dreamt of looming over the Tallest. I guess that's why these kind of images claw their way through all of the mental barriers I've set. The fantasy is as appealing as it is appalling to me.

That I would even think about something so disgusting has got to say something about my mental state. My blood turns to ice every time I think about what unseemly thoughts my PAK might be recording. It's bad enough that I've already been blamed for the deaths of two previous Tallest.

I just hope that my thoughts are never passed on… and yet this is the very definition of death for an Irkin. After our PAKs are removed our bodies are nothing but drooling shells. It is only through our PAKs that we are able to live on. To have one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences deemed unworthy for future generations is a complete rejection of who you are as an Irkin and I know that if I were to ever face a trial board they would bring these controversial thoughts into question along with all of my previous miscalculations.

I've tried turning my poisonous thoughts toward the humans but all I seem to be able to manage is contempt. Directing my hatred at creatures so stupid seems pointless. I can't say I would blame them if they hated me. I would even welcome their hatred if they hated me for the reasons they should.

The whole pathetic species seems to be made up of petty morons, however. I've only ever encountered two humans intelligent enough to see through my pathetic disguise. One believes me to be incapable of succeeding in my mission due to a perceived lack of intelligence. The other would like nothing more than to see me on an autopsy table undergoing vivisection just so the world would believe him for once.

Acceptance… a dream we both chase I suppose. It just so happens that acceptance for one of us means the destruction of the other. These two are the only humans I can even imagine myself hating.

The very implication that I am incompetent makes my blood boil. I could almost kill the pathetic human. Something about her screams danger, however, and I, although I am no coward, feel taking her on directly would spell disaster for the mission. I will instead settle for the look on her wretched face when I conquer her pitiful world and prove her wrong.

As for Dib… I would never admit it out loud but I see myself in him sometimes. Although we're from different worlds, both literally and figuratively, he is the only other being who seems to have felt the same crippling loneliness and blatant rejection that I have. I wonder sometimes if he can sense how similar we truly are…

Leave it to a reject Irkin to empathize with a human I suppose. Perhaps the Tallest have reason to look down on me. Maybe I really am defective…

I stare down at my hands, studying them as though they were criminals in a lineup. Eventually I close my eyes and sigh, letting my arms fall to my sides.

Irkins have no need to sleep as long as their bodies are healthy and their PAKs are charged. Still… I can't help but feel… tired.

I turn my attention to the corner of the kitchen where an empty box of taquitos rests.

GIR used to distract me from this sort of feeling. Now that he's gone I'm not quite sure how to continue…

Due to an impending war with Meekrob, The Tallest ordered me to shut GIR down for the time being. SIR units across the galaxy were slowly being hacked into, turned into listening devices, and even remotely controlled by enemy forces.

The order made sense. GIR had allowed Dib to contact The Tallest after a simple request while I was away on Foodcourtia. Still… I almost miss him. The silence is unnerving in more ways than one.

The war was apparently started due to the delivery of a package of malfunctioning SIR units meant to be sent elsewhere. Invader Tenn's cover was subsequently blown and the armada's plans were revealed. I of course insisted that I join the soldiers on Meekrob to help expedite their surrender.

I was denied, however. After all… I still have a mission to complete. At least I can take comfort in the fact that no one could possibly blame me for the mess this operation has caused. I've already received enough mockery and disrespect for the misunderstanding involving Operation Impending Doom I.

Now that I think about it, however, my mistakes there likely factored into The Tallest's decision to keep me away from the warzone. After all I was, at least partially, responsible for the failure of Operation Impending Doom I... Even if The Tallest decided to keep me out of the war due to their disappointment with my previous endeavors I wouldn't be able to argue. The Tallest refused to accept any unnecessary transmissions. Meekrob recently attempted to hack into the Massive's computer system. And a fallen invader's terminal had been used to launch the attack.

I have heard rumors that the prison planet Vort is currently under siege. Recruiting any willing former Vortian scientists would be their first move if they were to take the prison… or at least that would be my first move if I were in their position. Such a move would cripple the armada.

Most Irkin technology has been enhanced by or developed by Vortian techs. I have always disagreed with this decision. I still rely on Vortian technology, however, I've made sure to change all access codes and reprogram all systems vital to my operation. I even built my own voot runner.

Only The Tallest are allowed to contact the invaders. I was told that I would be contacted as soon as our communication systems were deemed secure. The fact is, however, it is difficult to tell when something is truly secure. I know now that the only option I have left is to finish the mission as quickly as possible and attempt to meet up with The Tallest on Irk.

There's only one problem with this plan… Due to a series of standardized tests I will be unable to skip Skool without arousing suspicion. The tests are scheduled to last at least a few days and while the tests will surely be child's play to an Irkin invader bathroom breaks will be strictly monitored to prevent cheating and so I will be trapped in the classroom for the majority of the week. Setting anything significant in motion will be difficult.

Shaking my head with irritation (and perhaps a touch of anxiety) I suddenly realize that the room has grown cold. Irk is generally a cold place and yet the winters here on Earth still send shivers through my antennas. I start to yell at GIR for leaving the door open when I realize that GIR is no longer capable of doing anything.

I had thought I was cold before but now… Now a different type of cold came over me. My mind immediately leapt to Meekrob and both fear and anger coursed through me like a torrent.

The hunt was on…

Dib

Looking Back

Looking back on everything that has happened up until now I don't think I could have ever predicted the kind of impact a series of standardized tests would have upon my life and the fate of the world. The day had started out fairly normal. I had absentmindedly packed my lunch, forgotten to shut off my bedroom light, and headed out the door wondering what ghastly plans Zim had in store for the world this week.

Gaz had snapped at me already for interrupting her first play through of Game Slave 4 and I had wondered briefly about the fact that I couldn't remember seeing a Game Slave 3 ever gracing the shelves before Game Slave 4 had appeared. I hadn't even considered that the events that followed that day might result in another invasion or that I would be standing on Irk in a few weeks. All I remember was that it was cold.

It was the beginning of March and the IFATTS were about to begin. I stopped by Zim's house on my way to school. Peering in the windows I noticed that he wasn't in the living room. For some reason I got the feeling that I was being watched.

The gnomes also seemed oddly stationary. I even walked up to them to see if I could trigger a change in them. Even as I did so, however, the gnomes remained still.

I remember smiling slightly and going up to the door to see if I could take a few quick photos before school. Still I could not shake the feeling that I was being watched. This bothered me a little and I paused after opening the door a crack. Somehow I felt that if I stepped inside I would set something big into motion.

Finally I decided that Zim must have laid a trap for me and made my way back to the sidewalk. I thought that if I at least left his door open I could freeze his house and hopefully screw with his head. I reasoned that if he knew I was there and that I didn't activate whatever trap he had in store for me I could at least annoy and perhaps even discourage him from setting the same trap again.

Little did I know that Zim had never set a trap for me. Nor would I have ever guessed that the trap was for Zim himself…