Chapter One: Different Diffusion
"...And so concludes my Space-Time Alternate Shift Hypothesis. There. That should be a good thesis topic: The Dynamics of Inter-Dimensional Physics. Hmm...I wonder if...nah, it couldn't be...could it? I've got to check this out..." Mel, now an adult, pulled out her notebook and began to work out mathematical calculations, comparing formulas and diagrams, until she came upon something interesting.
'Hmm...according to the Inter-Dimensional Matter Shift Theory from when I was in fourth grade, these shifts in realities occur within regular intervals. But they rarely lead into a universe that even approaches being drastically different, and even then, there's no way of controlling it. However, this Matter Displacement Property seems intriguing, and deserves a closer look...'
"Oh, wow...this might be it. This might be it! Irkens! Seraul! Prepare to die!" Thrusting the marble Lizaq knife out of her desk drawer, she stabbed through the desk, breaking it in two. "I hope the warranty is still good on that." Jotting down some notes, she compared the many notebooks with one another, breathing in excitement. "YES! THIS IS IT! I'VE FOUND A GATEWAY INTO A SPECIFIC ALTERNATE REALITY!" The person from the apartment next-door yelled something about being quiet when it was 2:00 in the morning, but she didn't care.
Grabbing her coat and a box labeled "Memories", she dashed outside and ran through the city until reaching her final destination--the library. It happened to be open, for reasons unknown, and she scanned through it in search of the computer station. Logging onto the Internet, she looked up her old fanfiction--actually a record of her events, though that was unknown to the rest of the world--and hooked her laptop into it. She downloaded the story, while a program formatted the words into raw data. When the process was complete, she typed some codes and mathematical equations into the program and placed two electrode-like things on either side of her head. Everything blurred, flashed in blue light, and then the setting of the library fell from beneath her feet. Feeling as though she were to vomit from the motions of being tossed through space and time, her physical being seemed to split into two, and she found herself at the foot of Zim's door. She collapsed from exhaustion, and Zim rushed out to see what the noise was.
"M-M-Mel?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were...you were..." Picking her up, he carried her inside and set her on the couch. When she came to, he questioned her. "How is it that you're alive? I thought you were dead the whole time!"
"What? No, no...I just entered this reality through my sleep, but I was woken up and had to leave."
"You're back? After all these years?"
"Yeah. Twelve, to be precise. The door to other dimensions has always been there. I just found the key."
"So you have. But how do you plan to get back? You only have a box with you. Does that contain what you need to get back?"
"Oh, no...I forgot about that. It looks like I'm stuck here...forever."
"Why don't we just find a computer and hook you up to it, saying that we want you to go back home."
"I can't do that, Zim. There's no information source here about the reality I come from."
"Mel, you are an information source!"
"Oh...I forgot about that. Well, when I am ready to leave, we'll do that. But Zim, first you must tell me if there are any surviving humans, and if so, where are they?"
"Yes, there are. The Falish military picked up all surviving humans and transported them to a secret place there. They now have disguises to look like Falens, and they can't be told apart."
"Is there any kind of list for contacting them or something like that?"
"Yes. I happen to have it right here with me." Zim pulled a folder out of his PAK and handed it to Mel. "Here you go."
"Hmm...interesting. Gretchen survived...of course Gaz did, but I didn't know she joined the humans...wait, it says that Gretchen has a son."
"So? She's twenty-four Earth-years old; she probably found a human companion for herself."
"No...it says that her son is about eleven years old."
"That's not normal of humans, is it?"
"No...strange. Wait, it says that the child's father is...is..."
"Who?"
"Dib...but that's impossible. Are you sure that they didn't really do anything on the night of the skool dance?"
"Of course I'm sure! I'm sorry for lying to you that time, too."
"Apology accepted...how can this be? They couldn't have met later, because I even set fire to him after he died; you saw it with your own eyes."
"Maybe it's because the Falish reproduce by kissing."
"Zim, you fool! Why on Earth did you not tell me that before we started theorizing one what could've happened?"
"I wanted to see what you'd come up with."
"Ugh...geez, Zim, why'd you have to do that? Suppose that Dib and I really did like each other like that? Then that'd always be there to haunt us. You would've ruined our lives."
"Uh...sorry."
"Yeah, nice little prank. Ew, I can't believe that I came close to kissing him! Thank goodness for your prank! So Gretchen has a Falen/human son, and...Zim, there's a little girl standing in the hallway."
The girl spoke, "I'm not little! I'm eleven years old!"
"Right you are," Zim said. "Kiana, why don't you come here?" The child approached the table. She had large, silver-gray eyes, pale skin with a greenish tint, short, black hair with a light pink bow, and she was almost Zim's height. Her dress was Irken-style plum purple, and she wore a pair of black pants. "Mel, this is my daughter, Kiana. Normally Irkens don't reproduce in a way you'd consider normal, but...this is an exception. She was born on this planet because her mother requested it. Her mother was human, since you're probably wondering that right now."
"Dad, can I play on the Voot simulator?"
"No, not right now. I want you to
meet my friend, Mel. You are to address her as 'Kiana' or as 'Mysterious One'.
Do you understand?"
"Yes, father. But why does she have to have my name?"
"I don't know. Two people have never been given the same name in the Old Language before, but you do have the same name."
"Yes, father. Can I go on the Voot simulator now? Please..."
"Oh, okay. Just make sure you aren't late for dinner!"
"Okay!" She ran into the back of the house, disappearing from sight.
"Wow, Zim, I never really pictured you as a father figure before."
"Well, I am. Isn't she sweet?"
"Yes. I look forward to getting to know her."
"How long do you plan to stay here?"
"I don't know. Long enough to catch up on how your life is going and maybe...nah, never mind."
"What is it?"
"I said 'never mind.'"
"Tell me."
"Well...okay. You may think that it's a little ridiculous, but...before Dib died, we made plans for a school about the paranormal. I was thinking about maybe setting that up, you know, as a kind of dedication to his memory. Oh, what am I saying? That's impossible."
"Maybe not. I'm in power, here. I've made my way up to the top on Earth, and you may present your plans in front of the Board of Education in our next council meeting."
"Oh, thank you, Zim! That would be fantastic! When's the next meeting?"
"A week from Thursday."
"I'd better start working on those plans, then!"
"You mean you haven't done so already?"
"Uh...no."
"I'll help you, if you'd like."
"Okay, but what about teachers? Are any Irkens familiar with psychokinetic occurrences and how to deal with a poltergeist incident or anything having to do with parapsychology?"
"Explain to me what you just said."
"Which words do you not understand?"
"Psychokinetic, poltergeist, and parapsychology."
"Um...I guess that answers my question."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"I'll teach the parapsychology course, and we'll find some knowledgeable Irken to teach astrobiology."
"Astrobiology?"
"The study of alien life."
"Oh...well, I am quite informed on a variety of species..."
"Do you really think you're up to being a teacher?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On whether you think I've the credentials for it."
"Start drawing up a lesson plan."
Author's Note: You can hope all you want, but Mel and Dib are NOT having kids! I shudder at the thought!