TITLE: The MOTHMAN Chronicles
PAIRINGS: Dib/Lard Nar and 777/Zim
SUMMARY: AU: Dib was only trying to find proof of alien life, but with a partner like Bill it was hard to find the time. Gaz just wanted the annoying green kid to stop trying to steal her Game Slave. When races clash Dib enters the fight for the freedom of the universe. Too bad he's surrounded by idiots.
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything of Invader Zim and I am NOT making a profit from this.
Prologue: Sounds of Chance
The glare from the screens should have blinded him, but he had stared into them for ten hours straight which gave him immunity to the harshness of the light in the dark room. As it was, the monitors had provided the only source of light for the room's sole inhabitant to work in. The booming sounds that sprang from the headphones that covered his ears drowned out the silence around him. At first the sounds had instilled a sense of hope and humility within him, but as hours passed the sounds lost their grandeur and acted more as white noise during his continued search. He muttered the coordinates of the next sector under his breath and bent over to adjust the dials of the scanners to their new position. Distracted by his task, he never noticed the sound of another's footsteps as they neared his seat until an unexpected grip on his shoulder jolted him from his work. He jumped back in his seat which caused his chair to skid back and nearly bring the expensive equipment with him. Cursing, he slipped off his headphones and turned to face whoever would interrupt his work.
"Holy shit! What the- oh, Agent Dark Bootie. What are you still doing here; I thought you would have left by now?" After he adjusted his glasses he smiled up at his mentor's scruffy face as the older man chuckled and shook his head. "I had some samples to organize before heading out, but what are you still doing here Mothman?" he questioned casting the other a reproachful look. The younger frowned slightly before turning back to his screens.
"Just a few more sectors, and then I can-" "Dib," his mentor interrupted sharply, "it's time to go home. Others took off hours ago, and so should you." Exasperated, Dib shook his head and stared at the screens. "No can do sir. It took forever to convince the stiffs at SETI to let me use their sensors. I only have a month to squeeze in as much research as I can before they demand them back." His mentor frowned and felt insulted on behalf of his protegee. "Boy, you might not be one of the best, but you are one of this organizations most dedicated agents. Everyone here knows my research would have been scrapped if not for you. You are helping to further the search of ETL, something even our best agents seem to avoid around here. I'm sure I can convince the higher-ups to get you more time with" he gestured awkwardly to the screens in front of Dib, "whatever this is."
Dib smirked and ignored the embarrassed discomfort he felt to instead explain the complicated system of equipment before him. "Those sensors are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation in space, and this here converts the radiation into audible sounds" he explained excitedly as he eagerly pointed out each component to his mentor. "My own scanners equip the sensors with a power boost that allows me to pinpoint sections, or sectors, of space to check. Finally, this little guy here records everything so nothing is lost." He finished, pointing to the large metal box sitting on the floor.
"Now hold up a minute boy, you saying you are listening to space?" Dark Bootie muttered god-smacked. He snickered at the other's reaction before he continued. "Pretty much, yeah. It's pretty amazing isn't it? I had a hard time concentrating at first because it was just so cool. It's perfect for my research too. Ideally, I'll be able to record audible proof of ETL." Dib's smile turned forlorn and he sighed. "It sounds stupid, but space is just so… big. There are just too many sectors to search. Chances of me finding any sort of proof of intelligent life are less than 0.01 percent over four billion years. I could search my entire life 50 times over and still find nothing." He confessed dejectedly before he adjusted the dials of the scanners again to a new sector. His mentor patted his shoulder and gestured him to stand up.
"I know it seems hopeless boy, but you keep it up. Even if you don't succeed, you never know what you might stumble into trying." He stated seriously, before he smiled down at the younger man. "Now help a senior agent to his car and he might be persuaded to pick up some take out for his best student." Knowing his mentor was right; Dib slipped off his headphones and set them down on the table. It was late and his sister had the car for the day. His stomach growled and he remembered just how long ago it had been since he had last eaten. After he reached his decision he nodded and stood to follow his mentor out. 'Tomorrow', he thought. Tomorrow he would come in early and continue where he left off, but tonight he was done. He locked the door behind him and never heard the odd chirping noises the equipment picked up. The equipment continued to run as the chirping sound alerted all members of its mighty race that the universe would be theirs for the taking.
INFO:
SETI: 'Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence' is a non-profit institution dedicated to search the universe for life. They use sensors that covert electromagnetic radiation into audible sounds. Check it out, it's really interesting stuff!
ETL: Extraterrestrial Life
Author's Note: As mentioned, this is an Alternative Universe story which features Dib as an adult in his early 20s who is an agent at the Swollen Eyeball. The series never happened in this story. This story also features slash/xeno pairings. If you do not agree or like that you are welcome to click the back button. If you don't care then I hope you enjoy the ride! Romance is not the focal point, but it will be seen later on, though not for a long while. I've read through this probably a hundred times now, but chances are I still missed something. If you catch a mistake, please let me know! Thank you for reading and see you next week!