Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all. Nothing, you hear me? No-Thing!
Note: Ever notice Gaz's weird abilities? Like in "Game Slave 2", for example? I'm going to try and explain them. Will it reek hideously or merely suck? You decide!
Chapter One
Dib Membrane dragged himself through the doorway to his home, beaten, frazzled, and thoroughly defeated once again. How was it that Zim, surely the most laughable excuse for alien superiority that had ever been spawned, always managed to defeat him? He paused, exhausted. As he lay there, sprawled half in and half out of the entrance, he dimly heard an irritated grunt of annoyance from behind. 'Uh oh' was his only thought before his little sister stomped heavily over him into their home. He gingerly reached to feel his aching back for any obviously snapped vertebrae or protruding bones.
Finding neither, he pushed himself up on his hands and knees to finish crawling into the house. As he sorted out how to move forward without entangling himself in the tail of his trenchcoat and falling onto his already bruised face, he felt a drop of water land on an exposed spot on his left leg. He paused. Rain? He staggered back into a sitting position on the stoop and stared up at the angry clouds boiling across the sky. How strange. He knew very well that it had been a mercilessly hot sunny day only moments ago when he had been creeping along over the blistering pavement on his way home.
Dib sat there, staring up into the first scattering fall of rain. It was strange. Very, very strange.
"So son, daughter, how was your day?" their father's image on the hovering vid-monitor asked casually. Dib didn't look up from where he picked listlessly at a plate of microwave-warmed macaroni and cheese. Both he and Gaz were used to the mealtimes that most other families would consider odd. Actually having a real-time conversation with him was a rare privilege, but he was too tired to take advantage of it.
"Made it to the secret perfect score bonus level on 'Piggies of Blood IV' today." Gaz piped up suddenly. Dib snorted. "Oh, is that what you were doing when you walked all over me today? Glad to know it was something important." That had come out a little sharper than he'd intended. He looked up to gauge the reactions of his father and sister. Gaz slowly opened one eye to glare at him. "Well, we can't all be out saving the world from mutant vampire paperclips, Dib."
Dib jumped, not only because of her icy tone, but because of the booming roar of thunder that accompanied it. Gaz's glare didn't waver at the deafening crack, indeed it was almost as if she'd been expecting both the thunder and the fresh downpour of heavy rain that accompanied it. She stood, purposely leaving her dirty plate on the table for him to clean up, and exited the room.
Dib stared after her for a moment, feeling the tension that followed his sister like a barely-tamed pet demon. From behind him, he could hear his father's voice issue softly from the hovering monitor. "Ah dear… It's started already. I thought we'd have a few more years at least." Dib looked back at his father's image. "What!?" for all its shock, the question had been barely a whisper. Still, Professor Membrane had heard it. "I'll be home in a few hours, son. We'll discuss it then." The image went black as the connection was terminated.
Dib stared at the disconnected screen in shock. "What's started? What are you talking about, Dad?" Whatever it was, it had to be big. Normally nothing could coax their father away from the "all important" work of saving all mankind. He shuddered involuntarily as another peal of thunder shook the house with ultra low-frequncy sound waves.
Note: Ever notice Gaz's weird abilities? Like in "Game Slave 2", for example? I'm going to try and explain them. Will it reek hideously or merely suck? You decide!
Chapter One
Dib Membrane dragged himself through the doorway to his home, beaten, frazzled, and thoroughly defeated once again. How was it that Zim, surely the most laughable excuse for alien superiority that had ever been spawned, always managed to defeat him? He paused, exhausted. As he lay there, sprawled half in and half out of the entrance, he dimly heard an irritated grunt of annoyance from behind. 'Uh oh' was his only thought before his little sister stomped heavily over him into their home. He gingerly reached to feel his aching back for any obviously snapped vertebrae or protruding bones.
Finding neither, he pushed himself up on his hands and knees to finish crawling into the house. As he sorted out how to move forward without entangling himself in the tail of his trenchcoat and falling onto his already bruised face, he felt a drop of water land on an exposed spot on his left leg. He paused. Rain? He staggered back into a sitting position on the stoop and stared up at the angry clouds boiling across the sky. How strange. He knew very well that it had been a mercilessly hot sunny day only moments ago when he had been creeping along over the blistering pavement on his way home.
Dib sat there, staring up into the first scattering fall of rain. It was strange. Very, very strange.
"So son, daughter, how was your day?" their father's image on the hovering vid-monitor asked casually. Dib didn't look up from where he picked listlessly at a plate of microwave-warmed macaroni and cheese. Both he and Gaz were used to the mealtimes that most other families would consider odd. Actually having a real-time conversation with him was a rare privilege, but he was too tired to take advantage of it.
"Made it to the secret perfect score bonus level on 'Piggies of Blood IV' today." Gaz piped up suddenly. Dib snorted. "Oh, is that what you were doing when you walked all over me today? Glad to know it was something important." That had come out a little sharper than he'd intended. He looked up to gauge the reactions of his father and sister. Gaz slowly opened one eye to glare at him. "Well, we can't all be out saving the world from mutant vampire paperclips, Dib."
Dib jumped, not only because of her icy tone, but because of the booming roar of thunder that accompanied it. Gaz's glare didn't waver at the deafening crack, indeed it was almost as if she'd been expecting both the thunder and the fresh downpour of heavy rain that accompanied it. She stood, purposely leaving her dirty plate on the table for him to clean up, and exited the room.
Dib stared after her for a moment, feeling the tension that followed his sister like a barely-tamed pet demon. From behind him, he could hear his father's voice issue softly from the hovering monitor. "Ah dear… It's started already. I thought we'd have a few more years at least." Dib looked back at his father's image. "What!?" for all its shock, the question had been barely a whisper. Still, Professor Membrane had heard it. "I'll be home in a few hours, son. We'll discuss it then." The image went black as the connection was terminated.
Dib stared at the disconnected screen in shock. "What's started? What are you talking about, Dad?" Whatever it was, it had to be big. Normally nothing could coax their father away from the "all important" work of saving all mankind. He shuddered involuntarily as another peal of thunder shook the house with ultra low-frequncy sound waves.