Disclaimer:This is going to be a start on my attempt to write a story about a cartoon that I don't obviously own.

AN: Hey guys! So, I'm actually quite new at writing a story about Invader Zim so please cut me some slack as I try to be as good as I can be. One of the main reasons why I'm writing this now is to just satiate my desire to share my imagination with other people. This idea is actually floating inside my head for a few days now and I just can't help but write it and post on this site!

Also, I know it would be inevitable as readers from my other stories will probably stumble upon this and will question me why I abandoned them. The thing is, I kind of lost my drive in finishing them... I know I sound selfish in saying that I'm probably not going to finish them but that just happens, you know? Hope you guys understand.

Anyways, please enjoy this story!

Summary: This story takes place three years from the time Zim landed on Earth. This story deviates from canon by the time Tak was introduced. Please also note that this story will mostly have elements that is not found in the show.

Update: Wow... I never noticed how bad this first chapter was! I was sitting for an hour just trying to decide whether I should change this or not! Anyways, here's the updated one!

"Nightmares"

He ran.

He could hear his heavy breathing very clearly as he thundered down the corridor. He didn't know where he was going but he still kept moving his legs. His lungs started aching, his throat felt dry, but still he persisted.

He ran as fast as he could. All around him were machines that he himself had no idea how they worked even if he was given a lifetime to study them. He still knew where they came from though. He recognized the shapes, and symbols on them. Most importantly, he recognized the insignia all around him. An upside down triangle with a circle in the middle with two horns on top which for some odd reason was glowing bright red in the dark giving the corridor a very eerie feeling to it.

Just remembering those beasts made his blood boil. He can't remember why but instincts told him to hate them. To curse their names. To spill their blood.

But still, he ran even with those thoughts in mind. Even if his legs felt like they would snap off from all the running, he didn't stop.

There was a reason for that though.

For at the end of the corridor, behind a giant red door, he could hear laughter. Not the kind where friends share a joke amongst themselves. This laughter was akin to the one you heard in mental hospitals.

He redoubled his efforts before he halted to a stop in front of it. Without any second thoughts, he kicked the door open with all his might and actually broke the door off its hinges. He glared at the source of the laughter but the image in front of him made his eyes widened in horror.

"Ahh... You have finally came!" said the person in front of him haughtily. "I was beginning to think that you were chickening out considering that you are a coward for using someone else as a distraction while you sabotage my plans! But nonetheless, you are too late to stop me! You know why? Because you are a fool to trust me!" The person continued followed by his loud cackling while he threw his head back.

But he wasn't listening to him. His attention was on the table behind him.

His gritted his teeth and clenched his fists when he realized that the person he was looking for was spread-eagled on the table. How could he be so reckless to leave her alone? Why did he think that she could do it by herself? Because he knew that he was a coward. He knew that he didn't have it in him to do the things that she could.

"This is getting boring" The other person yawned mockingly. Without any warning, he raised a futuristic looking gun and pointed it at him. "Time to end this. Goodbye."

BANG

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dib shot up from the hospital bed as he clutched his head in terror and released a bloodcurdling scream.

Gaz, who was tasked on watching over Dib since their father was busy with work, just turned to him with a raised brow before shrugging and returning to her Game Slave 2.

After a few minutes of constant screaming, Dib finally settled down as he tried to get his bearings back together. It took a while before realized that he was currently wearing a hospital gown and that he was on a bed.

He was frantically looking around before he was able to spot Gaz.

"G-Gaz... What happened...? And why am I... in a hospital?" he asked as he continued to try and catch his breath.

Gaz looked up from her game as she regarded her brother once again, contemplating whether to answer him or not. "You were in your lab experimenting, again, when something exploded in there. Dad was about to check up on you when smoke started seeping out from under your door. He told me to stand back and not to enter the room, not that I was going to save you that is. It was only later though when dad thought it was safe to enter, only to find you on the ground unconscious. So he decided that it would be best that you would be sent to the hospital while he returned to his work." She said in a single breath and said it in such a tone like she was talking about the weather.

"O-oh yeah... Now I remember" Dib said as he looked down on his hands. "I was trying to clone the lab rat when something went wrong with the machine I was using. It seems that using duct tape to hold on to the wires is a bad idea"

Gaz just nodded her head and returned to her game. "Yeah, sure. Anyways, if you keep this up then you will eventually kill yourself. Not that there is anything wrong with that."

Dib just glared at Gaz like she just insulted him "Hey! You might not care about anything but that doesn't mean you should at least care for our planet! What if another irken attacks us and we don't have any means of defending ourselves? What then, huh?!"

Gaz just glared back at him, and for once in his life he didn't even flinch. She rolled her eyes after a while before getting up and walked towards the door. She stopped for a moment and looked back at him. "For the record, I would have preferred if you were the one who died, not him."

Dib just glared at the door where Gaz exited. "What is that supposed to mean?! Hey, we're not done talking!"

Dib growled before he plopped back to the bed. What did she mean by that? He was her brother! How could she think that that alien was more important than him?! Dib decided that he should just sleep it off. Maybe something good will happen tomorrow.

Maybe.

AN: Hey there! I hope this introductory chapter was not confusing! Just comment and tell me what you guys think so I can improve my writing!