A note before we begin: I began this fanfic a LONG time ago, and unfortunately fell out of the 'Zim' fandom for awhile before I could finish it. Well, I got all nostalgic for 'Zim' again recently, and took a look back at some of my old fanfics. I read this one again, and thought, "Well… this isn't too awfully, horribly bad… (Yeah, yeah, I know, I really should get over myself, right?) Maybe I should finally finish it?" So I sat down and did it, and I figure with the new 'Godzilla' movie just released, plus the popularity of movies like 'Pacific Rim' going strong, this was the perfect time. It's just a classic, good ol' fashioned cannon-style Zim vs. Dib kind of story-no romance or fan characters or any of that stuff. You may even consider it a sequel to 'Hamstergeddon' if you like. I changed the title, too. I never liked the original much, and I think this one gives a much better sense of what the story is about. 'Kay, I'm done now. Hope U enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Nightmare

A shadowy, pale-white figure made its way along the dark street, its glasses giving off a faint glint in the light cast by the row of lamps that lined it, the figure's black cape of a trench coat flapping behind it as it sped through the cool nighttime air.

How long had he been running? And more importantly, how far away had he gotten? Was the other one still there, or had he managed to finally give his adversary the slip? He had to have outrun him by now, right? Behind him the boy heard the rhythmic clickity-click of metal on cement, and the sound sent a chill down his back. He was still there. The alien was still right on his tail. He picked up his speed, though his muscles screamed for rest, forcing his legs to move as fast as they could. Beads of sweat stood out on his pale forehead, his breath was coming out in short gasps, and the sound of his boots hitting the pavement mingled with the metallic clings making for a most bizarre duet.

He'd gone to spy on the alien at least a hundred times it seemed, so how come this time it'd gone so horribly wrong? It had been another simple, routine mission; go over to his base, snap a few photos, maybe collect a DNA sample or two, then breeze on out of there. Only this time the alien had been lying in anticipation for him… waiting for him to come. Wanting him to come, it seemed. Why? The boy had no idea, but now here he was fleeing for his life, being hunted down by a maniacal little extraterrestrial like a frightened rabbit evading a bloodthirsty wolf.

The boy ducked around a corner hoping to conceal himself in the shadows cast by the tall buildings. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, and he had to strain to hear over the noise it made. He heard the sound of metal on cement coming towards him. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for his grim fate… then to his immense relief the clicks faded away as the alien predator skittered past his hiding place without a second glance.

After a moment the boy took a peek around the side of the building. There was no sign of his pursuer, and he drew his head back into the shadows, trying to come up with a plan. He couldn't be too far from home now, not after all the running he'd done. He figured if he traveled along the back alleyways hidden by the darkness, there was a chance that he could outfox his opponent and make it back to his house in a matter of five minutes, maybe less if he was lucky. Creeping back deeper into the thick blackness and taking one last look around, he broke into a run… and found himself heading straight into the waiting clutches of four metal spider legs, a pair of scarlet eyes gleaming in their midst.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Dib awoke with a start. He sat up and put a hand to his sweating brow, his breath coming out in tiny huffs.

"A dream… It was just a dream."

He shook his head and glanced around his bedroom, a flood of relief washing over him as his eyes fell upon the familiar, friendly surroundings of his computer, his stack of Para-zines, and his numerous outer space charts and UFO posters decorating the walls. "Man, I really do think my dreams are getting worse," he mumbled with a frown. Shaking away the nightmare, Dib adjusted his glasses (and when he thought it over later he realized the fact that he'd worn them to bed should have been his first hint that something funny was going on) and looked over at his alarm clock. "Oh no! I'm gonna be late for skool!"

He hastily leaped out of bed and sprang over to the closet to get dressed. As Dib lifted his hand to the palm scanner, however, he was surprised to find he was already wearing his trademark black coat, black pants, and blue blasé-faced shirt. "That's odd. I don't remember falling asleep in my clothes." Dib glanced down at his feet. "And my boots," he added when he saw he was still wearing those too.

"Come to think of it... I don't remember anything about last night," he suddenly realized.

Dib narrowed his bespectacled eyes in concentration, trying to recall some small fragment of memory about the previous night, but nothing surfaced. "I remember I was planning on investigating Zim's house, but I don't remember anything else. Did I even go to Zim's last night? And that dream I had…" Dib stood there and tried to remember the details of it. Had it been a dream? It had felt awfully real, more like a repressed memory than a nightmare. But if it had actually happened then how come he'd awakened in his own room? If the memory was accurate shouldn't he have woken up strapped to one of Zim's examining tables, or as a floating head in a jar or something?

"Could I have had a blackout?" Dib had never been prone to them before, but who knew how quickly these medical conditions could develop, sometimes out of nowhere. It would explain why he couldn't remember anything… but still, something about that dream kept plaguing his mind.

Dib peered around his room as if something in there could give him an answer, and his eye fell upon the clock again where the numbers 7:57 glowed a harsh bright red. "Eep!" There was no time to dwell on whacked-out dreams and possible narcolepsy at the moment. Not when there was a terrifying snake-woman with a teaching degree waiting to bite his head off if he was late one more time.

He snatched up his backpack and after a quick glance in the mirror to run a hand through his pointy black hair, he bolted down the stairs to the kitchen where he shoved a donut in his mouth before heading out the door. Gaz had already left without him he noted with a touch of dismay, but this thought and any others he may have had were quickly replaced by the more urgent task of getting to skool on time. On the way he noticed that his legs seemed a bit sore this morning, as if he'd worn them out running the day before. The dream flashed across his mind again, but the thought was fleeting and slipped away as the skool building came into view.