Hello readers. This is my first Invader Zim fanfiction. It is Dib-centric, has elements of humor, mystery, friendship and a tiny bit of romance (really the romance is just part of the humor), and will hopefully update fairly regularly.

As cliche as it sounds, this is only the prologue, and yes, it kind of stinks, but it makes understanding things later a little easier. The story gets better as it goes on, I promise.


Prologue
Dr. O'Sullivan's Surprise

Dr. Patrick O'Sullivan, forty-five years old, one of the leading researchers in astronomy and astrophysics at the university, recipient of the prestigious Golden Brain Award for his work with Professor Membrane, and the equally-prestigious Smartypants Prize with his wife Debra O'Sulluvan, was in his lab late that night, working on the calculations for a new invention that could revolutionize human understanding of the space-time continuum.

While listening to DDR on his headphones, of course.

Hey Mr. Wonderful,
Oh you're so incredible,
Hey Mr. Wonderful,

Wonderful to me.
Hey Mr. Wonderful,
Oh you're irresistible--

RING! RING!

"Oh!" Dr. O'Sullivan realized his phone had been ringing for several minutes. He quickly switched off his music and answered. "H-hello?"

There was a pause, followed by his wife's voice. "You were listening to that song again, weren't you?"

"Er, well--i-is there something you need, darling?"

"Just wondering when you were planning on getting home, Pat. It's awfully late."

"About an hour, I think. I'm just finishing up for the night."

"Alright. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Deb."

Dr. O'Sullivan hung up, yawned and stretched. He glanced up at the clock. Almost midnight. He scolded himself for getting so distracted by his work; he really needed to stop doing that. He had a family at home, after all; he didn't want to be like old Membrane, locked up in his lab all day and night...

As Dr. O'Sullivan gathered up his things, he heard a noise behind him. He paused and turned around, blinking in the dark room, illuminated only by his desk lamp. He frowned. "Sal?" he called, thinking of the old and clumsy laboratory security guard. "You there?"

There was no answer. Dr. O'Sullivan shrugged and turned back to his desk, collecting his papers into his briefcase. Then he heard another sound, very slight, like someone brushing up against one of the tables of the room.

"Who's there?" he said, turning around again. He squinted in the darkness. The room seemed to be empty. He adjusted his glasses slightly. "Hello?"

Then he saw something, very slight, very quick. A kind of shimmer in the dark, just a momentary thing, so brief he would have thought he had imagined it, if not a second later he felt something hit him, hard, on the head.

"Agh!"

His head swam; his eyes watered; he staggered, then felt something grab him roughly. For a moment he was unable to focus, and the next thing he knew everything went back.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dr. O'Sullivan groaned, eyes opening slowly. For a moment he struggled to remember what had happened, and why he seemed to be lying alone on the cold metal floor instead of his own soft bed with Debra sleeping sounding beside him. He looked up blearily, unable to see well with his glasses askew. Was this his office? No, though the two places were similar...this looked like some kind of lab or workroom, but the walls were all white metal, and it was all much to brightly lit...

"Where...am I?" he mumbled, unable to either think or speak very clearly.

"You are in my lab, Doctor."

Dr. O'Sullivan turned his head in the direction of the voice, and suddenly his hazy mind snapped alert, his eyes widened as he saw the being before him.

"You're a--you're an--"

"An alien, yes."

"Wha-what do you want from me?" he asked, voice trembling.

The alien's look was inscrutable. It turned its head away, but continued to watch him out of the corners of its inhuman eyes. "I need your help," it said simply, motioning for him to stand. "Follow me."


...Yeah. Kind of stupid, but that song is just so silly to stick in random places. Anyway, I hope you move on the next chapter, where we actually start seeing real Invader Zim characters.