I

Dexter woke up in the morning believing it would be just a normal Saturday. Well, as normal as a Saturday could be when playing around with forces most men would shudder to comprehend. No school meant that he would have all the time in the world, or – more accurately - in a day, to work on his inter-dimensional transportation device.

Unlike a science-fiction writer, Dexter was aware of the difference between a dimension and a universe. However, he had speculated that there were things to perceive in the world that were beyond the two dimensions that he could perceive and measure. If he could just find a way to add another dimension to himself, allowing him to experience a wider world than the stupid one he had grown up in. In a world where he was the only person of any intelligence, he believed that there had to be something better out there, if he could just find it.

Dexter had spent the last couple of months fantasizing about the possibilities that awaited him in the 3-D world. Even his incredibly large intellect could not fully imagine what the third dimension would be like. Would there be new types of plants and animals? Might there even be people? For some reason, Dexter believed that if there were any people that were three dimensional they would have to be smarter, or at least more emotionally developed. This thought elated him more than any other.

He quickly tightened the final screws and thanked his robot assistant. He powered the device up and broke into a nervous sweat. If this did not succeed, all of the work he had done in the past few months would be wasted, and his desire to find something beyond his silly world would remain burning in his heart for as long as it took to finally get this damn machine to work.

~0~

Mandark had snuck into Dexter's lab with the assistance of Dexter's sister, DeeDee. The two had been dating for almost a year now, and DeeDee was always complaining about his lack of expensive gifts. She wanted diamond-encrusted jump ropes, designer twelve-foot tall stuffed animals, and a herd of ponies. She was impossible, but Mandark loved her, and wanted to keep her happy.

Because of her unreasonable demands, Mandark had decided to start an independent film. He overheard Dexter's frequent fantasies of visiting the 3-D world and had realized that people would pay a lot of money to see something so new and alien. He knew that today Dexter planned on completing his device, so he hid behind some absurdly large computer monitors and closely watched Dexter. Mandark tensed, preparing himself to sneak into the transporter once Dexter was finished.

~0~

"10, 9, 8-" The computer counted down. Dexter eagerly waited for the portal to open.

~0~

"6, 5, 4-" Mandark began running for the device. If Dexter discovered him it would not affect his plans too much. Either he was getting into the other universe, or he would jetpack away if the device did not work.

~0~

"3, 2, 1."

Dexter's jaw dropped, and his eyes lit up as a rainbow portal appeared in front of him in a flash of scientific splendor. New sights and sounds assaulted him. The ground beneath him felt more solid. The air he breathed tasted like chalk and diesel. The world seemed more vibrant, the colors sharper. Since he could detect these changes before he even went through the portal, he could barely imagine what could be on the other side. Dexter gleefully skipped into the portal, thinking about all of the great things he would see there, and imagining the pure satisfaction of seeing his hard work pay off.

Seconds after, Mandark ran into the portal, dreaming about all the gifts he would pleasure DeeDee with after he accomplishes his task.

Dexter spent his first few seconds of consciousness in the new world looking at the most beautiful being he had ever seen. His eyes stood out to Dexter like marshmallows in a bowl of Lucky Charms. His large cranium spoke to Dexter about his intelligence more than any words, no matter how large, could. Looking upon his skinny body made Dexter finally realize that his genius was not wasted on the simpletons of his world, but could be appreciated by the person who stood right in front of him. Dexter felt complete, and his mirror felt the same way. Completely stunned by Dexter's beauty, the other boy in the room struggled to get out the few words he could.

"Hi, ummmmmm, I'm… ugh… Jimmy Neutron."

The name sounded in Dexter's ear like no other. This name, and Jimmy's good looks, completely captivated Dexter, so much so that he did not notice the lab, much like his own, around him, nor did he notice that the air around him filled his lungs, rather than increased their width, nor did he notice the new options of three dimensional travel, but most importantly neither he nor Jimmy realized Mandark run through the portal and out of the lab into the outside world yelling "mwahaha mwahahahaha, mwahaha mwahahahaha."

Goddard, however, noticed everything. Jimmy and Dexter's intimate staring hurt Goddard because he thought that he and Jimmy had something special going on. He quickly turned around so he could not see the couple and followed Mandark out of the lab, hoping that he could figure out a way to destroy this relationship…