Markus was not okay, he was soon going to spend some time in his evil lai…, his asteroid base, and Membrane out of the blue just get the off skool in a fieldtrip. Why…
"Why…"He moaned.
"Because the universe will kick you back when you cheat."Julia said.
"I just read the signs it send, it is not like I am warping reality or anything like that."He complained; Gaz was sitting in the front seat so he Julia and a very confused Dib were sitting in the back.
"What are you talking about?" Dib asked.
"We can anticipate certain things; they act like movie clichés sometimes."Julia said.
"Really? Like what?"Dib asked.
"Do you remember when we brought umbrellas in the day you were complaining about everything, we anticipated that you would at some point say 'this couldn't get any worse' and it would rain, we were right."Julia explained.
"Oh so you are like omniscient?'Dib asked.
"No, some situations we can predict, but we don't know for sure, there is always the chance of tropes being subverted."Julia concluded.
Markus was still sad, he had to push certain thoughts away, he didn't want to jinx himself by saying…no he was not going to think about that no,no,no,no,no,no…
Zim was puzzled, where is the Dib, he had a plan to take over the world and had no one to boast about, GIR was not smart enough and the computer hated him, as sad as it was the Dib was…
"I guess I will wait for his return, after all if he isn't here…he might begin a rebellion once I start taking over, yes I have to have him here."Zim said out loud as he returned to his class.
The teacher was once again testing the humans to see if they have the mental resistance to understand the world as it is, Zim himself would never admit but he faltered a bit in the beginning.
"…unt to nothing, I told your parents and their parent's parents and their parent's…"The teacher said with her cold tone. Zim was worried about the invader; he had a power armor of sorts and powerful equipment, he couldn't report that kind of opposition to the Tallest, it would be outrageous.
By the time he got home he was thinking more about what could have happened to the Dib, he then decide to go there, he looked around and then stood in front of the door, he wasn't sure what to do, he saw in human entertainment that he should knock on the door, but he wasn't sure if he should, in the human movies they should be friends or something like that, he was an Irken he had no friends, he was a cold planet killing machine, that is what they are meant to be, how they are trained from the day they are born…
"Hello, what brings you to my house?"The flying monitor asked Zim as the door opened, Zim jumped back.
"Whaaa? I…I want to know why the Dib wasn't in class today."Zim said slowly; the hovering screen analyzed what was said.
"Dib and the rest of my family include myself are doing a fieldtrip, the date of return is not defined yet."The recording added Dib's name in an artificial voice and answered Zim.
"Oh I see…"Zim would have to wait, he left and soon the door closed.
The car ran out of fuel… in the middle of nowhere, Membrane was as cheerful as ever, Markus was trying not to thing in ways he could lose his space station and Gaz was angry.
"Well I guess we will have to walk to a gas station, there must be one around here."Dib said.
"Yes let's go then."Membrane agreed.
They walked for hours before they saw a station, it was a gross place, they all got gasoline and brought it back to the car, after a few more hours they decided to rest in the car for the night.
The next day Dib asked.
"Dad, where are we going?"He raised his voice so his son could hear him.
"Oh I heard about a science convention in the capital, so I am taking us there."Membrane said.
Markus was now focusing himself so he wouldn't lose to the motion sickness; he was too busy doing it to notice they were, it was a green land, the car stopped.
Markus could only say as he looked around.
"…in an Amish paradise…"He sang as he realized where they were.
"Well I believe there must be a hotel of sorts around here, let's go ask."Membrane said; Gaz looked angry as she noticed there was no technology around.
They found a inn, Markus didn't really knew anything about the Amish, other than what he saw in Amish Paradise, so he guessed that was normal or something, it made sense they had to pay taxes, probably. But the beds were amazing.
The next day Membrane told them he was going out to check on more information and would be back before the night, Gaz was angry since her batteries ran out during the night, Markus offered her the batteries he invented she accepted, he had brought it along with his Plasma Caster in his bag, it was well hidden of course. Dib was in the forest looking for supernatural phenomena, Julia was with Gaz, talking while she played and Markus started looking for books.
"It is unusual for a young one like you to read."A man said; he had a beard and a hat and was wearing black.
"I prefer the book nowadays; most things on TV are stupid."Markus was honest; he had become an avid reader since he came to this world.
"Well then feel free to pick a book then, remember to return it in seven days." The man said, he must be the librarian, Markus decided since Libraries were ancient it made sense.
"I never thought I would be in an Amish village."He commented, the man seemed to tense up for a moment.
"What do you know about us?"He asked.
"You live by the old ways, not using modern technology, don't practice violence and make butter."Markus listed his extensive knowledge of their society.
"Yes, that is a good summary; well I have to go back to plowing the field now, goodbye boy."The man said; Markus was impressed, the man was not the librarian, were they just a community that helped each other and anyone there?
Membrane was talking to his father; he hadn't talked to him in years.
"So who is coming father?"Membrane asked.
"The government, again, they somehow found us, ever since we deserted that project they have been chasing us, I understand you don't like me or your mother for having to raise you in that way but it was necessary."His father looked sad.
Membrane hugged his father; his father was surprised at that.
"I understand father, I am a father myself now I understand, but you need help right, I thought you were building a ship, haven't you finished it?"Membrane asked his father.
"Most of it is ready, we have resources but there are several things we don't have, we need a way to reverse gravity, and a more reliable energy source, since you are a very accomplished scientist we thought you could help us."His father said.
"I have several inventions I keep hidden, I have the schematics with me, and there is also a young scientist that is very bright on his own that could help you."Membrane said.
"Oh is it my grandson?"He asked.
"Not exactly I adopted him last year, it's a long story but he invented a battery that stores energy indefinitely and a versatile energy weapon and shield technologies." Membrane said, while his own son was doing well he had just started.
"Oh does he know?"His father asked.
"No but I believe he should, if he is to help us."Membrane told him.
"I will discuss it with the others, go talk with the engineers they will show you the ship."
Membrane soon saw the ship, it was enormous, and it must have four hundred meters in length, fifty meters tall and one hundred meters across. He looked at the engines, made for space flight, he had something better and that required less fuel, the nuclear generator was old, he had a fusion reactor that was far safer, the defense systems…didn't exist; he would install something in there.
"What is the name?"He asked the chief engineer.
"We call it Prometheus, as in the old myths, to remind us the reason we are fleeing."The man said.
"I see, well you will need weapons if you want to survive out there."Membrane said.
"Why? The chances aliens are out there are minimal and besides, what good would guns be, they are the reason they are after us."The engineer said.
"There are several things that might threaten you in space, it is always better to be prepared."Membrane knew what he was talking about.
"Fine then you will have to make them."The engineer said.
"Don't push all of it to me Al, I remember you liked the idea of huge space guns years ago."Membrane said.
"Yeah I do but they don't want weapons in the ship."The engineer said as he pointed to the lead scientists.
"My father will talk to them, I know most of them don't like me but I am right."Membrane said.
The next day in the village Membrane had arrived during the night, the convention would be in a few days so they would have to wait there, since he found no hotels in the urban area close to the convention.
"It is really strange that your world doesn't have cities, I mean every urban center is connected so it is basically a giant city."Markus told Dib.
"It is strange that your world has, doesn't it get confusing?"He asked.
"Not really, but did you find anything in the forest?"Markus asked out of curiosity, the village was far away from the urban center it might be part of the little town that hides a secret.
"I saw some spirits but nothing else."Dib said.
"Wait as in spirits of the dead, supernatural things?"Markus asked.
"Yeah but they are normal, every paranormal investigator I know already saw them so it is nothing new."Dib said.
"There are other paranormal investigators that really find supernatural things."Markus asked.
"Yeah I am part of a secret society, The Swollen Eyeball Network, they are paranormal investigators I have access to several thing thanks to them, information equipment."Dib said; Markus was impressed the 12 year old seemed to be a member of a secret society.
"Cool…wait did you tell them about me?"Markus asked.
"I might have, but they didn't believe me, they don't believe me about Zim either."Dib said embarrassed.
"Wow."Markus realized Dib was an outcast in the middle of probably more outcasts.
Julia and Gaz entered the room they were on and the Gaz asked.
"Do you have any other of those batteries?"Markus opened his backpack and pulled another one, he had a solar panel too but it was in the roof charging the others.
"Thanks Markus."Julia said as she plugged the battery in her Game Slave, the two then left.
"Gaz has been acting weird lately, toward me and everyone in the house."Dib said.
"I guess it is because she and Julia are friends now, from what I heard Gaz didn't really have friend before, and neither did you."Markus said.
"Wow she and I have come a long way then, I am less obsessed and she is less…her."Dib noted.
"Still the two of you seem to be the most sane I found in this world so far."Markus said.
"What about my dad?"Dib asked confused.
"What about him?"Markus looked weirdly at Dib.
Dib was going to interject but he realized what Markus meant, his father wasn't really normal.
"When we get back how about you introduce me to this secret society thing?"Markus asked.
"Really, will you tell them where you are from?"Dib asked happily.
"Sure, this place is insane, I want to know what I can run into, natural or supernatural, or alien."Markus told Dib. He wondered how this secret society was like.
Well there it is, another chapter, I listened to Amish Paradise while writing it, I believe it has some form of subliminal message, but that is not important, please review. The next chapter will arrive after a return from the fields, there is plenty of plowing to do, and chickens to feed and butter to do as well.
