Dlbn: Hello there, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Keefvine! Wow, it's been a weekend. Happy late Fourth of July for all the U.S. readers. I got to hang with some friends I haven't seen in three or four months, so that was cool. Except now I'm sick. Freaking allergies became a sinus infection. But, whatever, I'm doing okay. I'm going horseback riding in the Adirondacks with my aunt and a friend tomorrow. It's been so long since I've been horseback riding, I can't wait! And it's time for Keefvine, so that's a plus in my week!

Nbld: Considering the verdict today.

Dlbn: Well, now, Nbld, some people might have differing opinions, so leave that and go to the Review Corner, okay?

Nbld: Thank you to Captor of the Crazies, Princess-Of-Your-Doom95, Servant of Time, YaoiGirly, Itachi-Uchiha13, and lilashley88/Lady Luck for reviewing! Here's mini protective domes for you all!

Captor of the Crazies: Keyvine/Krill's intentions are a mystery, that's for sure. But he better watch himself if he doesn't want people finding out about him being Irken! ^^ That is a very creative punishment for the non-believing Professor Membrane. Maybe he was anal probed by aliens as a kid and his hatred of aliens became ignorance or something…wow, I smell a side-fic… lol

Princess-Of-Your-Doom95: Yes, the things sure like to blow up moons, huh? Strange little creatures, those Slerks. The waitress shall never be heard from again. Gir sent The Angry Monkey after her. I'm sure those purple ninja monkeys would be an excellent addition to her torment, however. ;)

Servant of Time: Nope. NY just legalized gay marriage on either the 29th or 30th of June. I actually find that New Yorkers are bigoted homophobic assholes, but that might just be in my town. I don't know. (Sorry to all other New Yorkers. Feel the lurve). I can't write Krill's name now without imagining that. I forgot about that part of Finding Nemo! Lol. I'm thinking of making Gir be like he is in the show. I mean, Zim makes illegal weaponry, so he's good with tech. But it would be funny to see how his AI building skills suck. Maybe that's why he was never made into an Invader? Lol. Red and Purple and the others might come in at the very end. At least, I'm pretty sure they will. Don't worry about a lot of questions. Questions are good! You can never ask too many!

YaoiGirly: Zim/Krill affair. Whoot, whoot. Lol. I don't think either would cheat on their boyfriends. Maybe if they were drunk enough though…I'm not sure if there is going to be a lot of yummyness in this, since it focuses on the Slerks and everything, but Zim and Dib need to have some fun times, if you know what I mean. ;)

Itachi-Uchiha13: I like Cosplaying, too. I don't know if my friend that I'm going to go with next year will want to do it, but I still will. Haha. I left my friend to finish her Cosplay the last few days before the con I was going to go with her to. I didn't have time, you know? Yay for Fan Service! There's not a lot at the con I go to, but people might if I pay them to. No one ever asks me to do Fan Service, but that's probably because my friend that I go to cons with and I never wear Cosplay that match. (I was Soubi from Loveless, she was Yuffie from FFVII. I was Edward from FMA, she broke her arm and couldn't Cosplay) Keyvine and Keef are so in love it's not funny. I don't think Krill was that way with Zim. Maybe he was. I don't remember. I'll have to go back and look. Hologram machines would be epic.

Lilashley88: Yay for her being fired! (Sounds a little sadistic on my part, but oh well) Honestly, if you don't like, don't look. No one's forcing you to. Though forcing the waitress from here to watch two guys making out would be a suitable punishment…I think Krill and Keef would gladly volunteer.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Krill, the Slerks, the Mask, and the plot. Everything else belongs to. Jhonen C. Vasquez. I make NO money off of this.

000

Dib looked skeptical by the time Zim finished telling him what he knew.

"How can we be so sure we can trust him?" Dib asked.

"I don't know." Zim shrugged. "He seems sincere. But I'd hate to think he's lying. Especially when he knows I can put everything on the line. Not that I'm going to, or anything."

Dib wrapped his arms around Zim's waist, seeing as the younger boy was sitting next to him on their bed.

"I know you two used to be friends." He said. "This can't be easy for you." He nuzzled into Zim's shoulder.

Zim sighed. "Yeah. I mean, he left without telling me he was going, so I'm a little mad at him. But that's not enough for me to ruin his life." Zim chuckled.

"So what are we going to do if these things get a-hold of him?"

"I can't get involved with affairs that don't concern me." Zim said. "I mean, I'm Irken, too. And they could think that he came down here to get me to help him out."

"And then go after you." Dib's grip tightened slightly.

"Well…"

"Yeah?"

"Krill did say he wouldn't let anything happen to me." Zim flushed. "Maybe he feels bad for ditching me like he did."

"Or maybe he still likes you."

"No, he's in love with Keef." Zim said. "I ran into him in the hall at school. I swear, I've never seen anyone so happy. He was actually nice."

"Strange." Dib sighed. "I just hope this doesn't come back to bite everyone in the ass, you know?"

"Yea, I do." Zim agreed. "So we need to make a plan, in case they come down here."

"I wonder if Krill is prepared enough for that."

"I don't know. He claims to not have much Irken technology." Zim informed his boyfriend. "I wonder where he lives then. No tech means no way to set up a base."

"Maybe he lives in a squat or something?"

"Squat?"

"You know…an abandoned warehouse or something where homeless people camp out sometimes."

"That could be." Zim nodded. "He might have had a spare drill in his ship, though."

"Drill?" Dib's eyebrows raised.

"Invaders are given a little drill with a writing tablet built in. you draw what you want, put it in the ground, and it drills down and forms the labs. Then the base comes out of the ground."

"Sounds like it would make a lot of noise. How would they not get caught?"

Zim shrugged. "I never used one myself, since I was never certified as an Invader."

"You blend in here pretty well." Dib observed. "I'm sure you could be an Invader if you wanted."

"Thanks." Zim smiled. "It takes a special kind of person to be an Invader."

And Krill was 'special' alright.

000

The school held an assembly the next day in the auditorium. Zim and his friends sat together towards the back of the room. Dib was next to Zim, as usual, and Keef and Keyvine were sitting next to one another. Professor Membrane was having yet another press conference about the 'things' in space. Keyvine was obviously nervous, but no one called him out on it. Zim could feel the jitters that raced through the older male even from how far apart they were. It was only two seats, but whatever. The Principal hushed the students as Professor Membrane began to speak on screen. The speakers blasted out his deep voice once again.

"Hello once again, citizens of…" the microphone screeched. "It is my pleasure to address you all one again, though I wish it were for happier matters. The unidentified objects, called 'UFO's by my son's boyfriend, are getting even closer to Earth."

Kids muttered and Zim saw Keyvine tense out of the corner of his eye. Keef leaned in and whispered something to him and they kissed. Zim tuned back to the Professor and what he was saying.

"Now, I know there are some of you who are deeply concerned about these things and their apparent hostility." Membrane went on. "Still, we have not seen any issue with them destroying planets themselves, and just moons, but that does not mean much. Considering that Earth is the only planet with life on it…"

"You wish." Zim scoffed.

"That may be why the things haven't destroyed any planets. Or planets are simply too big." Membrane went on. "That is why I am proposing the building of a glass dome to cover the city and protect us from harm. Other countries are already on the move with creating shields, however their shields are not made of glass and are not very durable. We will be the safest city in the world with the construction of these domes."

People in the crowd outside Membrane Labs cheered, as did teens in the auditorium. Zim risked a glance at Keyvine, but he was too into making out with Keef to notice.

"What do you think?" Dib whispered to Zim. "Does it make sense?"

"I suppose." Zim shrugged. "They're docile, like I said, so I don't know how powerful their weapons are. And if they got a-hold of any Irken technology, we might be done for. Not even a dome made of glass will protect us. Bulletproof glass might not be any help either, in that case."

"The glass will be bulletproof, yes." Membrane answered a question from his audience.

Dib snickered at that. Zim gave him a look.

"How do we know that whatever they use to destroy planets won't be able to burst through the shields?" someone asked on screen.

"We are doing various tests now for different weapons and lasers." Membrane said. "Everything we can think of, and then some, will be checked against this glass. We'll make sure that nothing can get through."

Zim snorted. "You're not accounting for alien technology, are you, Membrane?" He muttered to himself.

"Dad doesn't believe in that stuff." Dib said. "Of course he won't consider it."

"And that might just get us all killed."

"How close are these things?" An onlooker asked Membrane.

"We are currently working on a three week time schedule." Membrane said, causing an uproar amongst the crowd. "But we are just talking three weeks to complete our testing and construct the dome." He said. "These things' arrival is expected to be in two months."

"Are we going to find safe places for us to hide in case of an attack?" A man asked.

"We are testing several places to label as 'safe houses' throughout the city, yes." Membrane confirmed. "Membrane Labs is, of course, number one on that list. The basements of the local high school are another, as well as several abandoned warehouses with underground chambers. We will also be creating underground bunkers in the park, covered by hatches."

"So does all this precaution mean that you're expecting worse then what's being told to us?" A woman from WHUH 6 news asked Membrane.

"To say that would to be saying that we are keeping vital information from the public." Membrane scoffed. "We are merely preparing for the worst. The worst is very far off. A 1.10 percent chance of the worst happening, actually. The odds are truly in our favor."

People cheered again. Membrane and those with him descended on platforms under the stage they were on, ending the session. The screens turned off in the auditorium and the Principal took center stage.

"Should an attack by those things occur while school is in session, we have planned several emergency procedures to ensure the safety of all students." He told the teens. "Each class will spend ten minutes today teaching you about the emergency routes. They all lead under the school. We only ask that you all remain clear and free of the boiler room in that situation. Each gym class will be brought down and taught the 'safe areas' where you are allowed to go. For now, let's resume classes, and work on a half day schedule."

000

Simmons showed Zim, Dib, and Gaz around Membrane Labs once school let out, showing them where to go if an attack occurred.

"So, Simmons." Zim spoke. "What do you think these things are?"

"Spy satellites, maybe?" Simmons offered. "I'm not sure. I know you call them UFOs."

"Logically, of course." Zim shrugged.

"No such thing."

"But…"

"Zim, don't start an argument." Dib told him. "He's so much like my dad, he won't listen to any notions you have about UFOs. I tried once."

"It's not that I don't…" Simmons sighed. "Look, until we have solid proof that there is no extraterrestrial life on other planets, I'm not saying whether I believe in UFOs or not."

"So there's a slim chance you do?" Gaz wondered, not looking up from her game.

"Very slim, yes. But it's there."

"Do you think my dad should be more worried about the things?" Dib asked. "Cause I think he should be."

"It might…do some good to be overly cautious. He thinks there's a 1.10 percent chance of anything terrible happening? I think it's more 50/50." Simmons gulped. "Of course, that never leaves this group."

"Of course." The three teens answered as one.

"I mean, I personally think someone on Earth is controlling these things anyway." Simmons shrugged.

"I wonder why these things only destroyed moons." Dib wondered aloud.

"Maybe that's all they're capable of destroying, like dad said." Gaz informed.

Zim scoffed. "Highly unlikely." He said. "If anything has enough fire power to destroy a moon, they probably have more just waiting in their arsenal that could destroy Earth."

"But they might only be looking for something specific. And if we don't have that specific thing here, they might ignore us completely and move on." Dib argued. "So they won't need anything to destroy anything big; just big enough to destroy a section with what they want."

"You boys have put a lot of thinking into this." Simmons said.

"Of course." Zim nodded. "Unlike everyone seems to think, we do more in our free time then just have sex."

"Oh, Zim…" Dib moaned, flushing and face-palming.

Simmons flushed, but he was chuckling. "I'd assume so. You'd be tired all the time if all you did was have sex."

"Are we really having this discussion?" Gaz asked.

"Sadly, I think we are." Dib told her.

Zim laughed. "Okay, okay. Topic's put to rest. Goodnight."

Simmons chuckled. "Agreed." He nodded. "Nothing we discuss leaves this group, okay? Membrane won't like me going around and talking to people about my own theories. They are a little paranoid, I admit, but they're my ideas." Simmons sighed. "Let's move onto a different topic, hm? Did you guys catch the live feed?"