Shawn paced the floor of his living room, his thoughts frazzled. Dib, Zim, and Krin all stared at the floor silently, none of them finding words for the situation. Even GIR and Taz didn't say anything, but that was because neither of their masters seemed in the mood to do anything fun. Shawn looked up at the other three present and noticed that Dib and Zim's mouths were hanging open, and Krin seemed possessed by a sudden fit of rage. He thought about how the Tallest had mentioned that Irken, Tak. What was so special about that Irken in particular?

"Anyone want to fill me in on this 'Tak' character", Shawn asked no one in particular.

After a pause Krin spoke up, "Let's just say she's a threat," she said through gritted teeth, "A considerably threatening threat."

"Yeah", Dib added, "She almost destroyed earth once."

Shawn raised an eyebrow. How did he not know that the earth was almost destroyed? He considered telling his dad and Professor Membrane about all this, but something in his gut told him not to. Coincidentally, just as Shawn thought about his dad, that same voice broke his train of thought.

"Shawn", Professor Ryder called from his lab, "Professor Membrane wanted to take a look at one of your projects."

"C-coming", Shawn called back, cursing his nervousness. Before he left he turned to the other three present, "We'll think of something, I just know it."

As Shawn walked down the steps to his father's lab he hung his leather jacket on a coat hook and donned a lab coat his size. One of the few rules his father had regarding Shawn being in his lab was that he had to wear a lab coat. As Shawn hesitantly approached the two professors he saw that they were standing next to a small table. On the table was a manikin hand wearing what appeared to be a regular fingerless glove.

"That", Shawn asked, "It's a handheld GPS and map. I thought of it after playing Dead Space 2."

"Ah yes", Professor Ryder added, "Shawn gets a lot of his ideas from things he sees in the world. More often than not he makes improvements to preexisting inventions or, in cases like this, he takes something from a game or movie and creates a working copy."

"Impressive", Professor Membrane said, "How does it work?"

"Well, it doesn't", Shawn admitted, taking the glove off the manikin hand and putting it on his left hand, "I mean, the guidance part works fine, but it can't map out a new area."

Shawn activated the GPS to demonstrate. A blue light shot down from his palm onto the floor and pointed out right in front of him.

"As you can see", Shawn explained, turning, causing the line to turn with him, "If it could automatically map out an area once it was there, it would open up a map and I would specify a location, then it would lead me there. However, since it can't map an area out automatically it can't pinpoint locations; I'm still working on that."

Membrane nodded his head, the turned back to Professor Ryder.

"Well, thank you for the quite enjoyable tour", he said politely, "I'm sure that when we get to your main labs tomorrow to resume our work that I'll be no less disappointed. As for now, I must be off."

The three turned and walked towards the lab exit, with Shawn stopping to switch coats and put the glove back in its place. When they returned to the living room Krin, Zim, and GIR had put their disguises back on, and Taz had disappeared somewhere, probably hiding under the couch.

"Son", Professor Membrane declared, raising an arm into the air dramatically, "We must now return to our hotel."

Membrane, Dib, Zim, and GIR all walked out the door. Shawn closed the door behind them and turned back to the room. As soon as the door closed Taz climbed out from under the couch. Professor Ryder stared at Taz confusedly for a second, then shrugged and went back to his lab. Shawn thought about his GPS project, and then remembered something Taz had told him before.

"Come on Taz", he said, "We're going to the lab."

Taz shrugged and hopped off the couch to follow Shawn. The two made their way down to the lab and stood next to the table with the GPS on it. Shawn picked Taz up and placed him on the table and then put the glove back on his hand.

"Can you show me those auto-map building systems", Shawn asked, "Maybe display them externally?"

Taz opened up the top of his head and rooted around inside. After a short time he pulled a strange looking device out of his head and handed it to Shawn. Shawn looked at the device, then picked up a screwdriver and opened it up. He examined the electrical wiring and began to mimic it using spare parts in the lab.

'Strange', he thought to himself, 'If they're such and advanced race why do they use such basic technology?'

In a few hours he had created a copy of the map building software and installed it into the glove. He handed the device back to Taz, who opened up the top of his head and reinserted it. Shawn activated the GPS and almost shouted out in excitement when a holo-map of his town appeared over his wrist. He quickly selected a location and watched as the light trail directed him up the stairs and out of the house.

"See ya dad", he said as he turned and started to walk out of the lab, "I'm gonna take this thing on a field test."

"Wait", his dad called back, "You're grounded."

"Come on", Shawn replied, "This is for science."

His dad groaned under his breath as Shawn and Taz walked out of the lab.

"Always something to prove, that boy."

The professor walked up the stairs and into the living room. Shawn had left the door open in his rush to get outside, so the professor closed it for him. As he turned around the professor saw Krin and Taz sitting on the couch. He still didn't know a whole lot about Krin, and he was curious to learn. So he walked into the T.V. room and sat down in a chair on the other side of the room as the couch.

"Oh, hello", Krin greeted as she saw the professor.

"Hello there", the professor greeted back, "If you don't mind, I was wondering if I could ask a little bit about your friendship with Shawn."

"Sure", Krin responded, "Ask away."

"Well", the professor began awkwardly, "I was just wondering how you two developed such a close friendship so fast. I don't know if you know this but Shawn suffers from Asperger Syndrome, a slight mental disorder which causes an individual to be socially awkward. It also causes someone to become intently interested, sometimes even obsessed, with a certain topic. That's what I think caused him to study the paranormal."

Krin was silent. Shawn didn't seem like he had anything wrong with him. Then again, when they first went to Alison's party he did seem…twitchy. He seemed uncomfortable with all the people around. Then why did he find it so easy to take her in and be friends with her? That probably had something to do with his fascination with the paranormal.

"I tried taking him to a therapy session once", the professor continued, the speech now becoming sort of a rant, "But after it was over he refused to go back. He said the therapist made him uncomfortable, made him talk about things he wanted to keep to himself. Ever since then he's always tried to prove that he can overcome it on his own, that he can control the sickness and keep it from affecting his life."

Krin still didn't say anything. What the professor had just told her was a lot to swallow right now, especially with everything else that was going on. She decided she'd talk to Shawn about it when he got back. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice the professor get up and return to his lab.

It was dark by the time Shawn returned to the house. He opened the door and walked in with a triumphant pose.

"It works", he exclaimed, sitting down next to Krin, "My invention works."

"You sound surprised", Krin replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's good to not have one of my inventions blow up in my face, literally and figuratively speaking."

"Oh, you know", Krin began tentatively, "I had an interesting talk with your dad."

"Oh yeah", Shawn asked, him raising an eyebrow this time, "And just what was it about?"

"Well, he told me a little bit about you. He told me about something called 'Asperger syndrome'."

"That", Shawn asked, waving his hand in a dismissive way, "It's no big deal, nothing I can't deal with."

"I'm sure", Krin said, "But it got me thinking, if you're somewhat anti-social, why'd you find it so easy to be friends with me? Better yet, why'd you take me in like you have?"

"Oh, w-w-well", Shawn stuttered, clearly caught off guard by the question, "I guess there was just something about you. It was kind of like how easy it was for me to be friends with Scott. I don't really know why, it was just easy for me."

Krin opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud gasping sound from the other end of the couch. Krin and Shawn both looked over to Taz, who was staring, mouth agape, at the T.V., where a commercial for the Game Slave 3 was playing.

"Need…Stuff…" Taz said, sounding in a trance-like state, then went silent and continued staring at the screen.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else", Shawn stated, getting up and heading out of the room. Krin followed right behind him.

As the two made their way up the stairs Krin gently slipped her hand into Shawn's. Shawn squeezed her hand slightly and opened the door to his room once they arrived. Shawn sat down at the rolling chair in front of his desk and Krin sat down on his bed. Shawn took his GPS glove off his hand and laid it on his desk, then booted up his computer. He turned back to Krin when a chat from the Swollen Eyeball opened up.

"Shawn", the voice said, "Glad I caught you."

"Yeah Dib", Shawn replied, turning to face the screen, "What do ya need?"

"I was talking with Zim and he said he may be able to tell when the Armada will arrive."

Dib waved something off screen over to him. Soon he was joined by another figure, also silhouetted, though Shawn could make out the antennae and large eyes. It was obviously Zim.

"Yes dirt-child", Zim said to Shawn, "I have used my files on the Armada's ships and, comparing them with the amount of time it took me to reach earth, believe that they will reach the earth in about 5 days."

"Well what do we do", Shawn asked, "Should we tell our dads?"

"Maybe" Dib said, "Both our dads are respected men of science, their opinions wouldn't be taken lightly."

Shawn nodded in agreement, "Well, thanks for the heads up on where we stand Dib."

Shawn ended the video chat then turned back to Krin. She just stared at the floor, as if watching something that only she could see happening.

"What's on your mind", Shawn asked.

Krin jerked her head up and stared at Shawn, "Oh, nothing, just thinking."

"About?"

"You know, that one night when we were fighting on the floor, I think I figured out what Scott meant when he said you were winning."

Shawn didn't say anything, but his cheeks flushed a deep crimson at the memory. He tentatively took a few steps forward and sat next to Krin on the bed. Krin slowly leaned her head against Shawn's shoulder. Shawn put his arm around Krin and the two sat in silence for a short time. Eventually Shawn felt Krin's head moving against his cheek. When he turned to look their lips touched for a second. Shawn pulled away and his blush deepened, if that was even possible. Krin's face turned slightly darker green, what he guessed was the Irken equivalent to blushing, and she giggled and leaned forward slightly. Shawn, after a split second's hesitation, also leaned forward and the two kissed briefly.

"Shawn and Krin Sitting in a tree", Taz's voice rang out from a crack in the door neither of them had seen, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Shawn grabbed a pillow from his bed and threw it at the crack in the door. The door opened more from the impact and revealed Professor Ryder standing behind Taz. Shawn and Krin both blushed again and instinctively scooted away from each other slightly. Professor Ryder only smiled and turned to walk away, but muttered a few parting words first.

"Always something to prove."

HAPPY MARCH READERS! I've been working on this chapter for a while but decided to wait for the first of the month to post it.

So, I have mixed feelings about this chapter, on one hand, I feel like it was well written, on the other I feel like I didn't get much actual story progression done.

Rest assured that the next chappie will definitely pick up on the action; I just felt I needed to shed a little more light on Shawn's character. I also felt like I'd been dancing around the romance and that I just needed to kind of hit it head on.

Well, that is all for now, remember to read and review and the next chapter will be here before ya know it.