FYI: This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, all characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Notes: Okay so now that you've seen how these meshed up episodes are going to go, please let me know what you think of them. I know some of you might like to see some of these get their own spotlight, but some episodes don't really have a lot of material to turn into a three parter or even a two without a little help. Also, there are some episodes that only Zim or Dib appear by themselves which in my opinion would make this story lack luster. Finally turning each episode into their own chapter's even long ones would make this Sequel drag, and I want this one to be just as fast pace as the last one.

Otherwise we'll never get to the juicy stuff 😉

With that said please enjoy Chapter 14 and drop a review so I know how you guys feel about this format!

Chapter 14: Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 1)

He couldn't believe it…

And yet there was no denying it...

His programing was gone!

Invader Zim was now and forever deprogrammed.

And yes, the Irken had tried to redownload it, but just as the AI had said, Zim's computer brain was toast, completely wiped of data. And while he was able to get the rest of the base back online, including his Robo parents and his robot Double. For the life of him that brain proved to be utterly useless.

And when Zim allowed himself to think of it all, he had to admit it was rather funny. He had just admitted the other day that he'd do anything to have what these humans did. And now he did, but instead of enjoying it he was desperately trying to do what he always did.

Conform!

He just didn't know what to do with himself without the Irken programing giving him some sort of guidance. How was he suppose, to keep his emotions in check now? Or stop himself from straying from the mission.

The answer was simple, he wasn't, and that's exactly what the enemy wanted.

'I feel so exposed.' The Irken admitted. 'What do I do? If I am found program-less I'm screwed!'

Suddenly, a note was slipped to him from his left.

Zim didn't bother to look up, he knew who it was from…He unfolded the paper.

'Are you okay? Did something happen over the weekend?'

Zim looked up to see his boyfriend, Dib looking at him with a worried expression. He shook his head, no he was Miz's boyfriend, not Zim's. He had to keep these two lives separate, and he was trying to; he really was. But every outside force he could think of was trying to mesh them together.

Dib bit his lip worryingly. He knew he agreed that he'd keep his distance until he had this figured out, and he had plan to tell Miz as much. Yes, he had planned to be honest with his boyfriend. After all, Gaz was right; Miz deserved better. However, that plan went out the window the moment Dib noticed that something was terribly wrong.

Miz looked like a lost puppy dog, like something had been stripped away from him. And Dib's greatest fear was that Miz had already figured it out. That he had feelings for Zim and was actually considering a relationship with the alien menace. And that pained Dib especially since Dib was the one who convinced him to take a chance in this crazy relationship in the first place.

And to Dib's amazement he realized that he had gone from being a jaded broken-hearted victim to the heart breaker without even noticing it.

'I'm the worse.' He thought to himself.

Zim forced his best fake smile and gave Dib the thumbs up. 'I'm fine.'

Dib winced, Miz always was a terrible liar, the teen had never pointed it out to him before, but he felt like he could always tell when Miz wasn't being completely honest.

Tak, who was watching her enemy as usual from a secret location from within the school snickered at his obvious discomfort. Of course, she knew everything that had transpired between Zim and the terrifying AI. She had hoped that the creature would eliminate her enemy for her, but instead it did something else.

Something unexpected.

It erased his programing and allowed him to live.

This amazed Tak, the AI saw him as worthy and she eminently understood why.

Dib! He was the key to defeating Zim, she was sure of it.

So today she decided to put another plan in action, but this time she would not be focusing on Zim.

No today her goal was to get her and Dib alone!

And with today being the day it was she knew she would be getting no trouble from Zim.

Tak itched her chin, already bumps were starting to form.

"Meow." Mimi reminded her.

"I know I have to take the antidote." She snapped. "But I can't take it to early or it will wear off before the end of the equinox." She answered.

Mimi meowed her concerns once more.

"I'll take it as soon as I see Dib." She assured her. It had taken her days to plan this, leaving her little to no time to take a breather. Sure she knew the equinox should be enough of a distraction for Zim, but he surprised her by showing up today. Still, she was confident with today's lesson plan in mind that the two would be separated.

And once they were Tak had the perfect little hick up to lure Dib closer to her and further away from safety.

"This will work." She said out loud. "I'm sure Zim doesn't have a way to fight off the effects, and once I have Dib alone I do something…something horrible!"

"Meow?" Mimi asked.

"No I'm not going to kill him." Tak mussed. "I'm going to do far worse." She mused. "I'm going to kill his trust in Miz!"

"Now then class," Mrs. Bitters said as she addressed her students. "Today I'd like to ask you a simple question. What…do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I'm gonna be a doctor!" Brian proclaimed.

"I'll be a veterinarian!" Sara said happily.

"I wanna be a fireman!" Spoo told the class.

Zim's brow rose in curiosity, what did they want to do when they grew up? He knew this was something humans got to decide, but how did they go deciding it? How did they know they wanted to do that certain thing? "What do you want to do Dib?" He asked.

"I'm going to be a professional paranormal investigator." Dib said.

The Kids around them laughed.

"Why?" Zim asked.

"Well the paranormal has always fascinated me." Dib said ignoring his other classmates. "I guess it's because I hate not knowing something. It gives me this uncontrollable urge to find answers…you know?"

Oh yes Zim knew that feeling, and it was a feeling that Dib gave him often. The child produced more questions in him then answers, and Zim had to figure out why; otherwise he'd never get a handle on his emotions.

"When I grow up... I'm gonna be a... astronaut!" Melvin said happily, grinning.

Ms. Bitters sighed sadly. "When I was your age, I wanted to be an astronaut too, Melvin!" She told him, going RIGHT in his face and hissing. "It was all going very well…" Ms. Bitters said, as she darted back to her seat, she sits looking dreamily up at the ceiling for a moment before she scowled. "Then my ship imploded in the vacuum of space. Kaboom."

"That's depressing." Zita remarked.

"Wait…then why aren't you…dead?" Zim asked.

Dib pulled out a list and sighed. "I guess this means she's not a Vampire." He said crossing Vampire off his list of possible creatures. "Even they couldn't survive that."

Zim couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe she's an alien!" he only half joked. After all, and Irken could survive that, and Zim knew a few other species could pull it off.

"An alien running a secret organization that investigates aliens?" Dib said. "That's crazy."

"And her doing that as a vampire makes more since?" Zim challenged.

Dib goes to open his mouth and shuts it, amazed.

"Additionally, wouldn't Aliens see us as Aliens too?" Zim went one. "Meaning technically, we're all aliens of secret organization that investigates aliens?"

"I really hate you right now." Dib admitted.

"Then my work here is done." Zim joked, poking the boy on the nose.

Dib blushed. It was moments like this that he had no doubt he wanted to be with Miz. His heart would flutter in his chest, and he'd get weak in the knees. Still, those feeling for Zim, just wouldn't go away. And Dib had tried to get rid of them, he really did…but for some reason…he just…couldn't.

"The lesson here is that dreams inevitably lead to hideous implosions! That's why the School has instituted this test!" Ms. Bitters picked up a pile of papers from off of her desk and looked around the classroom. "From these questions, we will determine your future careers…" She said, passing the tests out to the students, one paper at a time. "Then you will be partnered with an adult who works in your field. You will spend the rest of the day observing them and getting used to your wretched, WRETCHED fates. Write what you think each blotch looks like on the line next to it. Answer carefully…" She sneered. "Your future depends on it."

"…er…" Dib looked confused. "What does identifying blotches have to do with determining our future careers?

Ms. Bitters shook her head, sighing. "Oh, you poor, doomed child." She spoke gravely.

Zim snickered.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door.

Tak smiled, her bait for Dib had arrived on schedule. After the organ incident it had been difficult to tamper with this package much less get back inside the school once again, but she had managed to do both.

"Delivery!" A voice said.

Mrs. Bitters looks puzzled as she goes to answer the door. She opens it to see a student carrying a beeping, black device.

Zim's brow rose once more.

"I thought I told you we did not want a vermin!" Mrs. Bitters hissed.

"Sorry Mrs. B." The student said. "School policy, besides who doesn't love a fuzzy little ball of joy?"

"I don't!" Mrs. Bitters answered the obvious but took the black device anyways.

"Mrs. Bitters what's that?" Melvin asked.

Mrs. Bitters placed the device down on a back table and the students gathered around, the career test forgotten for the moment. All the students peered eagerly at this device as it ticked away the seconds from a digital clock at the top. Lifting a single finger, Mrs. Bitters pressed the button on the top of the clock, and it went to "00:00" as the machine beeped more rapidly and rapidly as several compression chambers were released on the device and steam escaped into the room.

BOOM!

A small explosion sent pieces of the device flying through the classroom and slamming into the walls. The Letter M ducked to avoid one piece and they all squinted at a cloud of smoke that was left where the device had been…

And when it cleared…

There was a small yellow hamster who was eating a pellet. All of the children's faces beamed as they ran to the hamster cage.

"By order of the School board's program to reduce misery among School children…" The old crone's voice made it clear that she would rather be EATING the hamster than giving it to the kids. "This class is issued one classroom pet, hamster class. Name…Peepi."

"Oh, Peepi! So cuuuutee!" Zita said, clasping his hands together.

Chunk pointed at the hamster. "Look at his little Peepi face!"

Melvin laughed happily. "He's like a little fuzzy Peepi person!"

"Awwww!" The class said, sighing happily.

All, but Zim who is looking mighty suspicious. "Isn't this a thing that grade schooler usually do?" He asked Mrs. Bitters.

"Trust me I am just as horrified." She assured him. "But the school is desperate to make everyone forget the…organ…incident." She said in a low whisper. "They feel this will ease some of the trauma."

"That's stupid." Dib said. "And what's that device on his back?"

Zim eyed it suspiciously, it looked like some old tech, almost otherworldly.

Mrs. Bitters looked at a piece of paper that came with the new Pet. "Says here it has heart problems, the device helps."

"That's so lame." Dib groaned. "Couldn't even give us a healthy pet."

"It looks painful." Zim noted though the hamster didn't seem to mind.

"It's either that or we invest in a new councilor." Mrs. Bitters said.

The class went silent, and then began to shake in fear.

All but Zim who is clueless. "Why do I have a feeling I'm missing something."

"Our last councilor Mr. Dwicky turned out to be a murderous psychopath." Dib whispered. "Who stuffed the previous councilor in his office air vent."

Zim blinked in disbelief.

"Yeah he's in the loony ben now." Dib said. "He thinks he's on a spaceship traveling through the stars."

"Why do I feel like you have something to do with that?" Zim asked.

"I may or may not have exposed him for the menace he really was." Dib said with a smile. Then, he frowned. "Okay that's a lie, no one would believe me, so I tricked him into believing he was abducted by aliens. The police showed up and thought he had come down with a case of the crazy." He admitted. "They found the old councilor about a week after."

Zim looked at him as if in a new light. "I'm never going to figure you out am I?" He asked. "I mean you think you know a guy."

Dib laughed. "That's not the weirdest thing I did." He admitted. "I once raised a soul stealer from the dead to get revenge on my sister. Mortos Der Soulstealer!"

"How'd that go?" Zim asked.

"Well at first he mooched off of me and I had to chase him around town. Finally, he goes to fulfill my wish to take Gaz's soul only to tell me she doesn't have one."

"I could have told you that." Zim teased.

"I was ten." Dib reasoned. "And at that age I thought everyone had one."

Still, I'm getting a bad vibe about this." Zim admitted, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but this was bad. He just knew it.

"It's a Hamster Miz." Dib assured him. "This whole Irken thing has got you paranoid."

Zim laughed uneasily. "You're probably right." He said as the class began to sit back down.

Tak smiled, just as she hoped, they didn't expect a thing.

"Now finish your test so we can get the disappointment over with!" Mrs. Bitters growled.

The students groaned in disapproval, all of them had already deciding what they wanted to be, but now this test was taking that away from them.

So why bother taking it seriously?

Zim, however, wanted to take this seriously. Not because he was actually invested in this "future" nonsense but for another reason. Since his programing was wiped Zim had been far too busy with repairs to evaluate his new condition. Sure he knew the Irken program was gone, but that was it. As of that moment he had no idea how it affected him. Could he still function as an Irken elite even without it?

He wasn't sure how looking at a bunch of blotches would help assess that, but right now it was all he had. But in order to real understand how badly his condition was he needed to be honest with himself. So instead of concentrating on one thing too long. He decided he would wrote down the first idea that came to him.

'It looks like a blotch.'

Zim looked at it harder, he had read about these human test, you were supposed to see something. And according to Mrs. Bitters you were supposed to see something regarding your future. But Zim saw nothing.

'Maybe that it.' He thought. 'Maybe my deprogramed mind already sees the facts' He sighed. 'Without my programing I'm doomed.' He got an itch on his neck and began to scratch it, not noticing little BUMPS were forming.

Dib, took a look at the small bumps on Miz's neck, frowned, noted it in his head, and then wrote "Ghost" Next to the first blotch. Then "Bigfoot"…

"Your time is almost up! Pass your papers forward once completed!" Ms. Bitters announced.

Zim begins to panic, he couldn't turn in a blank test, but he honestly didn't know what to write down. Suddenly a machine burst through the ceiling of the classroom. The words 'POS 2000' were written on the side of the machine. It was a purple/grey computer with several large levers, a thousand different buttons, and a display screen hanging over the top of rolls of strip that were rolling around and around, data printed on the strips. There was a slot beneath the display screen that was showing the strange, lightning-like static on the pink display screen.

The rest of the students finished passing up their test.

Zim sighs, seeing no choice he passes his up…blank.

Dib notices the blank test, and the look on Miz's face. It becomes apparent that his boyfriend is bummed about the future. It took him back to that day in class, the last time Miz was this depressed…

"I was just thinking, about when I'm leaving. My dad never stays in one place long. He's a traveling Architect remember…one day I'll leave…"

Dib flinched at the memory with a life like that no wonder he felt apprehensive about it.

"The machine will now decide your fate." Ms. Bitters told them all as she inserted one paper after another into the slot. A few moments later the machine went "PING" and then zoomed back up into the ceiling.

"Hmm. Alright. Brian will be a fireman!" Ms. Bitters announced.

"Aww, but I wanted to be a DOCTOR!" Brian complained.

"QUIET! The machine has spoken!" Ms. Bitters hissed. "Sara, you are going to be an astronaut!"

Sara burst into tears and hung her head.

"Spoo, you will be a veterinarian."

"But I'm allergic to animals!" Spoo complained.

"Not MY Problem." Ms. Bitters said, smirking. "Dib, you will be a... paranormal investigator. Hmm."

This was odd. The machine was supposed to give them the most unlikely job possible. This of course was done to teach children that you never get your dream job right away. No you had to work towards those goals often getting crummy jobs in the meantime.

So for Dib to get what he wanted right off the bat, it must mean he was meant for so much more. She smirked as Dib cheered, punching the sky with a cry of "YES, YES, YES".

"I knew it." She whispered.

Ms. Bitters turned to Zim. "Miz, the machine says that the only career you are suitable for is-" She paused. "Your test is invalid."

Miz bit his lip.

"You did answer the questions didn't you?" She asked.

He knows he should lie, but sees no point, besides its probably written all over his face by now. Not that it mattered. It simply confirmed what he already knew to be true. He had no future.

Once the Tallest found out about his programing they'd try to download it themselves. And once they did they would notice his flaw. The download would fail at 97% or less as it had always done before. And then they would know the truth, his secret would be out.

He would be labeled as a defective and eliminated on the spot.

He grimaced as he imagined their looks of disgust, looking at him like he was some filthy trash.

Tak smirked, her enemies spirt was crushed, and everything was going her way. Now it was time to get into character. She turned the dial on her the device resting on her wrist, her form changed. She smiled and stepped out of the supply closet she had been hiding in.

Dib would never see this coming.

Mrs. Bitters nodded and hovered to the door. One leg at a time, her legs placed themselves on the floor rather like landing gear before she opened it. Suddenly she scratches her chin and notices she had bumps there.

'That's odd.' She thought. 'I never have a blemish in less it's-' Her eyes widen. Was it today? No it couldn't be today!

She looked at the calendar and sure enough it was! How could she forget especially when they had a whole HQ full of Alien refugees!

She did her best not to panic as she addressed the children.

"Now, children! Find your partner!" She instructed.

She allowed the students to fill out all but one. "Not you Miz." She told him.

"Awe come on." Dib argued. "Can't he just tag along with me?" he asked hopefully.

"No." She told him. "I have a partner in mind for him." She assured Dib.

Dib looks confused.

Mrs. Bitters gives him a rare reassuring smile. "I got this one."

"Well…okay." He said still looking unsure. He leans in and whispers to Miz. "Text me with an SOS if she tries to eat you or something."

Miz couldn't help but smile. "You're never going to let that go are you?"

"She's not human, and one day I'm going to prove-" Dib turns to look back at Mrs. Bitters and notices something. "What's the matter with your neck?" He asked. The bumps were dripping something green now.

"Oh just go already and stop being so inquisitive." She demanded, kicking Dib out the door.

"Okay…" Dib sighed. "Guess I'm facing this alone." He thought out loud. He tuned to see many adults waiting out in the hallways. A ninja, a vet, a doctor, several business men and pencil pushers, a fireman, a sumo wrestler, an Avon lady saleswoman, a plumber, a nasty-looking person with black hair who was kind of hunched over and looked like a homicidal maniac, He wonder who had that guy as their partner today, and silently added a prayer for their safe return.

"Okay." He said with a sigh, "What armature are they going to place me with." Because As exciting as it was to actually get the score to confirm his destine with his dream job. Dib doubted his partner would have actually scene half of what he has. And there was no way someone from the Swollen Eyeball would be filling in either.

Dib looked around the hallway and saw that, interestingly enough, Gaz had been partnered with a studio guard from their father's studios…

"No, I'm not your partner. He's waiting for you down the hall." The Studio guard said.

She WASN'T with him? Then who WAS she partnered with? He'd like to further investigate, wondering what kind of future his soulless sister had in fate for her, but he heard somebody use his name and looked upwards to see a man in sunglasses with dark hair, boots and a fancy suit.

"Your name Dib?" The man asked, his voice very soft and secretive.

'Yep' he thought inwardly. 'Complete armature.'

"Yes." Dib answered doing his best to at least sound excited.

The man nodded. "Call me…Bill."

"Bill?" Dib said. "Did you really have to think about that?"

"No." Bill answered.

"Then why did you pause."

"For dramatic effect." He answered him.

"Okay…." He took a deep breath and decided to go for it. "So what are we doing today? Alien hunting? Big foot? Figuring out if Count Chocula is really a vampire?" he listed.

"Please that's child's play." Bill said.

Dib grinned ok so he wasn't going after the obvious stuff. So maybe this would be interesting after all. "Well you know I've seen some pretty epic stuff, most within this week alone and I could share some…"

Bill shook his head. "Slow down, little man. Today, you're going to see things that are going to change the way you look at the world. Keep your eyes and your mind open." He said, tapping his head.

Dib tilted his head to the side. "I dunno, my head is preeeetty open." He said as he followed Bill out of the school. "In fact there's a whole alternate universe inside-"

Bill held a hand up. "No more talking! Let's roll!" He snapped.

Dib sighed, but was determined not to let Bill ruin his moment and race alongside him.

Towards his dreams.

(Back with Zim…)

"So what did you have in mind?" Zim asked. The two of them had been standing uncomfortable silence since Dib had left.

"You will be shadowing me today." She told him.

"You mean as a teacher?" Zim asked.

"I am more than a teacher." Mrs. Bitters said grabbing her coat.

"We're leaving?" he asked.

"You don't know what today is?" She asked looking concerned.

"No." Zim answered honestly looking at the calendar, and then he sees it.

There written in big bold red letters: The Galactic Equinox!

"So I'm guessing by your expression you know what today has in store for us."

Did she know? He wondered in a panic, but tried to relax. "Well I know what it means." He said acting dumb. "But I fail to see how this is a problem."

"We have an HQ that is currently full of Aliens." Mrs. Bitters "What do you think will happen come 5'oclock."

Zim's eyes widen, their expanding bodies alone would tear the base apart, not only that but the effects would expose Zim to the enemy.

Zim's eyes fall on Mrs. Bitters' neck, the bumps were multiplying.

His eyes widen.

It had meant to be a joke, but apparently he was right.

And so was Dib, Mrs. Bitters wasn't human.

She was an Alien!

"Come there is much for me to teach you." Mrs. Bitters told him.

"And what do you hope to teach me?" Zim asked, dropping his normal Miz routine after all, if Zim could see the effects on her then no doubt she too could see the bumps resting on his own chin.

The jig was up, she knew he wasn't human.

He should run, but doesn't, after all the AI's were with the Swollen Eye Ball, and Sari had deemed him worthy to live.

Which meant…

"How long have you known?" He asked the obvious.

"That doesn't matter." She said. "What matters is that you don't squander this chance."

"And what do you hope to teach me?" Zim snapped once more.

"You might not see a future for yourself, but I do." She said. "I have seen it from the moment it was place into motion."

"Doubtful." Zim hissed coldly. "Who all knows?" He snapped.

"Just I." She answered. "And Lard Nar." She added.

"I knew it!" He hissed. That guy could always see right through him. But of course these facts left one obvious question to be answered. "Why haven't you told them?"

"They are not ready." She answered simply. "One day they will look up to you, in order to have their respect they need to know you as you first, not as an Irken, but as a person."

"And what grand future do you see for me?" Zim scoffed.

"Why a leader of course." She said as if it was obvious, "You will succeed Lard Nar as the leader of the Galactic Alliance."

Zim's eyes widen.

"Your destiny is to Destroy Irk and rebuild it from the ashes for the better; as a Tallest should."

His eyes grew impossibly wider…

"Tallest!"

-To Be Continued