I do not own Invader Zim. Wish I owned the movie, but there's no DVD so…

Lost

The only source of light came from the stars visible from the window.

The only source of sound was the rhythmic beeping and hissing of the machines.

All hooked up to a single Irken.

An oxygen mask, an IV, and a variety of monitors were attached to the little alien laying in the large bed, practically drowning in the pale blue blanket draped over his small body. In the darkness of the room, one would be forgiven for thinking the little Irken was no longer among the living, but the rise and fall of his tiny chest, backed up by the activity of the machines confirmed he was still alive.

A comet passed outside the window, briefly cutting though the darkness. The light illuminated every detail of the Irken. Including his left arm laying atop the covers, the IV inserted into the back of his elbow.

What stood out the most were the bandages tightly wrapped around the arm.

Both the comet and its light went about their way just as one of the Irkens antenna twitched.

This was nothing especially noteworthy, Irken antenna would randomly twitch from time to time. It was a reflex, like blinking. What was noteworthy was when his finger twitched as well.

Soon, his fist began to clutched the blanket.

Then his body began to shifted.

Then his eyes did something they hadn't done in quite some time.

They began to open.

It was a slow process. His eyes would crack open then slide shut again as his hold on the blanket tightened. A few soft noises escaping him.

Finally, he slowly blinked himself back into the conscious world.

Everything was blurry at first, like trying to see through a dense fog. He let go of the blanket and rubbed his eyes weakly. After a few moments, his vision began to clear, leaving him staring tiredly at the dark, metallic ceiling above him.

While the fog from his vision may have faded, the haze in his brain lingered. His mind was swimming with a thousand thoughts and questions, all fighting each other for attention and making the ever-growing ringing in his head worse.

If he weren't so out of it, it might have been more overwhelming, but he barely noticed in his current state.

Eventually one thought, the most mundane, emerged victorious. Working its way to the front of his mind thanks to the growing irritation in his dry throat.

He was thirsty.

It took a while for his clouded mind to fully process, continuing to stare blankly at the ceiling half awake. Oblivious to anything except the heaviness of his body, the numbness in his brain, and that one single thought he was able to focus on.

He was still thirsty.

…Well, just lying here wasn't accomplishing anything.

The Irken began to sit up slowly, very slowly. His body was stiff, like trying to lift lead. Every tiny movement was agony, every individual joint and mussel burned like they were on fire. It took a great deal of effort, but soon he managed to prop himself onto his elbows. He took a moment, needing a break from the strain. His breath came out quiet, barley heard over the collection of machinery. The movement had brought on a new dizzy feeling, and his vison began blurring again.

He could give up. Just lay back down and except the itchy dryness in his throat. Instead, he chose to resumed. Fists clutching the blanket, jaw clenched and eyes squeezed closed, he continued forward, a soft groan escaping him. His arms shook as they attempted to lift him up, a new, shaper pain jolting through them like bolts of lightning. For a moment he was worried he might fall back onto the bed.

Thankfully, his efforts paid off, and he was finally sitting up.

He sat there for a bit, catching his breath. Taking in the air his tired, aching body desperately craved. His hand slowly came to rest on his chest as his head finally began to clear and he re-opened his eyes, vision returning. The room was as dark as ever, but he swore he could see clearer than before.

As he regained the ability to properly think and focus, his hand clenched the fabric of the slightly oversized hospital pajama top he was wearing on reflex, and he felt something under the fabric. Confused, the Irken pulled the collar of the top out, looking down. There were three wires, each attached to his chest with some stickers. They were in three different spots, two on either side of his upper chest, and one just below them slightly more centered.

As he studied them, he finally caught sight of his arms. Letting go of the fabric, he held both his arms up in front of him.

It wasn't just his left; both of his arms were wrapped in bandages.

He looked them both up and down. Both forearms were completely covered, with the wrapping ending just under his elbows. Even his hands were bound with only his three fingers free. He wiggled them. He also noticed the IV in his elbow for the first time. Eyes following the tube, he discovered the liquid-filled bag hanging from the thin, silver poll at his left side.

Curious, the Irken began inspecting the rest of his body for more bandages. He started by pulling the covers off and rolled up the pants covering his legs, examined his feet, and felt around his torso. They were all free of gauze. He pulled up the gown's short sleeves, his biceps and shoulders were also bare. He felt his head, found two more wires stuck to his templates, but no bandages.

It was only his arms.

He felt around his face and found the oxygen mask. He ran one hand over the straps going around his head while the other examined the mask itself, feeling around where the plastic ended and his face began.

Now that he could actually think, he was better able to question his situation.

Where exactly was he?

He tried looking around the room, hoping to spot something familiar, but it was too dark. What little light the stars provided wasn't enough to make out any real details, never mind anything recognizable.

His confusion was slowly turning into unease.

Acting on some unconscious instinct, he gently hugged himself in an effort to seek comfort. As he did, he began to notice just how weak he felt on top of the soreness, his hands could barely get a grip on his arms.

The confused Irken took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down. He wasn't doing himself any favors letting his nerves get the best of him. If he was going to figure anything out, he needed to focus as best he could. Right now, the best course of action was to focus on one problem at a time.

What was his main focus right now?

…That would be his dry throat and thirst.

Well, it was a start. At least he knew how to fix that.

The Irken looked back at the wires on his chest, then followed them to the machines they were connected to. He didn't recognize any of them, but none of them looked mobile. As long as they were attached to him, he wouldn't be able to leave the bed, never mind go anywhere. Best to remove them.

Plus, they were starting to itch.

Removing the ones on his head seemed like the best place to start. He took hold of the wire on his left temple and tried to pull it off.

That instantly proved to be a bad idea.

The sticker holding it in place was stuck on tight, so pulling on the wire resulted in pulling at his skin. He almost cried out in pain, but quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to silence himself. He didn't know anything about his surroundings or who might occupy them, he didn't want to risk attracting any unwanted attention.

Okay that wasn't going to work, looks like he'd have to peel them off.

That… was not ideal, but he didn't have many other options. Taking a breath to brace himself, he reached back up and began scratching the edge of the sticker. Once he'd managed to scratch off enough, he took hold and slowly began to peel.

He bit down on his lip to keep quiet but couldn't stop the whimpers from escaping. After what felt like too long, he finally managed to remove the sticker and the wire. The Irken let out a breath of relief, rubbing the spot once he'd dropped the wire in his lap.

One down, four to go.

He repeated the action with the sticker on the other side of his head. This time peeling it off a bit faster. It stung a little more, but the stinging faded quicker.

Now just the ones on his chest were left.

This could be a little more difficult with the shirt in the way. Using one hand to hold the collar open, he reached down and began to remove the stickers. He went for the upper left one first. Peeling it off wasn't any less painful than the ones on his heads. Actually, it was kind of worse somehow.

Once he'd gotten both stickers off, he let them fall onto his lap with the others. Finally, he was down to the last one. It was lower so he had to reach a bit. He chose to ripped this one off quickly. Taking a deep breath, he ripped the sticker off as fast as he could, biting back a loud cry as he did. The Irken gave his chest a rub, trying to ease the stinging as his eyes became a bit misty, moving the pile of wires from his lap to the bed.

As soon as the wires were removed, the rhythmic beeping that once filled the room was replaced by one long, steady beep. Surprised, he shifted in his bed to turn and look back at the machines. Somehow, removing those wires from his body had changed the tone of the beeps.

The Irken looked back at the IV in his arm, beginning to pull on the tube to remove it as well.

Big mistake.

As soon as he gave it a small tug, a sharp pain shot through the arm. He gasped and gently clutched the area with a hiss.

Okay, that was staying put for now.

Plan B. He gave the IV poll a closer inspection, noticing the wheels at the bottom. Hesitantly, he reached out to grasp it, moving it side to side slightly. It was mobile, so he could take this with him, and moving it didn't cause his arm any discomfort. This could work. The Irken began to scoot to the edge of the large bed when something pulled him back, making him wince, more in surprise then pain. He looked behind him to see three large cables inserted into his Pak.

Okay, this might be a challenge.

It took a bit of awkward wiggling and reaching before he was able to get a hold of the cable on his left. He tried tugging, not experiencing any issues much to his relief, but it was latched into place pretty securely. It took some exploring and a little more pulling before the Irken figured out how to detach it, sending the cable coiling into the wall above the bed. Removing the one on the right side went faster once he knew how.

Now how to get the top one off?

It was harder to get a good grasp on it since he couldn't get a good look and it. He was forced to feel around a lot, and it took even longer to get it undone as a result. Soon enough, it came loose and receded into the wall with the others.

Now nothing was keeping him tethered to the bed.

He made his way back to the side of the bed, catching sight of the window. His legs dangled for a moment as he noticed the sight of outer space for the first time. The little Irkens eyes widened in awe at the many stars and planets he couldn't recall the names of passing him by. His hand subconsciously reaching out, almost trying to touch one.

The dryness in his throat regained his attention almost imminently. The outstretched hand coming to graze his neck. He could admire the wonderous sight later, for now his focus was on leaving the bed. He glanced down, what little confidence he had diminishing.

It wasn't too big a drop. The bed was more wide than tall thankfully, but it was still fairly high off the ground. The Irken slowly began easing himself off, hesitantly placing a foot on the cold metal floor and flinching back. After a few more seconds of uncertainty, he placed his foot back to the ground, more firmly. Followed by the other, and then finally allowed himself to slide off the bed completely.

…Where he instantly collapsed onto the floor.

The Irken groaned quietly, slowly pulling himself up. He looked down at his legs as he rubbed them. They were like jelly. The second he'd tried to stand, they'd buckled instantly. It was like they weren't strong enough to support his weight anymore.

How long had he been sleeping?

As he rubbed his IV arm, sore again from the tube being tugged in the tumble, an idea came to him. His eyes trailed over to the poll. He'd already established that it could move, and it had a good foot and a half on him. Maybe…

The Irken dragged himself a little closer. He grabbed the poll with one hand and the bed sheet with the other. Using both, he began pulling himself back up, grunting softly. He leaned against the side of the bed, trying to get his feet steady. Thankfully the poll helped to keep him upright, proving it could support his weight.

Good, this could work.

He took a few breaths to work up the nerve and, in one swift move, let go of the blanket and flung himself onto the metal poll. Grabbing it as tightly as he could.

He came close to falling for a moment, taking the poll down with him, but manage to catch himself at the last second. The Irken sighed in relief, resting his head against the cool metal as his knees shook. It took a while before he was able to properly steady himself, but he was less worried about falling.

Now came walking.

He took a slow, shaky step forward, being as cautious as possible. His leg wobbled as he brough his foot down, tightening his grip on the poll, and breathed a sigh of relief when he remained standing. He repeated the action with his other foot, wheeling the poll forward as he did. This time less hesitant.

With each step, the Irkens confidence grew. His legs, though still weak, became sturdier, his grip on the poll never loosening. A grin began to formed on his face as he made his way to the middle of the room, standing straighter.

He was completely mobile now; nothing could stop him!

…How did he get out of here?

The Irken shoulders slumped.

He looked around the room, eyes narrowed in an effort to see better, trying to find anything in the darkness that might be a way out. Anything that might look out of place…

…There! A part of the wall on the opposite side of the room. He could make out a faint outline surrounding a small area with some light peaking in.

That had to be a way out.

Determination filling him, the Irken began steadily walking over to the other side of the room, pushing the poll in front of him. Once he reached the wall, he started to feel around to see if there was some way to open the potential door, if that's what this was. He wasn't sure how he did it, but after feeling around blindly for a few minutes, the small area of the wall opened.

The Irken had to shield his face at the sudden light now pouring in. Eyes squinted and blinked as they readjusted themselves to the fluorescent glow. It took a while, but eventually he was able to see again, finding himself looking at what appeared to be a hallway. He looked down either side of the hall cautiously. Both ends appeared empty. Slowly, he left the room, venturing into the unknown corridors.

As soon as he was passed the threshold, the door shut with a whoosh of air, startling the little alien with a gasp. He almost lost his footing again, but managed to stay upright this time. He took a moment to observe his new surroundings. The walls were metal and a mauve-ish color, the floors were the same, albeit a lighter shade. As far as he could tell the halls were completely barren. There were some large wires running along the walls leading somewhere, and what he guessed were more doors scattered about, but that was it.

None of it looked familiar.

His grip on the poll tightened, but now out of fear rather than a need for balance. He felt his body begin to tremble and his breathing begin to pick up. Now that he was out in the open, his situation was hitting him two-fold. He had no idea where he was, how he got here, or even how long it had been.

Why was he even here?

It took feeling his legs began to shake, threating to send him tumbling to the ground again, to snap him out of his anxiety. A quivering hand came to rest on his chest, grasping the shirts fabric as he made himself take slow, deep breaths. He had to reman calm, getting worked up wouldn't help his situation.

He had a goal. Just focus on that goal, and then worry about everything else.

Like how to escape.

The Irken let out one last, soft breath, his anxiety fading enough that it was no longer choking him. He looked down either end of the hall again, trying to decide which path to take. He considered trying one of the other doors, but decided against it. He had no idea where they went, if anywhere. Not to mention what or who might be on the other side. What if there was something or someone unpleasant on the other side? No, for now he'd put it off.

The left end looked better lit, so left it was. Mind made up, the Irken began to make his way down the hall.

As he walked, he made sure to keep himself on high alert, just in case he had company. So far it appeared quiet, but he didn't fully trust it. Who knew what was lurking around wherever this was. It wasn't long until he found himself in front a taller, larger door in a wall in the middle of the hallway. Guess this was the end of the line. The little Irken shrunk back a bit, feeling a bit intimidated by the size. Should he go through?

He glanced behind him, back the way he came. He really didn't want to walk all the way back, especially when he suspected the other end of the hall would have the same results. Looks like his only option was to keep going forward.

With a gulp, he cautiously approached the door. The other had seemingly opened on its own, so this one should too, right?

Except it didn't.

The Irken frowned, so he defiantly had to do something to make it open, but what? He looked it up and down, trying to get an idea of what to do. What had he done before? He'd been moving his hands when the door in his room had opened, it was worth a try.

He raised a hand. Nothing.

He waved it around. Still nothing.

He waved it a little faster. Nothing whatsoever.

Okay this was getting annoying. Maybe his whole body needed to move?

He took a few steps to the left, that didn't do anything.

A few steps to the right, nope, still didn't do anything.

Th Irken sighed in frustration; this door was much more stubborn than the one in his room. There must be something he was missing.

…Hang on, he'd been moving right in front of that door, hadn't he? So maybe...

The Irken began walking forward, eyes never leaving the giant door. His grip on the poll tightening with his rising anxiety over whatever may lay ahead if this worked.

Either third time really was the charm, or he was just getting better at figuring out his surroundings, but once he was a few inches away from the door, it slid open. He smiled in triumph as he scurried in as quickly as he could. As soon as he saw the new area, his eyes went wide.

It was a rotunda full of hallways.

Mesmerized, he slowly made his way to a nearby railing, grasping it as he looked up. There were at least three floors above him from what he could see. Looking down reviled even more below. More than he could count at the moment. Wherever he was, it was much bigger than he'd realized. It was both intimidating and fascinating.

As tempted as he was to explore them all, he decided it would be best to remain on the current floor for now, the last thing he wanted was to get lost. The Irken looked around the area, there were so many halls where he was alone, which one should he choose?

Well, going straight ahead had been working so far. Decision made; he began to make his way down the first tunnel ahead of him.

It looked the same as the hall he'd just been in, as far as he could tell. Maybe a few less doors. The little Irken was so distracted observing his surroundings, he didn't notice a sudden wall upon turning a corner until he ended up walking straight into it.

Stumbling back in surprise, and mild pain, the Irken rubbed his face glaring at the offending wall. Actually, it wasn't a wall, it was a tube-shaped elevator penetrating out of the wall slightly, disappearing into the ceiling above.

He looked it up and down, wondering if he should see where it led, when a sound began coming from behind the door. Cautiously, he inched closer as light began to shine through the cracks until it appeared to come to a stop. For a moment, everything was silent, then the doors slide open reviling another Irken.

This new Irken was wearing a navigator uniform and was looking over a digital pad in his hands. He looked up upon noticing the elevator doors had opened to make sure he was on the right floor, only to freeze when he saw the little Irken standing in front of him.

The two stared at each other with wide eyes. The navigator's expression was hard to read with most of his face covered, but the smaller's expression was of terror.

"You're…you're awake." The navigator stuttered in shock, taking a step forward, hand outstretched toward the other. The Irken gasped and, despite his weary legs, bolted back down the way he came. "Wait!" The navigator called out, but the Irken just ignored him.

As he ran, he spotted an entrance to another hall he hadn't seen earlier and quickly ducked in. the Irken leaned against the wall, both hands holding the poll tightly, as he tried to catch his breath. His legs protested strongly to the sudden movement, but he ignored them, still reeling from the encounter.

What…what was wrong with…

"Holy crap! Zim?!"

The Irken gasped and looked up to see three other Irkens standing a little further down the hall he was hiding in. He quickly forced himself to run back down the opposite way. He could hear them calling out, but couldn't make out they were saying and didn't try to. All he focused on was finding somewhere to hide, maybe returning to his room again.

It was then he realized he didn't know where his room was anymore. He'd been so focused on where he was going, it hadn't occurred to him take notes on how to find his way back. Despite his efforts, he'd gotten lost.

He was lost, and…they were looking for him.

He had to hide somewhere, anywhere.

He stopped and looked around; wherever he was now split into two separate halls. Which one should he pick?

"I think I saw him go down here" a voice suddenly came from somewhere behind him. He looked back to see an approaching group of shadows. Panicked, he just fled down the left at random, hoping to lose them.

He'd made it halfway down the hall, as far as he could tell anyway, when a new problem presented itself. His legs were beginning to burn. That jelly feeling was returning with a vengeance, but now it was accompanied by seething pins and needles. His legs were barley used to walking right now, how had he'd expected them to handle running so suddenly? They were about to give out.

He needed to hide before that happened.

The Irken made a b-line for the first door he saw, not caring what may or may not be inside. Thankfully, all the room seemed to contain were boxes. Without a second thought, he rushed in and ducked behind the first stack of boxes he saw. He collapsed almost instantly, his grip on the poll being the only thing keeping him from completely crumbling to the ground, rubbing his sore legs as he panted. He didn't realize his lungs had also started to burn until now.

This room was darker than his, but as long as he was safe and they didn't find him, he didn't care. That relief was sadly short lived as soon he could vaguely make out the sound of footsteps and voices on the other side of the door. He clamped a hand over his mouth with a soft gasp, hoping, praying, they didn't find him.

To his horror, the door opened and the footsteps became louder as they entered. Quietly as he could, he scooted away from the stream of light until he felt his back brush up against more boxes, hiding himself best he could. With any luck, they wouldn't find his hiding spot and leave soon.

He didn't know how long they were in the room, too long for his liking, but to his relief, they seemed convinced he wasn't there, and eventually left. The door closed, as he listened closely to their footsteps as best he could as they faded away, leaving him alone in darkness again.

He stayed hidden a few minutes longer, just to make sure they were gone, before he finally felt brave enough to come out of hiding. He tried to stand again, but his legs were still aching from exhaustion. Instead, he was forced to awkwardly crawl towards the door, one hand still holding the poll. At least his legs could still provide that much movement, even if he did feel more like he was dragging himself.

It was actually kind of easy to find the door in the darkness duo to the light just barley coming in through the cracks. As he drew closer, however, he noticed the door wasn't opining. Maybe he was too low to the ground? He had been standing upright before.

He raised his free hand high up as he could, nothing.

Okay, guess he was going to have to stand if he wanted to get out. Groaning in effort and discomfort, he forced himself back to his feet, despite his bodies strong protest. Knees ready to buckle any second, he made himself stand as straight as he could and held his hand back up.

Still nothing.

He bit his lip and forced himself up a few inches further, ignoring the stabbing in his legs, waving his hand.

The door remained close.

His legs finally gave way and he fell back onto his knees with a small cry. As he caught his breath again, a horrible thought entered his mind. Franticly crawling right up to the door, he placed his hand on the cool metal. Slowly, he gave a knock.

Nothing.

He began knocking some more.

Why wouldn't it open?

Unless…

…Unless they locked the door.

His knocking become more panicked. Had they known he was in here after all? Did they trap him here on purpose? Or had they just locked the door none the wiser?

His knocking came to a slow stop as his eyes began to sting and his vision started to blur.

He was lost, trapped, at the mercy of them…

…And he was scared.

Out of options, strength, and energy, the little Irken backed up from the door, curled up into a ball, and began to cry.

He didn't know how long he sat there quietly sobbing in the dark, and honestly, he didn't care. He just wanted to go back to his room, now wishing he'd never left. He just wanted to get something to drink.

He was so lost drowning in his emotions, he didn't notice when the door finally opened, illuminating his small frame.

"Zim?"

The little Irken jumped back with a cry of fear at the voice and the hand on his shoulder, backing himself into a pile of boxes fast as he could. Almost knocking them over onto himself.

"No, no, no! it's okay Zim!"

He curled into himself, his small body shaking as he held his hands Infront of his face. "Pl-" he coughed harshly, his first attempts to speak reminding him of his dry, aching throat. "Please, I…I just w-wanted…s-something to d-drink" he whimpered.

"Its okay" the stranger kneeling in front of him spoke in a soft voice. "No one's going to hurt you Zim."

The little Irken didn't move, didn't even try to look at any of them.

He couldn't bring himself to.

"Who…who is Zim?"

Holy crap! My first multi-chapter fic!

Well…that I've been willing able to post anyway.

Just warning you know, I have little to no clear plan, I have some stuff for this fic worked out more than most, that other stuff I'm more or less figuring out as I go. Granted, that's the case for just about all my stories, it's just worse with the multi-chapter fics. That said, I will do my best to update when I can.

So… yeah, Enjoy.