Disclaimer (Don'tcha love these?): Invader Zim belongs to the Almighty Thinnest Jhonen Vasquez, and his army of doom-sporks, and the sentient dust- bunnies at Nickelodeon. Aw, aren't they cute? I do this only out of the deepest respect for the characters and the great, great mind that created them. I mean it. Vasquez, if you're reading...damn you're a genius.

Oh, Dev and Zey, and any other characters NOT from Invader Zim, are mine. If Vasquez wanted to use them he could, but you guys aren't Vasquez, so ask first, please.

Any reviews you give to me will pleeeee-ase Pustulio! Flames will be treated with the same loving care you would expect from Nny, and any survivors will be fed to my pet Velociraptor.

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When the World Ends

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-Time is a valuable thing

Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings

Watch it count down to the end of the day

The clock ticks life away

It's so unreal

Didn't look out below

Watch the time go right out the window

Trying to hold on, didn't even know

I wasted it all just to watch you go-

-Chapter Four: Dib-Veracity-

The military is in charge here. The power I had has been slipping away, little by little. The final decision, what's going to happen to the alien, is still dependant on me. I won't let them take that away, not a chance in hell I'll give him up. But the project is out of my control.

We are at war. It's an undeclared war, true. The aliens' ships are still hovering, neither attacking nor making offers of

peace. Not that they would. I discovered long ago just what they had planned for us, and a truce is not a part of it. By now, the declaration of war is a mere formality.

In war, power reverts to the military, as a rule. And while the attacks haven't come yet, the aliens' actions are all but openly hostile. So every army base, every weapons depot, every seat of power in all the countries of the world, all are under full security lock down.

And it's even tighter in the US. We've been preparing for far too long to have been caught unawares. They're putting the finishing touches on the spaceships they managed to devise through reverse-engineering. The atmosphere now is a swirl of anger and patriotism. It's amazing the amount of people who've joined the military. The day the news broke there was an overwhelming level of volunteers.

Nothing brings humanity together like a common enemy. Around the base we've been shipped to (for our protection, of course) there's a sickening pervasion of bloodlust. These people have seen one too many galactic invasion movies.

The anticipation is streaming off the nowhere-near-somber-enough soldier who's escorting me now. He barely looks old enough to have made it in the army, and he's obviously not mature enough to know just what he's gotten himself into. He's jabbering on about how much alien ass he wants to kick, and gushing with praise over my capture of the 'hideous space monster'. I've been awaiting this event with trepidation, but after his endless talk I'm somewhat relieved to finally reach the room where the conference is to be held.

The boy offers me a seat at the massive table in the center of the room, but I refuse. I prefer standing when faced with a confrontation. Besides, it helps to alleviate some of the feeling of inferiority brought on by the giant monitor on the north wall. Are they trying to make the aliens more intimidating?

Several people wander around the room, adjusting the monitor and the cameras set up against the same wall. World leaders and dignitaries all over the planet are already taking their places before similar setups. The aliens would only allow a video-conference, of course. The monitor flares to life, displaying smaller images of different men and women down one side. I never envied politicians before, and now I can't help but pity them. This is far beyond what any of them expected. Even with the proof, many still refused to believe this would happen, and now that reality has struck them, the shock is quite obvious on their faces.

After a few minutes one side of the screen is filled, as late parties arrive. An uncomfortable cold has settled over my stomach. There's only one space left, the one for the aliens. They're making everyone wait, reinforcing their control over the situation. The people talk amongst themselves, many wiping at the nervous sweat on their brows or wringing their hands. Some remain silent. None of them seem to notice me, or care that I'm here, which suits me fine.

A small entourage marches into the room suddenly, several soldiers led by a highly decorated man who walks up to me and salutes. I nod, as the soldiers scatter to the walls and stand at attention. The man doesn't bother to introduce himself. "We're almost ready to begin. The aliens' are being patched through into the link and we should have visual any minute now. If any of them," he indicates the humans on the screen, "need your expertise, go ahead. Otherwise you probably won't have to say anything."

"Where is-" I don't finish my question. The mood in the room shifts abruptly, every person on the screen and in the room going utterly silent. The malice intensifies ten-fold. I don't even have to turn around to know that the alien, our alien, is being led in. His wrists are encased in thick metal cuffs, and he's flanked by half a dozen soldiers, any one of which is almost three times his height. Unlike his behavior at the lab, his back is straight and proud, antennae stretched forward and red eyes glaring at anything that moves. Oh, he puts on quite a show. I'm the only one who can detect the fear hiding in his bravado.

Behind him come Dev and Zey, Dev managing to look serious while Zey acts bored. Dev stands next to me and Zey follows, seemingly for the hell of it. All eyes are still on the alien, so no one notices the disturbed glance Dev shoots my way. I try to ask him what's wrong, but the flashing of the monitor stops everyone cold. It's time.

The two figures that appear are out of my worst nightmares. They resemble, vaguely, the alien that I've become so very familiar with, but on a far larger and more intimidating scale. I'm reminded of what he used to call them. The Tallest. If the smaller aliens at the surrounding consoles are the same size as ours, then the leaders seem to be taller than most humans. Their skin is the exact same green tone as our subject's. In every feature the two could be twins, save for their eyes, one pair dark purple, the other magenta. Their armor is colored to match, one's in various shades of purple and white, the other red and black, and my mind automatically dubs them 'Red' and 'Purple'. They're both thin to the point of frailty, and yet are the most imposing creatures I've ever seen.

Silence hangs over the room, cold with fear, and oppressive. Even our alien is affected. He seems uncertain, torn, as if trying to decide whether to bow to his leaders or spit at them. It's long moments before someone manages to speak up and begin the formalities. Names of politicians are thrown about by moderators, and ignored, if the expressions of disinterest on the aliens' faces are any indication. Their brightly colored eyes keep flicking back to our alien, their depths unreadable.

Red finally turns to one of the moderators with an irritated, "Do you people ever shut up?"

The politicians all freeze, nobody daring to move, until that same decorated officer steps forward, chest out and nose in the air. "Sirs, General Noosance here. We have a proposition for you." The Tallest glare at him, and Red bares his teeth. A hissing growl escapes him before Purple puts out a gauntleted hand. The general seems unphased. "Your soldier here left an orbiting base above our planet. We had a team of scientists on board, a team that we haven't heard from since your arrival."

I don't like where this is going. Dev catches my eye, shoots me a look which says it all. This is what he was worried about, what he didn't have the chance to warn me of. The general continues. "What conditions are our people in now?"

Purple glances at Red. "What did we do with those worms, anyway?"

"I don't know. You didn't have them thrown in the Nha-Rash pit yet, did you?"

"No, I thought you were gonna do it."

"Well then they must be around here somewhere, alive...Probably."

Their casual, off-hand manner is sending stabs of ice down my spine. The general's face has been getting darker with each word, but he manages to control his rage, barely. "If you can verify the...continued good health of our people, I have been authorized to make a deal with you."

They both smile at that. "What could you possibly offer us?"

The general's haughty demeanor never wavers. "A prisoner exchange. Our people for yours."

Shocked silence blankets the room for desperate moments, and then it's broken by something I never expected to hear from the aliens; laughter. The entire place is filled with it. When it finally dies down, Purple is rubbing his antennae, while Red leans against him, trying to catch his breath. "You think we actually WANT him back?"

Purple wipes at his eyes and chuckles again. "We never wanted him in the first place. Didn't he tell you that already? Zim had his chance to serve us, and he screwed it up royally."

Red nods. "Besides, Irken soldiers are always willing to die for their great leaders. Right, Zim?" He levels a smug grin at our alien, and the malicious glint in his eye makes my skin crawl. This isn't right. They're not supposed to be like this.

Suddenly a stream of words escapes our alien's lips. He's speaking in Irken again, but the tone is understandable to everyone here. He finishes with a harsh, guttural phrase and a familiar, middle-fingered human gesture which makes the meaning obvious. Dev and some of the younger officers smirk at that, but he doesn't notice. His gaze is locked on the monitor. The hatred is searing. He's only looked at one other being that way. Can't say I enjoyed being on the receiving end. Wonder how his 'leaders' like it.

"Why you little ingrate," Purple growls.

Red nods his agreement, arms crossed, but the sage expression he wears is marred by his mocking tone. "You just can't make good help these days."

"Why did you even bother to call this meeting?!"

I can't believe I just said that. Or rather, shouted. All attention is now centered on me. I think the general's ready to strangle me. Even the Tallest seem surprised at first. They share a look, then Purple says bluntly, "Duh."

I don't believe this. "What?"

He stares at me as if I'm stupid. "We called to see if you pathetic Earthenoids are ready to surrender yet."

The explanation's taken up by Red. "Normally we infiltrate then destroy without warning. Thanks to this little mistake of genetics, however," he glares at our alien, "we've decided to skip right to the destroying part. We just wanted to see if you'd give yourselves up before we do. It saves us a lot of trouble, not to mention ammo."

More than a few jaws drop open at that, mine included. Purple's still staring at me, his brow now furrowed slightly as if he's confused. The strength of his gaze is unnerving, unblinking, like some giant snake or insect. It's almost frightening in its intensity, and for all their shallow and childish manner, I am acutely and abruptly aware that these creatures are more dangerous than I had ever guessed.

"Who are you?"

The question breaks my forced concentration. Red gives his counterpart a curious look, and asks, "What?"

"Look at him." Purple stabs a finger in my direction, his eyes never leaving mine. "Doesn't he look familiar?"

Red watches me for a moment, and I have to fight the urge to squirm. "I don't know, all these worms look the same to me. What're you getting at?"

The question is ignored as Purple repeats his own. "Who are you?"

This is getting weird. As if it wasn't already. I straighten my shoulders and respond. "Professor Membrane, Paranormal Investigator."

Now Red is regarding me as well. "Membrane? Membrane....Hey, wait a minute, I DO know that name!" A wicked grin spreads across his face. "Zim, you let THIS worm defeat you? You're even more pathetic than we thought!"

"Hey!" I don't know exactly what I was going to say, but Purple cuts me off before I even get started.

"Well, now that that mystery's solved, we don't have to hang around here anymore. You have one last chance, Earthenoids. What'll it be, death, destruction, and all around doom, or becoming a part of the great and glorious Irken Empire? You've got twenty-four hours to decide, have a nice day."

Red gives a wave and a smirk just before the monitor blacks out, his final words ringing in the air. "And have a good life, Zim, whatever's left of it!"

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(1) When the World Ends, words and music by Dave Matthews and Glen Ballard, performed by Dave Matthews Band, album Everyday, copyright 2000 Golden Grey Ltd./Universal MCA Publishing. While this fic is not meant to have pairings of any sort, the lyrics of this song do fit it rather nicely at times ^_^. I suggest you all go out and get the album, you won't be disappointed! It's absolutely beautiful and totally unique music. If you've heard 'The Space Between' on the radio (Zim/Dib anyone?) you'll know what I'm talkin' about ^_~.

(2) All quotes taken from 'In the End' by Linkin Park. Album, Hybrid Theory. Unfortunately I don't have the copyright information and such. Please don't sue me. For the most part the lyrics were added AFTER I wrote the chapters. It's almost eerie how closely they fit to the overall theme. Thank goodness for that epiphany, which came at work. It's nice working at a place I can listen to the radio. If you haven't heard this one yet, or 'Crawling', which has also been getting alot of play, you're missing out. It's truly spectacular music, especially if you like it angsty ^_^. Pick up the CD, won't you?