((Oo goody the next chapter… I seriously SUCK at writing suspense/angst/whatever shtuff, bear with me now…)) Zyn-JA

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Zim snuck out at night, clutching a tiny black box to his chest. It was tiny, but it was also glowing an eerie green glow. He had to keep it hidden.

***

Luka and Dib were down in Prof. Membrane's lab mixing up some bubbling chemicals. Luka was eying every bottle in line on the counter.

"Are you sure you don't want to use my lab instead?" Dib asked as he poured a black substance down a beaker.

Luka shook her head. "Do you have the DNA?"

Dib reached into his pocket and pulled out a small string… or what looked like string.

"It's a piece of the horrible alien's antenna," Dib said. "I cut it out myself." He puffed out his chest.

In one smooth move Luka swiped it from his hand and dropped it into a beaker. The stuff inside it began to bubble. Then there was a tiny explosion. The bubbling ceased.

Dib peered over Luka's shoulder. "What's that?"

Luka bottled the potion up and corked it shut. "It's a combination of chemicals and Zim's Irken DNA… It's Irken, right?… Anyway, the chemicals inside will find a weak spot in Zim's DNA so that when the fluid reaches Zim's blood stream, he'll be dead in about a week." A malicious grin formed on Luka's face. She chortled.

***

Zim snuck around Dib's house over to the back. Still clutching the box to his stomach he peeked into a window and saw Dib and Luka.

Zim chortled silently.

"Looks like Dib's got a girlfriend," Zim sneered. "Excellent."

Just then an ear-splitting squeal interrupted Zim's thoughts. Zim keeled over and fell to the ground. GIR hopped onto his back.

"GUESS WHAT MASTER GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAAAAAAT?!?!?!"

Zim rolled over and clapped his gloved hand over GIR's robotic mouth. He pursed his lips together making a silent 'ssshhh.'

Luka and Dib went over the window. They both looked suspiciously around. After a few moments they went back to their potion.

GIR whispered to Zim, "What's that?" He pointed to the black box.

Zim grinned. "This is the toy I was working on, GIR. It's basically a time bomb. No no no, it's a *special* time bomb. It won't blow up. It will send out a wave of…."

GIR interrupted. "DOOM!!!"

Zim surprisingly smiled at GIR. "Yes. Since there is no other way I can put it, it is basically a wave of doom that will destroy the minds of all who live here in this household… mainly DIB!!"

Zim shut himself up by clapping his hand over his mouth then slapping himself.

He heard voices from the window.

"What was that?"

"Eh, uhh probably just the squirrels."

"Eh."

Zim whispered to GIR again. "Basically, it will make them go mad. They'll all go insane and eventually destroy themselves… by themselves!!"

"Eeeheeeheeheeheeeheeeheee!!!!"

Zim threw GIR about 10 yards away from him, making a loud clanging noise against some garbage cans.

There they went again. The voices.

"What WAS…"

"I TOLD you, the SQUIRRELS!!!"

"Eh."

Zim whispered to himself now. "In about a week, Dib and his family will all be going insane… LIKE GIR!! MUAHAHAA!!"

Zim banged his head against the wall. Man, he was so stupid! He heard the voices once more.

"That ain't no squirrel!"

"ZIM!!!"

Zim recognized that high panicky voice. He ran out to the front of the house. His sprint was caught by an old tire and he tripped. He grunted and rolled over, clutching his chin in his hands.

The door to Dib's house swung opened and Luka and Dib's shadow cast over Zim.

"There he is!" cried Dib. "The alien! It's Zim!!!"

Before Dib can say no more, Luka loaded a dart into a small peashooter. Zim got up and started running into the street. Luka blew into the peashooter, sending the dart whistling down the lawn, finally penetrating Zim in the neck.

Zim yelped in pain and fell to the ground, the dart in his neck. Slowly he stood up. He yanked the dart from the back of his neck and rubbed it. His blood dripped from his neck.

Back at the house, Luka smiled wickedly in the shadows.

"I dunno what you're trying to do to me, but a little cut isn't gonna stop me, DIB! I'll get you AND your little girlfriend! Just wait and see!!"

Suddenly Zim doubled over in pain and the rich green color drained from his face, leaving him pale and curled up on the sidewalk. He crawled his way forward then called GIR. In moments, GIR came by and dragged him away.

Zim's eyes began to narrow in anger. "It's just a matter of time." He smiled wickedly at his plan.

Luka held the peashooter triumphantly in the air. "It's just a matter of time." She smiled wickedly at her plan.