Sorry for the incredibly extensive delay!

I was hoping to wait until my computer, which had the next few chapters on it, arrived from Japan, but its been over a month and I feel really guilty. So...here's the next chapter! Hopefully I haven't strayed too far from the original...Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Gaz looked up from her pizza, fixing Dib with another penetrating glare. Beside her, Zim was eyeing each of the faces around the table speculatively.

"You're doing that thing that annoys me, again." She took another bite.

"What are you talking about, Gaz? They really are clones!" A few heads across the room turned.

Ritz scooped another spoonful of clam chowder into her mouth, round-sad steel gray eyes tracing the pattern on her napkin. Eith motioned for the onlookers to return to their own business and Dementia raised an eyebrow. Remorse just stared at the nonplussed violet-tressed girl and her supposedly normal, green-skinned boyfriend. He spoke his mind.

"You find it hard to believe?" A side glance at Zim. "Even though your sullen companion isn't even from this planet?"

Zim's eyes widened. "What?! Lies! How dare you..." he stopped at the sound of Gaz's laughter. She set down her pizza and wiped her hands on a paper napkin, smiling. She tossed the gunk-covered scrunch-ball at the fuming Irken.

"Ok. I guess I believe you, although it DOES seem like a pitiful attempt at ruining our vacation..." She glanced at her brother once more, searching for the usual glint of insanity residing in his eyes. To her surprise he was staring across the table, seriousness evident in both posture and facial expression. Maybe he was growing out of his weirdness after all...She followed his line of view to the frosty-haired living-mannequin across the table. Then again...he might just be getting stupid. He'd never seemed interested in a girl before. This one seemd to hold his attention like a brand new episode of "Mysterious Mysteries" used to.

Gaz shrugged.

"Whatever. Maybe Dad's fixed my Gameslave by now..." her voice trailed off, imagining her console in her palms once again. Perhaps she should consider throwing only useless, heavy junk at her infuriating extraterrestrial beau...

Dib smiled at his new friends and stood up. "Let's go."

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Prof. Membrane paused his current calculation, turning to the hovering screen to his left.

"...and you said the clones are now legal employees of your corporation?"

A man with dark hair and a reddened face nodded to the reporter, an almost-forced smile aimed at the camera. "Yes. They have proven themselves time and again as useful assets to the company. As the future distributors of artificial life-forms for not only the government, the army, but also civilians we expect no less from our creations. They are guaranteed to be perfect."

"How soon would you say it is before they are released to the public?"

"They already walk among you. But in the connotation of when they will be on the market, well, I cannot release that information at this tme." Sly grin.

"Well, that's the latest on the rapidly expanding cloning facility in Denver. Who knows? This just might be the institution of the future, folks..."

Click.

Prof. Membrane pressed the button on the bottom of the anti-gravity screen and returned to the paper smothered with scientific concepts and equations. That was all nonsense...Tampering with living, breathing creations was imbecilic. You surrender to the possibility of miscalculations, allow the unexpected free roam. Snorting at the idea of "selling" these clones on the market, the world proclaimed professor returned to his work. Real science. That's what would benefit mankind...

Medea watched her husband from the doorway, frowning slightly. She knew that the installation in Denver was quickly becoming a rival in profits with the Membrane corporation in New York. But, in her eyes, the cloning facility would never come close to the beneficial factors of her husband's institution. He actually cared about those he helped...

Medea shuddered. Those poor clones...I wonder if they know that they belong to the government. That they are nothing but tools in a hipocritical society with a high regard for money and little else.

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Gaz pulled out another drawer, stepped over to her suitcase and overturned it, clothes falling haphazardly. Ritz looked down at her from on the bed.

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah. Just clothes." The girl tossed in the books from the bedside table as well, zipping the plum-suede traveling case closed. Hands at her hips, she nodded with satisfaction. She lugged it into the living room, Ritz trailing behind.

"And you...experiment dirt-things...don't think the science monkeys will come looking for you?" Zim asked through narrowed contact-covered orbs.

Dib scowled at his ex-rival's degrading label of the clones. Dementia just smiled, however, assuming it was the result of psuedo conviction. Actually, she found his childish and inarticulate names amusing.

"Pretty sure. The last thing that moron said was 'get out of here you ungrateful lab-rats, dissecting a log would be of more help than duplicating any of you...' after I tossed one of my heels at his head." The taller of the female clones tapped her chin thoughfully. "I should have thrown my three-inch stillettos..."

"Do you think your father will help?" Eith inquired, grinning at the memory of Dr. Jade's face getting smacked with the glitter-pink pump.

"Yes. He already despises the facility itself. Believes it's inhumane and stuff like that..." Dib glued his eyes to the floor. He hoped...

"Of course he will. And none of you will be able to leave the house after ten, or step outside without a jacket, hat and gloves. And anyone who approaches you in an unfriendly manner will suffer an immediate and excruciatingly painful death by my mother. Beware our household." Gaz flopped down on the couch beside Zim and grabbed the remote. The screen flickered to life. She grinned. Good ol' Mom...

The female Membrane sibling knew all too well of her mother's resentment of the 'government drones'. Heh. Like mother like daughter. This was going to be interesting...