Next update: March 30

Also, AOYR drew this AWESOME piccy of the space base stealth mode scene from Ch.9! I DEMAND YOU ALL GO SEE IT! Just copy/paste http:www. deviantart. com/deviation/15758808 (just remember to delete the spaces) :D

Chapter 10: Rude Awakening

Zim woke up with a nasty headache, "Oww..." and soon, also discovered she was down in her lab, bound up in thick ropes around her wrists and ankles, "What?..."

"Finally conscious, are you?" called a voice from behind. She tried to twist her body towards the sound, but movement only irritated the skin under the ropes, so she held still.

"Who are you?" Zim demanded, her eyes narrowing, "How did you get past my defenses?"

"Miss Sunshine needs to win that contest," a different voice continued, ignoring her questions, "Subject Dib is a key factor to this goal. We have been instructed to let you go unharmed if you agree to surrender the Dib to us."

Zim growled low in her throat, "NEVER! I AM ZIM! ZIM SURRENDERS NO ONE!"

Belatedly remembering her spider legs, she quickly deployed them and turned to face her captors, "And the Dib stays MINE!"

The lab was empty. Or so it seemed. Zim listened to her voice echoing eerily until it faded, then turned her attentions to the house, "Computer! Scan for intruders and untie me!"

Silence.

"Computer? Answer me! There are intruders on the premises and this is no time to play games! Obey Zim!"

Muffled giggling from among the rafters was her only response.

Getting desperate, she called out again, "GIR! Come down to the lab! NOW!"

"If you're trying to contact that weird android 'kid-brother' of yours," a curly haired silhouette stepped out from behind an empty specimen tube, "We've already got him as well!"

She swung out a little metal cage, revealing the oblivious, still in disguise robot happily licking its feet.

"GIR!"

The SIR unit turned towards the sound of its name and wiggled his leg at Zim, "I am wiggling my leg! Witness my leg! Do you not see? Huh? HUH?"

"That's it, GIR!" Zim admonished her slave, "No more HNB comics for you! Stop playing around and assist your master!"

GIR stopped wiggling and stuck his tongue out cutely to the side, "Okie!"

He wrapped his little hands around the bars of his cage and pushed them easily to the sides, quickly jumping down and rushing up to Zim.

The silhouette took a surprised step back, "What?...that...that was titanium steel alloy! How did-"

"One thing I've learned concerning all my plans," Zim said as her android undid her bonds, "Never underestimate the 'GIR Factor'!"

"Yeehaa!" cried GIR, as he attached himself to Zim's neck and they charged toward their mystery jailor.

The figure leapt sideways, barely avoiding being impaled by Zim's spider legs, "Computer!" it cried, "Intruder alert! Search and destroy!"

"Intruders confirmed," the computer replied, dropping dozens of mechanical arms into view, all holding laser guns and all pointed at Zim, "Prepare to be assimilated."

The invader ducked and rolled under the first few blasts, reaching into her PAK and springing back up with her own weapon in hand.

"This is madness!" she cried, taking out 3 of the mech arms on her way to the elevator pod, "How can I be an intruder in my own house? What's wrong with you, Computer? Have you the brain worms?"

"Intruders escaping," said the computer as Zim and GIR jumped into the elevator and punched the 'ground floor' button, "Initiating shut-down of all transport modules."

Their ascent came to a grinding halt, causing Zim to teeter and fall.

The alien began cursing vehemently in Irken, "You think you can keep Zim prisoner in her own home? You don't know whom you're dealing with! I am an invader elite! And I will make sure you pay dearly for your mistake!"

She aimed her laser gun at the ceiling of the elevator pod and squeezed off a shot, blasting a hole big enough to escape out of. Zim jumped and caught the ledge, pulling herself up and proceeding to use her spider legs to scale the walls.

Reaching her destination, she blasted that wall open too and vaulted out into her kitchen.

Another figure was already waiting for here there.

Zim screeched to a halt and swung her laser to point at this new threat. Aim at the ready, she squeezed the trigger.

Nothing happened.

She looked disbelievingly at the useless scrap of Irken technology in her hand and flung it disgustedly away, opting instead to take up her military fighting stance, her body language clear, I may not be armed, but I'm still willing to fight my way out!

The figure remained motionless, "He's going to be taken from you either way, you know. Your cooperation only makes things that much easier."

Zim growled, "SHUT UP! Either fight me or step aside, stink beast!"

The figure said nothing to her, merely stepped to the side and motioned to the door, her own body language painfully obvious as well, Go ahead and leave. We have your base, we have your weapons, and we have your technology. There is nothing you can do about it. The battle is ours today.

Giving the person one last vengeful glare, Zim wasted no more time and charged out the door, nearly tripping over the still smoldering tree trunk-

and into another war zone.

The neighbors were still at it with the weapons of mass destruction, compliments of her lunatic SIR unit.

She craned her head to look at said lunatic still clinging to her neck.

"GIR! I need a distraction! Go and...do something!"

GIR's eyes flashed red, "Yes, Master!" and dropped to the ground. Running into the heart of the melee, he dropped to his knees and let out an eardrum-shattering wail, "MY CONTACT LENSE! I LOST MY CONTACT LENSE! I MISS YOU CUPCAKE! WHYYYYYYYYY?"

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and dropped to their knees as well, combing the ground franticly for the poor child's fictious vision enhancer.

Taking advantage of this calm before the storm, Zim retracted her arachnid appendages and raced toward the school, one thought beating urgently in her mind, as loud as the beating of her heart.

Dib!

(End chapter 10!)

AOYR: Thank you so much for the piccy! Lurves it tons I do :D By now your groundedness should be over, yes? Now you can use the computer with a lesser degree of paranoia than usual! Yay!

InvaderZae: As you can see, Zim's just fine...only her ego's hurt XD

cheese+cracker: Another cliffy!I likes these, but judging from the sever lack of reviews, I'm guessing nobody else does...oh well.

Cherry Cola: Thanks for the help finding the song in the last chapter! I forgot all about google...and I use it to find everything else! Oo; Meh, Thanks for the review!