Author's Note: Alas, poor Dib had one heck of a wake up call that last chapter. Let's see if things get better for him and for anyone else come to think of it. Once again, all things from Invader ZIM belong to Jhonen Vasquez and all things from The Nightmare Before Christmas came from Tim Burton. Me? I'm shamelessly using characters and worlds for this story. That's about it though.
"He won't stay mad at us, will he?" Sally as Jack as both of them sat on the living room couch, waiting for Dib.
"For having a little fun?" Jack asked Sally in return. "I don't think so."
"I do," Sally said, eyes drifting to Minimoose jumping up and down on the remote control to change the channels on the television. "Having fun?" she asked the moose, who squeaked in an irritated tone at her before resuming his channel changing.
"Oh, good. You're still here," Dib said to Jack and Sally as he left his room, dressed in his usual paranormal investigating outfit. "Visited everything overnight?"
"We're sorry, Dib," Jack said. "But honestly, could you imagine if you were cooped up in a new place with someone out to make your entire stay miserable?" Jack asked Dib, nodding to Gaz, who was playing her Gameslave at the kitchen table.
"I guess you have a point," Dib said pausing to focus on the television. "Hey! Stop changing the channel, Minimoose! I saw something."
Minimoose responded by shooting a laser from his antlers at Dib's feet and angrily squeaking his way under the couch. Lucky for Dib, the moose missed. Instead of having to nurse a laser-inflicted wound, Dib turned the channels back to what, rather whom, he had seen: his father. Correction- his father in front of a nightclub letting out its rowdy patrons.
"How did these cameras get here?" Professor Membrane asked someone off-screen.
"They've been following us ever since the first travelers came, sir," Simmons' voice replied.
"This is Mysterious Mysteries live with Professor Membrane," the anchor of the show said, pushing his way into view.
"Now see here, I didn't give my permission to-"
"Professor, how has the search for the inter-dimensional beings gone?"
"Frankly, sir, that isn't business I am free to discuss on television," Professor Membrane said before turning around to find some nightclub patrons making bunny ears behind his head. "Very funny. And you people wonder why I didn't give you free power."
"Shouldn't the people know about the paranormal threat?"
"Paranormal? This is real science in its process."
"Ah, so this is real science. So it's a real threat, then?"
"Enough! Turn these cameras off! Security!"
And that was the end of Professor Membrane's impromptu interview with Mysterious Mysteries. The television showed only static before Dib turned it off. They were supposed to be on a mission anyway. No more slacking off, Dib was definitely resolved to get to the Base. As he practically marched outside, Jack and Sally got up to follow, only to be interrupted by Gaz.
"You noticed, didn't you?" Gaz asked Jack and Sally.
"Noticed what?" Jack asked Gaz.
"How crazy Dib really is. Just wait until you see him and Zim being crazy and stupid at the same time. Makes me sick."
"Well, if we don't see each other again, good-bye," Sally said.
"Psh, don't get sappy on me," Gaz said. "Take the moose with you, if it stays here it'll give Zim a reason to come over and I don't need that."
"Why should we? You've been very rude to us," Jack said, shrinking back at the glare Gaz gave him.
"If you're not out of my sight in ten seconds, you'll be very sorry you said that to me."
"Well, look at the time," Jack said nervously as he dove under the couch and grabbed Minimoose, who squeaked in surprise before closing its eyes in annoyance. "Well, it's been… interesting. Let's go, Sally."
"Gladly," Sally said quietly, getting a final look at Gaz waving at them before returning to her game.
Meanwhile…"MY BEAUTIFUL BASE!" Zim screamed upon stepping inside, though, not out of happiness. The place was a mess. "COMPUTER!"
"HI!" GIR exclaimed, not receiving an answer from the computer either. "Aww, he's not home."
"It is the home, GIR! Computer, answer me."
"Oh, it's busy," said a voice from the kitchen.
"Eh? Who's here?" Zim asked, looking into the dark entrance, where three children slowly walked out.
"So, you're Zim?" asked the one who spoke before, a devil-child with a mischievous look on his face.
"Yes, I am Zim. Perfectly normal human wormbaby, now get out of my house!" he exclaimed, prompting the three to pull ray guns on him. "What's the meaning of this?"
"We're taking over the planet now, so beat it," the girl of the group, a witch, told Zim.
"I love this game!" GIR cheered, clapping his hands and smiling at the three intruders.
"HA! You don't even know how to use one of those. You'll probably blow yourselves up."
"Really?" asked the last child, a skeleton. "Well, I guess we'd better be extra-careful then," he said to the other two.
"Yes, yes, now hand those over so I can give you a proper dooming."
Three Minutes Later…"How far until we get there?" Jack asked Dib.
"Not too far. Just be on the look out for weird stuff," Dib said, causing Minimoose to hover next to him and squeak inquisitively. "Don't play dumb, you know weird stuff goes on in the Base."
"You mean like someone flying and screaming," Sally asked.
"Exactly. Wait, what?" Dib asked.
Sally pointed upwards to show him what she meant. No. It couldn't be. It was! Zim was hurtling in the air, screaming his head off at an amazing speed. Jack, Sally, and Dib stood dumbfounded as Zim's figure disappeared into an alleyway they had passed moments earlier. They would have chased after the Irken immediately if GIR, dressed in his dog outfit, hadn't tackled Sally.
"Crunchy lady!" GIR squealed.
"Hello, GIR," Sally said, struggling to get up. Surprisingly, Minimoose helped by bumping into GIR, causing the robot to focus his affection on him.
"Minimoose! I missed you!" GIR yelled, hugging the moose, which squeaked and gave GIR an electric shock. "Aww, that tickled."
"Hurry, he can't be too far away," Dib said.
"Never mind, here he comes," Jack said, pointing to a wobbling, short figure making its way to the group.
"The NERVE of those brats! GIR, get over here now! Don't think I can't see you with… oh, I know that giant head anywhere! Get lost, Dib," Zim said.
"Can he see either of you?" Dib asked Jack.
"Not yet," Jack replied.
"GIR! Dispose of the gargantuan head boy," Zim said, finally reaching up to Dib.
"You landed in a Dumpster, didn't you?" Dib asked Zim, who reeked of garbage stink and had a banana peel on top of his lopsided toupee.
"How dare you question me, Earth Monkey? Now get out of my way, I'm going to my mundane, ordinary Earth house. GIR, Minimoose, follow…follow…fol-low-" Zim stammered as he blinked.
There seemed to be two odd mists forming on both sides of Dib. That wasn't normal Earth behavior, at least, Zim had never seen it before. Now it was turning solid, kind of familiar. Zim gulped, fear wasn't going to get the best of this Irken soldier, no sir. Not even with two Halloweenies staring him down. Well, the Tallest weren't looking. Maybe a little fear wouldn't be too bad.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Zim screeched, turning around to flee before Jack picked him up. "He's the one you want, the one with the big head!" Zim yelled, pointing to Dib.
"What is he talking about?" Sally asked Dib.
"Long story," Dib replied.
"Release me you hideous bone creature, I am ZIM!"
"Well, you have enough sense to introduce yourself, albeit a bit rudely," Jack said, tilting his head and dropping Zim to the ground. "Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of-"
"HA! The tables have turned, Halloweenie," Zim said, pointing his extendable metallic legs from his PAK right into Jack's face. "These lasers will turn you into dust."
"See why I don't like Zim?" Dib asked Jack.
"And you, you're next, Dib just you- HEY!" Zim exclaimed, being pulled into the air by the very weapons he was threatening with.
"Sorry, Zim, but you're not turning anyone into dust," Sally said.
"Unhand me! I'm not afraid of you, I'm NOT! GIR! Help me! GIR?"
"I like this part," GIR whispered to Minimoose, who squeaked, nodded, and took some popcorn out from GIR's head.
"Looks like you're stuck, Zim," Dib said, smiling proudly.
"Only for the moment, but I will get my revenge on you Halloweenies, you just wait!"
"Can I drop him, Jack?" Sally asked.
"Yes, make sure he lands on his head," Jack said.
"Oh no you don't," Zim said, drawing the legs back into his pod and landing on his feet. "There. Now what brings you into my almighty presence?"
"We're going to your house to pick up three children. Have you seen them?" Jack asked Zim.
"Unfortunately. Those brats! They've destroyed my beautiful Base, I mean, house as I knew it. You sent them as spies, didn't you?" Zim asked Jack, pointing right at his face. "Trying to get even with me for trying to find inter-dimensional minions, aren't you? You disgust me!"
"For the record, you are the one who pulled Lock, Shock, and Barrel out of Halloween Town. Sally and I were the ones trying to keep them home."
"You lie!"
"No, it's the truth," Sally said.
"You lie as well. I'm taking you to my home myself, none of you can be trusted. You are to remove those horrible dirt children and make sure they never step in there again. If I even catch one of you touching anything I will send you to a dimension of pure dookie. Don't think I won't do it, because I will," Zim said receiving nods of agreement from Dib, Jack, and Sally before marching ahead of them and carrying GIR and Minimoose along.
Meanwhile…"How could this happen?" Igor asked Zero, who looked at the broken machine just as dumbfounded as the hunchback. "If only Master was here, he could fix it," Igor said before a noise came from downstairs.
"Hurry up," ordered Doctor Finkelstein's voice.
"I'm going as fast as I can, geezer," Oogie Boogie's voice answered. "You weigh more than I do now."
"I seriously doubt that."
"He's back," Igor said as he and Zero rushed to meet Doctor Finkelstein only to find that the scientist wasn't himself.
"Igor, good, you're still here," said a mechanical cowboy in the voice of Doctor Finkelstein, brain pulsing from the top of its head.
"Master?"
"Yes, it is I. Blame this burlap ignoramus for my temporary body."
"Move over, ugly. We need to get to the machine," Oogie Boogie said before noticing Zero begin to growl at him. "You too, mutt."
"It broke," Igor said. "I'm sorry, Master. I failed."
"It's alright, Igor. We just have to see the damage and fix as much as we can. Oogie, I'm sure you know where the machine is," the cowboy body said before Oogie lifted it up.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Oogie replied, huffing and puffing all the way to the room.
"It's smashed completely!" yelled Doctor Finkelstein.
"That was my point. Good job, huh?"
"At least it can be fixed. If you ever want to see those brats of yours again, we'll need to get this up and running very quickly."
"Where should I start, geezer?"
"Look for my plans, they should be on one of the tables. Sally! Help Oogie. Sally?"
"Sally went in," Igor said to Doctor Finkelstein as he and Zero walked into the room as well.
"What?"
"She went in to bring Jack and the children back home."
"That girl! Always letting her curiosity get the better of her," Doctor Finkelstein said before gasping. "She could be stuck forever! Oogie, You are going to fix this machine without rest until it works. No complaints, you sack of vermin!"
"These plans are all weird looking," Oogie Boogie said as he stretched out scrolls of plans.
"Now, Oogie!" Doctor Finkelstein exclaimed, arm shooting a bullet that split the seam right on the tip of Oogie Boogie's head.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Oogie exclaimed in return. If he had known sending Zim home for good would be this much trouble, Oogie figured maybe it wasn't so bad having the little weirdo around after all.
To Be Continued…