Dib felt his breath catch in his throat. The idea that Zim had been dealing with some alien escapee wasn't exactly farfetched- but Dib was annoyed that this had been done without his knowledge. He would have killed for a chance to see another species. "Okay. Where do I go to talk to this prisoner? What is the race?"

" The subject in question has been living in the main city at a small apartment. The Irken name for the species is simply: Parasite. They are a very small, very dangerous group that feed on energy, emotional energy is their most potent food source. They are best known for leeching off of large groups under great emotional duress ."

"No wonder it chose to live in the city." Dib mused. "So, they're called the Parasites? Seems a little... exact."

" Like I said: that is the Irken name for them. Irkens are not great at naming things. I am sure the Parasites call themselves something different. " CB's reply almost drew a laugh out of Dib, but his thoughts were briefly interrupted by the sound of the apartment door opening.

Right.

Clark had mentioned his brother would be stopping by.

"We should head out, continue this conversation away from other people." Dib stood up, grabbing the phone from his desk. "Stay quiet." He ordered as he placed CB in his pocket.

" I am smart enough to know not to draw attention to myself. You do not have to give me orders ." Dib glared at the phone, hoping the AI inside could see his annoyance.

"You hijacked my car!"

" Yes but no one could tell. The only real give away would be that I'm a far better driver. " Dib picked the phone back up. " Hey, what do you think- " And he hit the mute button with a smug sense of self-satisfaction before dropping CB back in his pocket. He exited his room and saw Clark and his brother talking in the main living area. It was always a little weird to see the two together as they looked nothing alike. Clark was small, thin framed, pale, with messy black hair and his older brother was solidly built, tall, muscular, dark skinned with very short, well maintained dark hair. Even without knowing Clark had two mothers- it was very apparent at least one of the brothers had to be adopted.

"Hey Clark, Officer Rodgers." Dib started to pack up his bag. Clark's brother was actually one of the security officers on campus and Dib wasn't sure how he felt about having him around so frequently- especially since Dib had a tendency to pry into files the school would prefer to keep private. Though, if Officer Rodgers had any indication that Dib was doing less-than-legal activities in the dorm, he wasn't showing it- or just simply didn't care.

"I keep telling you, you can call me Conner when I'm not on duty." The taller man pointed out, but before Dib could respond, Clark interjected.

"Hey!" He was just as cheery as ever. "We were going to watch that new monster movie that came out- Lizard from Space - did you want to come along?" It wasn't the first time Clark had invited Dib out like this- in fact it was almost habit. Every time his roommate would go out with friends, or to some event- he always checked to see if Dib wanted to come along. Once in a while, Dib would agree- if not just to get Clark off his back. (Though he had actually enjoyed himself once or twice).

"Not this time, sorry." Dib was quick to dismiss him. "I'm going out to see that friend I told you about. The one from high school ?"

"Oh yeah! Zim ! You should bring him by sometime! You know I don't care if you have guests over, so long as you aren't too loud late at night."

"Yeah, maybe." He had no intention of bringing Zim to a college campus where Dib might be held financially liable for the Irken's destructive nature. Not that he couldn't afford it- being a Membrane- but he didn't want to explain to his dad a several thousand-dollar bill for damages. His dad didn't generally ask questions- but Dib didn't want to test fate.

"I heard you and my brother had quite the adventure the other night." Conner stopped flipping aimlessly through the TV channels as Dib froze. "Late night drive to watch some falling stars." A wave of relief washed over him. Clark- for one reason or another- had decided to keep the details of the experience to a minimum. "I'm glad you guys are getting along."

"Oh... um... yeah." Dib ran a hand through his hair uncertainly. He wasn't accustomed to someone actively seeking his companionship and thus, was always a bit back and forth about his feelings on Clark. He liked him well enough.

Throughout his early schooling (elementary through high school), Dib had been a social pariah. His only friend had been Zim and honestly, ' friend ' was a strong word for their relationship until fairly recently. But as Dib reached college, people had been nicer to him. He was gaining notoriety not just for his obscure hobbies- but for his name.

All of the sudden people wanted to get to know Dib. The outcast paranormal scientist went from weird recluse to eccentric rich boy. Dib very quickly learned that most interest in him was superficial at best and people either wanted to meet his father or try to weasel expensive gifts from him. The attention had actually made Dib more bitter, if anything.

"We should do roommate trips more often!" Clark tried to put a stop to the uncomfortable air in the room that had settled at the mention of their late-night trip. Dib had been suspicious of Clark from the start because of his history with overly friendly types. But... Clark had yet to really ask him for anything (aside from asking him to do chores or to come out on outings).

"Just don't get into anything too dangerous. You have some... interesting hobbies Dib." It may have been in Dib's imagination , but the expression on Conner's face was more severe than before. It reminded him a bit of Clark just moments before Conner had arrived.

"Y-yeah. I won't."

"Sometimes it is best to not get involved in things you don't understand." It all sounded eerily similar to the talk Clark had given him. Dib was starting to wonder if Clark really had kept the drone as a secret to Conner. "You don't want to risk getting hurt."

"Don't be so weird, Officer Doom-and-Gloom." Clark shoved his brother playfully but his upbeat attitude did little to help the unsettling air that had settled in the room. "You're creeping him out." Clark being right did little to ease Dib's mind.

"Sorry." Conner laughed and the cold expression melted away. "I'm a bit too cautious sometimes; Clark calls me overbearing ."

"A real killjoy." Clark huffed.

"I should go." Dib found his keys. He just wanted to get out of that conversation.

"If you're going out, don't forget the trash!" Clark called to him. "And do you want me to put your pizza in the fridge?"

"Oh. Yeah. Thanks." Dib had honestly forgotten about the pizza thing. He reluctantly grabbed the bag of trash already (helpfully) sitting by the door and tossed it into the large dumpster at the end of the apartment complex.

" Did you just mute me ?"

Dib jumped at the voice in his pocket. "Did you un-mute yourself!?"

" Do not be rude ." Came the snippy reply. Dib hurried to his car, turning the engine on and hearing CB transfer into the speakers. He also saw a GPS map pop up to a location in the city. The sooner he got to talk to this alien, the sooner he could give CB back to Zim .

"It should go without saying that I'm the one driving." Dib trusted the AI less and less with every passing move. The thing about computers gaining sentience was that sometimes it came with unintended and catastrophic consequences. He didn't mind GIR or the original house, as both of them seemed content to stay within their defined parameters . This new AI had a tendency to expand itself without the knowledge or consent of its creator.

" If you are going to be indignant about it, I suppose I can let you. I have already dispatched security measures to the location in case of unforeseen circumstances ."

"I don't like the sound of that. If it is so dangerous, why not just have Zim go?"

" I do not think the master will attempt contact with the subject in question. The Parasites have a very long, unpleasant history with the Irken Empire. It is unlikely master would confess to a fellow Invader about open dealings with such a being . Though, if you believe the task to be too difficult or dangerous, it is not too late to turn back ."

"Hell no!" Dib pressed the gas a little harder to emphasize his point. "If the Syndicate is going to threaten my home planet and the Irkens are too fucking self-involved to care; I will do anything to protect my home." It wasn't like this sort of thing was unexpected; Zim could be flaky at best when it came to philanthropy.

" Your dedication to your people is an admirable trait on Irk ." That was the closest Dib had gotten to a compliment from the AI since they had met. " It is a shame that in most cases your efforts are unnecessary or simply futile ." And of course, the robot had to just keep talking and ruin the moment.

"You don't know that; you're like two days old."

" I am older than that ."

"Are you though?"

" My date of completion exceeds one month prior to our first interaction . Just because you and I had not met till recently, does not mean that I did not exist before that moment. You have not met most of your planet's populace. Does that mean that they do not exist either ?"

"Shut up CB." Dib had wanted a simple insult- not a lecture. The idea of dealing with CB's insults for the drive made him miss his expedition with Clark. Hell, even Zim would have been a better companion. At least if the small Irken was sassing him, he could just throw him out of the car.

It was a long, silent drive before Dib finally reached the little apartment building in question. It was shoved between two much larger complexes, drab and easily overlooked. He parked by a meter, making sure to lock his car before heading up toward the entrance. Something seemed a little odd about the building. While the complexes around it were bustling with life- he could see people going in, or lights flickering in the window- this felt very... still.

"Is this the place?"

" Affirmative ." The voice came from behind him, not from his pocket. Dib slowly turned to see CB, helmet and all, standing behind him.

"How are you projecting all the way out here?" He looked for a camera nearby, the source of the hologram. He couldn't see anything that would be able to give such definition. The detail on the projection was more corporeal in appearance than the one in the house.

" I am not ."

"Wait, what?"

CB put a hand on Dib's shoulder. He was solid .

"Did Zim build you a body?"

" Negative. This was my own project. The master has other things to occupy him currently and I felt this would benefit our security. " Dib's paranoia was not alleviated by this revelation and he could just feel his heart plummet into his stomach. He wanted to say something in response, but before he could formulate a sentence to express his concerns, the apartment complex door swung open and a man exited the building and headed passed them onto the street.

At least Dib knew people did live in the complex. He watched the man go, seeing pure exhaust in his expression. He looked slightly emaciated, sallow skin, bags under the eyes. He was visibly dragging his feet as he slumped away without even blinking.

" He's in the basement... " Dib could see the blue light on the helmet slowly scan the building before him. " Please stay close. "

"I can handle this. I fought Zim when I was twelve and I bet he's caused way more damage than this Parasite guy." Dib was trying to convince himself as well as CB as the two entered the building heading down the surprisingly dark stairway into a dimly lit hall lined with only three doors. CB walked to the one in the very back, simply labeled B2. Dib had to admit that he was a little surprised the alien had gotten itself an apartment.

" Come in. " Came the response from the other side of the door.

They hadn't even knocked.

Dib hesitantly reached out , grabbing the handle and taking a step inside what looked like more of a library than an apartment. The lights were all very low, there were shelves of just books everywhere, obscuring his view of the rest of the apartment.

"We need to-" Dib started to speak but he was cut off.

" Diego Membrane Junior ." Dib felt his blood run cold. No one called him Diego. His father, his sister, his teachers- hell he didn't even call himself that. " You are here with this... machine to discuss with me about my brief stay with the Syndicate. " He knew everything- things no one knew; things no one should ever know. The realization put Dib on edge but he had mentally prepared for this his entire life. He had made plans for any scenario- even this.

"You read minds. How cute." He did his best to maintain his composure. He could tell now that the voice was not coming from around him, but inside his own head. That echoing resonance had been something Dib had always expected to hear one day. No wonder CB had dragged him along. He doubted the AI would be able to communicate telepathically.

" You would be correct. He cannot hear us. Nor could I discuss things with him in this way even if I so desired ." The voice practically was whispering to him in his mind. " It is exactly as you suspect. How can I link my mind to a cold, unfeeling machine? They are nothing but logic and cruelty. They do not think. They do not understand. They can only provide a singular purpose to aid biological lifeforms such as ourselves. It is when they get too smart that things become... " Dib could hear the sounds of screaming in his ears- the wail of a siren- the systematic countdown of a doomsday clock. " Difficult . "

" What is it saying? " CB was scanning the room, standing on edge, " Are you in danger? "

" It doesn't care if you are in danger or if you get hurt. You mean nothing to it. You are just a means to an end. You can hear me so it brings you along, despite the danger. It is only logical. It cannot care. That is what you are afraid of, is it not? One more calculating construct to finish what the last one started. Such distrust ."

"You talk an awful lot for something content to hide in shadows." Dib remarked smugly. He had psychologically trained himself for a mind reading monster since he was young and was convinced his third-grade teacher was actually reading minds for the government and stealing his thoughts. Of course, he knew better now- but the training had come in handy- as he always knew it would.

" Silly boy, I am not hiding. " Dib heard a scurrying sound above him, but as he looked up there was a thud behind him and he had to turn. What he saw did not disappoint him in the slightest. He had wanted to see a new alien and that is exactly what he got. The creature looked as if it were created by someone trying to make a perfect porcelain doll of a human but right before they finished their masterpiece, they completely forgot what a human looked like. The creature looked human enough, two legs, two arms- but its skin was the same spectral white as its clothing. In fact, the only color at all on the creature was in the red, tattered scarf that it wore around its neck (It may have been Dib's imagination, but it was almost as if the bottom taters were moving on their own) and of course, in the eyes- all seven of the eyes, to be exact. The eyes were in an arch, starting with two where a human would have eyes, then two pairs above those and one in the middle of the head. The teeth were long, needle like, and the mouth just a little too wide.

Dib hated how entrancing the image was- almost ethereal in its smooth movements as it glided forward toward him.

" That is close enough Q ." CB stepped in front of Dib rather quickly. " We came here for information about your former captors, not to be your playthings ."

"Cue ... ?" Dib blinked, still a little awestruck of this 'Cue's' presence.

" Awww thank you~ " Q's reply indicated he had every idea of how impressed Dib felt. " But it is 'Q' like the letter. But I suppose the pronunciation is the same so I should not be picky . Really that isn't right either, but you don't have enough tongues to pronounce my actual name ."

" Q ," Dib recovered himself quickly. " What can you tell us about the crash and the weapon the Syndicate was carrying on board ? "

" I could tell you lots of things. But why should I ?" Dib watched as the creature's neck snapped unnaturally quickly toward its shoulder.

"Q is asking why it should give us the information." Dib wasn't sure if CB had something planned for this or not.

" Tell him that we can pay him handsomely for any intel he can offer ."

" Oh yes, I do like payment~ ." Q seemed satisfied by the reply. " Very well, I suppose I can start by explaining why I was on that vessel ."

" You were a prisoner. " Dib replied quickly. "CB found the records."

" Well... that is true in a way. I suppose you could say I let myself be taken prisoner so I could end up on a non-allied planet such as this. Life is just so much simpler without the Syndicate or the Empire breathing down my neck- so to speak ." Q sat back in the air and simply began to float in place. The wefts of snow-white hair and arms of the scarf floated as if he were in water unaffected by the gravity around him. " I was merely hitching a ride. I let them catch me ."

"So, then you crashed the ship." At once all seven red, convex eyes were staring, unblinking at Dib. The head had snapped toward him with an unnaturally jerky movement that greatly contrasted with the fluidity of the floating position in which Q was relaxing.

" I never said that. Don't your species have a saying about making assumptions? "

" Hilarious ." Dib growled. CB took a more defensive stance, seeming to sense a change in the atmosphere. It had to be frustrating for the AI to only hear Dib's half of the dialogue. He looked back to Dib for any sort of signal.

" He wouldn't need to hear anything, but you insist on speaking out loud ."

"I am keeping him informed."

" You don't trust me? I would take offense but you don't trust much of anyone. You must live a very lonely life, Mister Membrane. "

"Let's stay on topic."

" Did I hit a nerve ?"

"You wanted a ride here so you allowed yourself to be captured." Dib ignored the alien's attempts to get into his head. "You couldn't have known they were going to stop on Earth since this was not a scheduled stop. They crashed, didn't they?"

" They did crash. And to be fair, I did not know the exact location the crash would be in- but I knew it was coming. How I knew is a little complicated. "

"I assume you read the mind of a saboteur . You knew someone wanted the mission to fail so you caught a ride knowing the ship was doomed."

The creature before him smirked, the crimson eyes narrowing, pulsing with light in the dim apartment. " Something like that. "

"Care to elaborate?" Dib felt like a real detective, interrogating a crucial witness. The scenario gave him a little more confidence. It also helped having CB around as the muscle- though Q did not seem particularly worried. The ethereal alien paused, tilting its head to the side thoughtfully as the many crimson eyes sized up the human.

" I suppose I can since you suspect me of something. You see, like your... companion ," he gestured to CB who looked to Dib for some sort of answer. Dib shook his head meaning for the robot to stand down. " There are certain minds I cannot read. Robots and certain, highly-tech-based races are just like static to us. So color me surprised, when I'm looking at an organic creature whose thoughts should be loud and clear to me- and I hear nothing. "

"A spy?" Dib felt himself get excited again. "I was right!"

" Well... I mean, I was right first technically. But yes . I didn't crash the ship, but I had a feeling when I saw something masquerading as a Federation officer on a very high-risk escort mission, that shenanigans were afoot ." Q righted himself back into a standing (or floating) position, leaning forward toward Dib. The Membrane clone found himself staring into seven, bulging, reflective eyes as a slowly widening mouth full of needle-like teeth drew itself closer to him. Dib felt his breath pick up as something that might have been excitement or terror shot through him.

"I- nng !" Dib made a small noise of pain. He looked down, it looked like Q wasn't touching him at all- directly at least. But the tentacle-like fringes of the scarf looked almost as if they were digging into his chest. He wasn't sure if he was actually hurting, or just surprised. But his little noise had launched CB into action as, in a swift movement, Q was ripped off of him and thrown into the opposing book shelves knocking three of them over. CB had a strange laser-like gun out and began firing several rounds at Q who gave an angry hiss.

" I should also mention ." The moonlight colored alien split itself down the middle to avoid being shot. " That I am incredibly difficult to kill ." One of the arms of the scarf behind Q lifted up of its own accord and latched onto the wall as the alien pulled itself back together and scurried straight up the wall onto the ceiling as CB fired after it. " Ask your digital dunce why it is shooting at me !" Q demanded as his human like arms bent backward , out of their sockets allowing him to crawl, spider like across the ceiling while still looking at Dib on the ground.

"Probably because you tried to attack me!" Dib checked himself for injuries but the fabric of his shirt had not even been torn. Had it not been an attack? He looked up as slowly Q's humanoid shape began to deteriorate into something more horrific. It was clear now those four arms of the scarf were actual, physical parts of him, as he used them to scramble along the ceiling faster than Dib's eye could follow. CB was hot on his tail, trying his best to land a shot as Q melted into the shadow.

" Attack you? I was collecting my payment !" This time Q's voice was louder, more aggressive than it had been before. It sounded like the calm, human-like tone he had been using was shattering into several different voices. Dib vaguely picked up on voices he recognized: Zim , his father, CB, Clark, even Gaz. The pain was disorienting.

"Did you offer me as payment !? CB you sack of shit!" Dib couldn't believe his ears. He thought he was a translator but he might have just been the bargaining chip.

" What!? No !" CB actually stopped firing to look at Dib looking genuinely offended. " I was going to use monies. Zim always paid him in monies !"

" I don't WANT monies! " The voice was giving him a splitting headache now. "I'm H̸U̶N̸G̴R̸Y̴!̸

̷ I̷ .̵

W̸a̵n̸t ̴

̵ T̴o

F̸̟̙͛Ȩ̶͝E̴͈̔͛D ̵̟̘͛!"

Dib fell to his knees, the piercing scream now such a far cry from his own species that he could barely recognize the words as English. He looked up.

All he saw were seven red lights peering at him from the ceiling as a Cheshire grin of fangs opened wide and a figure that looked as if someone had taken the human frame and stretched and twisted it to the brink of breaking, descended upon him in a flurry.

Dib found himself thrown back as the spidery abomination collided, instead, with CB who had taken it upon himself to shove Dib out of the way. Enraged by the miss, Q began clawing and ripping into the metal body as if it were paper. The scarves on his neck now slit into several, wiggling tentacles each as sharp as blades tearing the robot to shreds.

Dib broke into a run toward the exit. He wasn't sure if the car would be enough to stop the monstrosity behind him but he had to try something. He reached the door only to have it melt away in a puddle on the ground. Dib stared at the blank wall in disbelief.

" DoN't RuN mY litTle meAl ." The human voice was back but still cracking and fragmented. Dib found himself awakening back on the floor beside the discarded metal body of CB.

Hallucinations. Of course- the creature was entirely based around mental attacks. He had been an idiot to let his guard down. Dib fumbled for CB's body as he scrambled to get his hands on the gun. He could hear Q laughing. "Back off!"

" I-m nOt SupPosed to p-p-p- plAy with my fOod ." Dib grabbed the gun and whipped around onto to find those glowing eyes leering over him. " I-d hOld stiLl ." Q cooed as the grinning jaw began unhinging in a way that almost bisected its head. One of the spidery hands crawled over Dib's own hand, snatching the gun away and tossing it to the side.

There was a sound like electricity and Dib felt heat rush over him as something blindingly white struck Q straight in the gaping maw.

"What were you thinking you idiot human scum!?" Dib had never been more relieved to hear that grating, alien voice in his life. Q reeled off of him, hissing violently as another shot came from above and Zim landed, PAK legs extended in an attack position, over Dib. "This is the STUPIDEST thing you could ever think to do!" Zim turned to look at Dib as Q launched himself forward once more only to be blasted from behind. Skoodge dropped from the ceiling , holding a weapon similar to the one CB had brought with him.

"I just wanted to-"

"NO! No reason you give Zim makes this at all not stupid!" Zim was so mad he was getting tripped up on his words . Dib could not remember the last time he had seen the Irken so livid. "Because it is stupid! Stupid-dumb-dumb-stupid! That's how bad it was that I had to come up with a new word for it!" Dib blinked.

"That wasn't a new word." he mumbled weakly. "Just the same two words-"

"SILENCE! Stupid -dumb-dumb-stupid humans do not get to antagonize Zim!" Zim spat back.

" Tell him you were -" Q was starting to sit up but as he moved, Skoodge shot him down in a flash. Q let out an angry hiss. " Tell them to stop shooting me !"

"No." Dib retorted weakly. "You tell them."

"Tell them what?" Zim looked confused. " Zim does not accepted orders! ZIM WILL TELL NO ONE NOTHING!"

"I think he is speaking to the Parasite. Humans would have the ability to speak with them." Skoodge finally spoke, but not before getting another shot in on the wounded Q.

"C-can you not hear him?" Dib looked up a bit surprised.

"No. Irkens are far superior to Parasites. We have learned to adapt! We evolved to counter their spooky-mind-tricks!" Zim remarked , quite proud.

Dib heard what could only be described as a 'mental scoff'. " Chh . ' Evolved ' my ass ." Q's retort was back in the tolerable, human-like voice. " They run their neural processes through their PAKs. They're almost as cybernetic as the damn computer. "

Computer... CB!

" Zim ... CB-"

"Is the one who called us." Skoodge replied looking at the body on the floor with an unreadable expression. He nudged it with his foot. Zim finally seemed to notice it.

"What is that?" Zim squinted at the destroyed parts, poking them with the leg of his Pak. Dib would have been more alarmed that Zim had not seen it before- but honestly, at this point he had enough on his plate. An AI gaining sentience was the least of his immediate problems.

"CB made it." Dib finally got to his feet. " It was his body."

"Well it's broken now." Zim replied flatly. "Which is fine. CB is grounded anyway for dragging you on this whole... disgusting ... thing..." The words had clearly escaped the ex-Invader.

" I saved Dib, though. That should make me un-grounded ." Dib's phone protested in CB's voice.

"But you put him in danger to begin with." Skoodge replied pointedly.

" Silence yourself fat man ."

"You do not tell Skoodge to silence! ZIM TELLS SKOODGE TO SILENCE! Your grounding has been extended."

" But you already told me it was forever ."

"And now it is double forever! DO NOT QUESTION YOUR MASTER OR IT WILL BE TRIPLE FOREVER!" As Zim was making this declaration , Skoodge was picking up the parts for CB's body and studying them, before collecting them in a little, electric cube.

"Honestly this whole fiasco was troublesome. I sure would hate it if our fatigue got the better of us and we accidentally detonated a large, Irken weapon in here and got those Federation survivors swarming on this wounded Parasite." Skoodge remarked offhandedly. "Because that would be just terrible for you. If only we had some sort of compensation for all our troubles. I can get you something to write on if you just want to list your top three items you are willing to trade for your safety and let us pick our favorites." He looked to Q who narrowed all seven eyes in response.

" Extortion is a terrible look on all of you ." Q responded bitterly.

"He says he has something." Dib replied without missing a beat. The Parasite turned its head to give him a very annoyed look. "Something good."

" You sack of shit ."

"You tried to eat me."

" Very well. If they will allow me to collect myself... "

"He wants to get up." Dib looked to the Irkens who both readied their weapons.

"Very well. Tread lightly." Skoodge nodded to him. Q stood up and quite literally pulled himself together, limbs popping into joint, the tentacle-like shreds of the scarf merging back into a regular scarf, the mouth sealing itself back into a human-sized frown. Q fumbled through the shelves that had been knocked over, tossing books aside and eventually finding a fake panel in the floor. He removed the panel and pulled out a very large, very sleek looking gun with a glowing, emerald looking core. The Irkens exchanged uncertain looks as the bounty was offered to them.

" This is the mystery weapon that was on the Federation Ship. It might make a good bargaining tool for them . Now get the fuck out of my house ."

"He says this was the weapon on the Federation Ship." Dib translated. "He also would like us to leave." He reached for the weapon himself, but Skoodge grabbed it first.

" Yes, thank you. This will do." Skoodge was quick to put it away in the same little box. " Zim , we best get back before that Parasite changes its mind."

"Yes yes ." Zim headed right for the door. Almost as an afterthought , on their way out, he looked to Dib, quizzically . "Were you injured?"

"I... don't think so." Dib quickly gave himself the onceover, lifting his shirt up where the thought the scarf had touched him. He had no sign of any injury at all.

"Okay, then go back to your education-base."

"College." Dib corrected flatly.

"ZIM KNOWS WHAT IT IS CALLED!"

"That's it? You aren't going to let me investigate the weapon!?"

"Look, Dub," Skoodge put a hand on Dib's arm.

"Dib."

"Right." The Irken seemed nonplussed. "Let us do our own investigation first. Afterall, last time you tried to do your own detective work, you nearly died."

"But we found the weapon." Dib was not about to let himself be shorted a victory.

"This is true. It is also true that we were going to do this ourselves, without a delicious human snack to make the Parasite go crazy. I know I told you we weren't getting involved but I told you that so you would back off- not double down. And I certainly didn't expect our security AI to go renegade and give you Irken intel."

" I was trying to help ."

"You tried ." Skoodge cut the computer short. "Look, go and collect yourself and then come back. We can discuss this later." Dib wasn't sure how he felt about Skoodge , even now, and this wasn't helping. The human took a breath and sighed.

He was too tired to deal with this.

"Fine." For now, he would go back. Then- after he pulled himself back together- he would get to the bottom of things once and for all.