Hello readers! Welcome back for chapter 4. Be warned, this chapter will be on the longer side due the circumstances of our story; there's so much to cover!

Anyway, thank you for reading and please enjoy!


"Proximity Warning: Planet Ahead."

"I know! I can see it very clearly!" Zim shrieked, exasperated.

He stood abruptly, pacing around the small expanse of the pod. After so much time on the ground, he'd forgotten how unbearable space travel could be. The initial glee he felt when he'd first boarded was long gone and impatience was setting in. Along with that damned automated message he got every few thousand klicks- he was at his limit!

But it's okay...soon you'll be back where you belong and you can forget this whole mess ever happened. At least, for a while.

A storm system raged silently over the ocean. He was close enough now that he could see the subtle spin of the cyclone, the wispy clouds gaining mass towards the center. One thing he hadn't missed about Earth was its tendency to harm him through its rapidly changing weather currents. The city he lived in was sat by the sea, ironically. A humid subtropical in which if it wasn't raining, it was snowing and if it wasn't doing either of those- it was humid enough to make up for it.

Running a hand over his face, he drudged back over to the pilot seat and collapsed in it. He didn't know why he was so exhausted; he's been lazing about the cabin for the last few weeks! He should have energy to spare, yet...he didn't. He was too nervous. So very desperate to be back on Earth, but afraid to face what he'd left behind. The Dib and Gaz...they must be furious with him. Gir...he didn't even know if he was even online anymore. Throughout the entire extraction process, he made sure Gir was none the wiser. His blissful attitude had lessened Zim's own anguish, but now he couldn't help the guilt he felt for leaving him in the dark. They probably hated him. That, or they'd already moved on with their lives and his return would mean nothing to them...somehow that one hurt more. They hadn't departed on good terms, so who knows how they'd react to seeing him again! What if...what if-!

What if they went back to being enemies?

It was a crushing thought, but a realistic one in Zim's mind. He'd kept them all oblivious, offering only the bare minimum of an explanation. He'd betrayed their trust and now here he was, crawling back like the pathetic coward he was. He didn't know what he would do if they turned him away...he was an exile and now a wanted runaway, Earth was all he had left to call his own. He'd be forced to stay either way, drowning in the carnage of the friendships he'd destroyed.

He brought his hands up to his face, cupping them to shield his vision from anything but the floor. It never stops. He was always stuck, always running from something! Why couldn't the universe just leave him alone? Was he truly that much of a scourge to existence?!

Images danced before his eyes; fake smiles, patronizing voices, rough hands- grabbing, shaking, pulling, striking. Pain and fear and crying- screaming! Blood and loss and hope and DYING-

"Stop!"

The cabin was silent, all except his voice as its echoing resonance rang off the metal walls.

Zim released a quivering breath, his body humming with the sudden shot of adrenaline. He didn't understand...what was happening to him? He was away from the kingdom- free from the crushing weight of his status and, more importantly, free from him. He shouldn't be feeling- seeing- any of this! Why was-

The console beeped "Proximity Warning: Planet Ahead."

A white, hot anger flooded his veins, fueling him as he whipped sharply around to face the console. A shout tore itself from his throat as he rose a fist and drove it forward, the screen giving off a satisfying *crack* from the force of his blow. The image flickered, and the splintered glass cut into his bare skin as he stood frozen, his breath heavy. Time ground to a halt and he stared, barely registering the details of the city below slowly coming into view. He had to remind himself that he was alone. With a growl, he pushed himself away from the controls, ignoring the pain in his hand, and silently ambled to the opposite side of the pod. Leaning against the wall, he allowed himself to slide down onto the floor and waited to land.


Dib stared up at the sky, or rather, at the very out-of-place "star" in it. Even in the light of day, it stood out- though he was sure he was the only one who actually noticed. Inside, he felt a mix of giddiness and apprehension. This was it...his chance to finally figure everything out, maybe even save Earth from another invading species. From what Zim's computer could give him, it was just a trade ship from the planet Noxisis. It was relatively large, not much bigger than a common bus and an ugly, muted green paint job with an ingrained planetary stamp. His natural suspicion was roused further from how far it was from home, as its planet sat far in one of the arms of Andromeda. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fully wrap his head around space-time even from his first-hand experiences. By human standards, the larger galaxy was racing towards them, yet its impact was far out of his lifetime and somehow...this ship had managed to get here faster. It was so surreal...

"Staring isn't going to get it here any faster, you know."

He sighed, dropping his head dramatically and turning back to where his sister stood. She leaned lazily against the house, gazing up silently. She didn't acknowledge him as he took a seat on the front step beside her.

"It's kind of amazing, actually seeing it." he murmured after a while.

"You knew it was coming."

"I know. It's just been so long since we've dealt with anything like this. I guess I just...got used to the silence."

A pause, "You still gonna shoot it down?"

"Yes."

She hummed absently, opening her mouth to speak when he continued, "Gaz...we've had a lot of ups and downs, but just in case things don't work out this time...I'm glad you're here."

"Aw c'mon, man, don't get all sappy on me now," she said, scrunching up her face in playful disgust "We've seen far worse than this. It'll take a lot more than some stupid delivery ship to take us down."

He didn't reply, but she could see that he was mulling over her words. She flicked her eyes back toward the sky, seeing the light morph into a speck of solidity as it approached. Curiosity bloomed in her mind, but she shook it off. She didn't like showing her interest in these things, as though humoring her brother would somehow draw her down to his level. She knew how much he relied on her, hell- she'd been his go-to more than once when they were younger, and she supposed it was unfair to still be so indifferent towards it all. She'd never wanted to get involved, didn't want to be around Dib's childhood obsession just in case it was contagious. It was easier not to care, keeping to herself meant she only had to worry for herself. It worked throughout her childhood and early teens and she was perfectly content with allowing her brother to take the emotional blows that came with their hectic lives. After all, it was his own fault; he cared too much for the validation of others, people who just weren't worth the trouble, in her opinion.

She hadn't noticed just how much had changed until after it had already happened. Things had calmed down substantially after Zim had accepted his exile, at least from a "Planetary Conquest" standpoint. There was still a swirling storm of emotional baggage that she just did not want to touch. Instead of being dragged out by her brother's impulsive behavior, she found herself tagging along. She was never actually enthusiastic about it, but those bozos were lucky they got her presence at all! Zim was still closer to Dib than she, but their odd acquaintanceship had been enough. She didn't want to admit that she actually cared for the little idiot, but...she still thought of him from time to time. This could be her chance to finally get some closure and move on with her life.

"Well," she began, "I didn't play hookie from school today for nothing...you ready?"

"I guess now's a good a time as any. I just have to recheck the systems one last time to make sure everything's optimized." he stood, dusting off the back of his pants and turning for the door, "Do you...want anything? A weapon, maybe?"

She quirked her mouth and brought a finger to her chin in mock thought, "You know, now that you mention it, I could go for some burritos."

His bored look was met with snickering and he stepped inside without another word. Gir was settled on the floor by the couch, a piece of paper with numerous tic-tac-toe games scribbled across it, each square filled in with an "x". Shaking his head, he stalked over to the giant TV and spoke.

"Computer, do you still have a lock on the ship?"

"Target is locked."

"And the gnomes?"

"Augmented to full capacity."

"Good," he nodded "Just be sure to keep the shooting moderate; we don't want this thing blowing up."

"I know how to shoot." a deep voice huffed.

"Right, sorry." he put up a placating hand, "Let's get to it, then! Gir, come look at the pretty lights!"

The little robot was on his feet in a millisecond, a long and exaggerated gasp of excitement streaming from his mouth. His one person game long forgotten, he skipped passed Dib and planted himself on the front step with heavy *thud*! Before them, the gnomes were already in their defensive positions- nubby arms raised high as the electrodes buzzed with rising energy. The orbs glowed a bright pink and he could see the heat rippling the air around them. His heart raced and with a final stabilizing breath, he said,

"Fire!"

And fire they did.


Boom!

Zim was thrown forward from his position when the ship suddenly lurched. What the...had he hit something? Impossible! Well, maybe not, but the list of objects being large enough to stagger his flight path yet small enough not to kill him was short. Unlike common Earth planes, this ship could take a flock of birds any day!

Another jolt brought him out of his ranting, this time signaling an alarm on the console. It beeped rapidly as he staggered over to it and read the automated warning.

"Enemy fire?! We're the only ones here!" he shouted.

Unless...?

He practically threw himself against the window, moving this way and that in a futile attempt to see more clearly through the thin clouds. He caught the slight glimpse of his old house and...Dib? He squinted, seeing the vague silhouette of someone else and so intently focused that he didn't see his gnomes charging up until a third shot cut through the clouds.

What the hell were they shooting at him for?!

"Warning: Sinistral Engine Failure." the computer droned, audio crackling.

A surge of panic sparked in his stomach and he slammed himself down into his seat, clumsily disabling the auto-pilot. He turned sharply, missing another shot by a hair and circling back around to send the ship into a faster deceleration. He dodged another beam, only to be hit head-on by another that trailed behind. He shouted as pod jostled, the impact completely severing the damaged engine as it was torn from the cabin wall, leaving a gaping hole in its place. A deafening wind whipped through the cabin as the force of the final blast sent him into a death spiral. He clung hard to to his seat, fighting against he vacuum that threatened to pull him out. He couldn't tell if the sound he was hearing were the pod alarms or his own screams.

Dib, if I live, I'll kill you!

He could feel the pressure of the cabin change and the whooshing of the air losing resonance. He was both fearful and thankful for being as close to the ground as he was before he began falling. Maybe he could actually walk away from this...he just had to think...he just-

With a deep breath, he forced his body straight in his seat and shakily clipped his belt. Swerving the chair to face the rear of the pod, he pressed hard against the headrest and braced. Time slowed and the world became muffled as he finally hit the ground.


Woo! So thankful that this is finally done! I've had to work with it off and on due to how incredibly busy this week has been. Thank you so much for reading, I hope this was worth the wait.