Days sped by in space, Dib noting everything that he could see, sleep foreign to him until his body forced him to do so. His empty journal has a few pages already filled with scribbles and sketches of small planets he's passed. A rough path was programmed into the ship since he was able to convince the A.I. to find the echoes Zim's trail, albeit with more begging than Dib would care to admit.

"Why are we doing this again?" Tak's voice engulfed the small space; Dib was barely able to add more room for his lankier frame during his tampering. "Zim left Earth and that was the whole point, right?"

"While its great that Zim evacuated, the whole point was to expose the truth of aliens, him especially." Dib mindlessly answered the ship, it was the same answer he was giving himself. This was a mission to prove the paranormal as a real science to his dad, not some heat of the moment vengeance for Zim leaving him behind with no explanation of "inevitable doom." Tak's voice did not offer a scathing response which both worried and relieved Dib.

Days became a week or two, a small calendar hung on one of the cruiser's walls. No conversation has occurred since the A.I.'s prodding, leaving Dib to mutter to himself as he jotted notes or mused about improvements now that he knew how the custom Voot worked in action.

"So I went over my notes and your downloaded medical texts," Tak's voice startled Dib so much that he toppled from his chair. Scrambling to rise again, Dib tried to process the A.I.'s words.

"I'm sorry, what?" He couldn't.

"So I went over my notes and your downloaded medical texts," the ship sarcastically repeated. "You're in denial."

"I'm sorry, what?" Dib glared at the ceiling, just picking a direction since the intelligence was everywhere. Denial about what? His resolve to settle a score, on the behalf of humanity, in what way was he in denial?

"You're harboring a personal grudge against Zim for this, or some emotion," The A.I. grumbled at Dib's glare, but the programmed personality knew he wouldn't do anything. "I don't care but you're being moody, and I hate it."

Dib stared blankly upward, taken aback by the claim. He didn't have something against Zim personally, just disappointment that he couldn't expose him. Just because the one constant in his life disappeared doesn't mean he's going to throw a fit. The one constant thing…

"NO!" Dib stomped his foot, pushing the idea that the A.I. was right, this wouldn't do.

"Fine grumpy, the stop complaining about him." And so Dib shut up and kept to himself for the next hour or so. Whenever he opened his mouth to complain he would shut it just as fast because it was about vaguely about Zim; he looked almost like a gulping fish at that point.

They lasted like this, Dib fuming and trying to put his skewed puzzle pieces together and the A.I. taunting him when he finished the puzzle wrong again. Hours passed and Dib took to hiding in his notebook; then closing the hardback cover and looking over his shoulder, Dib thought to check his food supply. Post opening the compartment to store the edibles, crunching some numbers over an "energy bar," then comparing it to initial inventory, Dib saw he needed to make a food stop.

Plopping back into the decent chair, Dib's calendar was only a full day away from his first call home. It's been almost a full month in space, Dib let his eyes fall from the gridded paper to the starry expanse.

"Closest food stop?" Dib called up to the A.I. in hopes of somewhere close. A disgruntled sigh and some clicking of typing was his response until a small GPS-esque map appeared on the windshield. With a small 'oh' from the pilot, the ship started off toward Foodcourtia; this would be Dib's first stop and of course it would be one of the Irken Empire's planets (the GPS thing marked it as so).

"Quit grumbling, it's your species fault your food supplies can't be stretched out farther." Dib didn't know whether to be embarrassed by talking out loud or undignified on the behalf of his species, he decided a shameful silence as stars flew past. Hours quickly passed until Dib started noticing more and more ships, he was finally amongst other travelers and he was terrified in the best way.

"Ugghhhhhhh, just head over to that parking lot, the one with the occasionally flashing lights," Dib was shaken out of his excitement as Tak's voice told him where to park, following the directions the best he could. Landing was a little rough, but it was pretty good for his first time. Before he hopped out, Dib grabbed the money he had saved up over his entire life (a lot since he already had access to so many gadgets) to go change over and the temporary translator he made using the A.I.'s language data.

"Uh, hi," Dib tested the translator at a booth, one of many similar ones where money was being put in and equally out. "I'm here to change over-" the alien in the booth just pointed at the slot just below the glass, Dib got the idea pretty quick and inserted about forty dollars. The worker inside it examined the currency before pushing a ton of what was probably universal coinage. After struggling to get it in his backpack (not expecting to get tons of small golden coins) Dib nodded his thanks and scurried deeper into the planet.

Grease, foreign species, lights and more grease was all he could take in without being overwhelmed. Dib found it funny that despite his growth continuing at his age, he was taller compared to most; though some species where at least a third of his height taller. Encouraged by the familiarity of a mall food court, Dib looked through the crowd and saw a sign cut off by a taller species reading "-t Dogs!" and rushed toward it.

"Hi!" Dib waited through the lengthy line, the smell of food keeping him from leaving. He picked something random, what looked like mini hot dogs, and paid. The Irken serving him looked indifferent to his enthusiasm but Dib couldn't care less. Caring the disposable tray and eating the small food made it easier to go look around; once he finished, Dib refocused on finding foods that wouldn't expire in his ship before he could eat them. It wasn't until his backpack was full and his wonder expanded that he noticed an Irken, just above his waist in height and the Invader uniform collar. Dib was lying to himself when he thought "there's tons of Irkens here, why would Zim be out in the open?" and made his way over.

He was a few feet away when the Irken turned, Dib finally getting a full view, this wasn't Zim. He was a little chubbier and much more friendlier looking. They made eye contact and the invader awkwardly smiled, but a small distance behind him another Irken turned. Trying to play off looking at the other Irken, Dib raised his head to see him. Zim's resting glare of arrogance, the recognition and sudden mix of fear and anger on his face. Dib rushed past the first Invader who dodged out of his path in confusion; Zim gritted his teeth and ducked into a side path, Dib closing in on his rubbery heels.