Who's talking in there?

I don't know.

Did they make a tree set on fire?

Is that a hint?

Maybe.

Just may be.

Dib was walking down the street quite angrily, glaring at the ground. How come everything was against him?...

He felt a sudden pang and looked up, faintly startled. He felt...

He whirled around and leaned over the garden near him, coughing. Sick!?

He grimaced and pulled back, tasting a metallic tang in his mouth. Blood. He blinked and wiped his mouth, staring at the red liquid left behind on his hand. He stared at it, swallowing thickly. "What..."

"You okay?"

He twirled around and saw his new classmate, Neo, standing there, giving him a curious look with his head tilted so he could see past his hair. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets.

"Fine...," Dib mumbled, straightening and whipping the blood on his pants. "I think..."

"Better get home," he said quietly, starting off. "See you tomorrow, Dib."

"Alright," he said, starting to walk home as well and sighed. A few blocks later he jolted to a stop, whirling around uselessly and staring in the direction he'd come from.

I didn't say my name today, he thought, adding how Neo had been too far to overhear his and Dip's discussion.

"Ominous," he mumbled, though the little attempt at cheering himself fell flat as he started walking again. He found himself stopping abruptly for the fourth time on his way home, staring up at his doorway.

His father stood there, looking quite pleased as he invited Dip inside of the house, ushering her in before sliding the door shut.

"No, dad!" he shouted, running up the steps and bursting inside, seeing Dip glance back while Prof. Membrane was just leaving the room, the robot near the stairs. "Dad, what are you doing!?"

"Dib!" Prof. Membrane said, walking over and picking him up. "Dib, this is your cousin, Dip! You two haven't seen each other in so long!" He gave one of his adult I'm-busy-but-this-is-amusing laughs and put him down. "Now, Dib, bring Dip to your sisters room. Gaz fixed it for her, and that's where she'll be staying now. Ah! No arguing. Just go." Ushering them off, Prof. Membrane vanished out the door.

"..." Dib turned to glare at Dip, still feeling a little disoriented at the speed of what had just happened. His father was too busy for his own good. "Just because you brainwashed my father doesn't mean I trust you," he hissed, tramping up the stairs past her and slamming his door shut.

"I didn't brainwash anyone," he heard past his door as he sat onto his bed angrily. "Dib, seriously. I didn't. How is it impossible for you to have a cousin!?"

"I don't!" he shouted. "Get out of my house!"

Silence followed before a small swish cut it. He looked down and saw a photograph slide under his door.

"Is that proof enough, or are you going to accuse me of photoshopping now?" she asked quietly.

Dib stood and walked to the door, crouching and picking it up.

It was him, as a child, and what was probably her as a child, each of them holding plush toys of aliens the same sizes as them. And... that plush toy, Dib remembered, he had it in the garage.

"..." He pulled the door open and stared at her. "...Cousin, you say?"

"..."

"We've finally got her."

"Of course..."

"No more running..."

"She won't escape."

"And now..."

"He'll be born."

A huge flash of light filled the field outside the city, raging around the ship that was landed there before fading into the night.

"Whoa!"

Dip jumped into his chair and slid over to his computer, typing over it skillfully, eyes racing over the data streaming by.

"Th-that's personal!" Dib stammered, running up as she dragged a live video feed up.

"Who're you watching?" she asked, watching it.

"Huh?" Dib looked over her shoulder and watched as Gir walked by the screen, looking more serious than usual. No, wait, that wasn't Gir...

"Move," he said suddenly, pushing her out of the way and leaning forward, staring at the robot that walked by.

It looked like Gir, only a little taller, with darker metal and dark, navy eyes. It had claws on its hands, and the chestplate was black, as well as the shoulder, wrists and antennae on its head. It had a symbol on its forehead, too.

"What is that?" Dip asked from his side and he blinked, looking at her. By the time he looked back, the robot had walked off-screen.

"A robot, like... a robot slave, but different than Zim's," he said, typing and turning the screen before he noticed the whole room had changed. "Whoa!"

"What!?"

"That... Zim's house is all different."

"Who's Zim!?" she demanded, exasperated. While he scanned over the room, he explained about Zim, being in his class, his plans, his robot, house, leaders...

"Wait, he's Irken!" she said, as though that answered everything. Dib whirled and stared at her. She blinked. "You said his leaders were The Tallest. That means he's Irken. Right?"

"Yeah," he said, sounding shocked. "But how do you know that!"

"I told you I knew aliens!" she said, giving him an are-you-stupid look. "I know what an Irken is!"

"You never said that!" he snapped back.

"You never asked!" she retorted and he sighed.

"All I know is this; that wasn't Zim's alien slave," Dib muttered and set the feed on record.

"Looks to me you don't know much of anything," Dip scoffed, glaring at him. He turned and glared right back.

"How long have you been hunting aliens?!" he snapped.

"I don't hunt aliens," she sneered and he was caught off guard, blinking in surprise. "Just because I know aliens doesn't mean I hunt them."

"Then what do you do!?" he snapped. "Help them!?"

"I run," she stated simply and stood, looking resigned now. "I'm goin' to bed."

"Wait," he said, trying to ask what she meant until the door slammed shut. He stared after it for a long minute before sighing and switching the screen on his computer off, walking into the hall and seeing Gaz's door shut. "It isn't even six o'clock!" he shouted. Nothing replied.

Neo.

:c

Too popular a name.

...

But cool.

Reminds me of black and green.

...

Neon green.