GIR plastered his face against the glass tube that held Zim's captive. The tiny robot squeaked as he moved across it, bouncing from one foot to the other. "Master! When's he going to wake up? I wanna' play with the big head!"

Zim didn't answer, and instead sat in his chair. He ignored the hyper robot, and tried not to be too bitter about how happy GIR Was that ZIm had changed his mind.

He always knew that human was trouble.

Zim had gone out there tonight to kill Dib. That was the plan. Meet like always, catch him off guard by stabbing him, and then end it. With Dib out of the way, he'd conquer the planet in record time and hopefully have it make up for his years of failure that made him ashamed to report to the Tallest some days.

But he hadn't. Zim slammed his fist into his arm rest and glared at the tank. He didn't kill the stupid idiot, stink-pig!

It should have been easy. Humans were fragile. The Dib was wounded, unconscious and already halfway to his doom from the blood loss alone. But Zim had stood there. His Pak Leg raised above the Dib's back, right over his wretched heart-organ. Ready to stab and end it. (Zim had even considered sticking it through his stupid big head, going straight through the brain.) But he hesitated.

Zim had no room for hesitation! He'd already thrown out his fair play! Zim had already accepted the shame of killing his opponent in such a fashion. But he still!

GIR had shown up during his hesitation, and sat next to Dib's wretchedly large head. The stupid little thing had asked if Zim was done and the big head was gone.

"No, GIR," Zim sighed. He dropped his Pak Leg back to the ground and yanked the human up by the collar of his jacket. Defeated, Zim started to drag the body back toward his ship. "He's alive."

GIR's cry of joy and declaration of making cookies to celebrate felt like a stab to Zim's chest. He didn't know what was worse: That he'd resorted to such underhanded tactics to win, or that he'd spared the enemy.

Zim glared at Dib floating in the tank. He'd wrapped the wound (cursing the whole while!) and thrown him in there to recover. The Dib could stay in there.

"It's the same," Zim hissed to himself. "I haven't failed. It's all the same. I wanted Dib out of the way and now he's out of the way."

Zim slammed his fist on the side of his console. "Computer!"

"What?" The voice droned, bored yet again. Zim really needed to fix that at some point. He needed his equipment at top capacity! "What now?"

"Make sure the Dib stays unconscious," Zim said.

"Sedative level increased in oxygenated liquid," the computer droned. "Is that all?"

"That's all."

Zim stood from his chair and glared at the unconscious human. He slammed his hand against the side of the tank and hissed. "Sleep well, Dib. When you wake up, it's going to be an entirely different world."

"Intruder at the front gate," the computer droned, distracting Zim from his work at the weapon's table. Zim looked up to the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. The computer saved Zim the trouble of demanding who it was by answering, "Yes, it's her again."

"The Sister is persistent," Zim hissed. He slammed his work goggles on the table and walked up the stairs. Ever since he'd cut off communications after destroying Dib's stupid watch, the Dib-Sister had arrived on his doorstep, demanding her brother back. He honestly hadn't thought she would care, but apparently Zim had slightly miscalculated (He wasn't wrong!). He'd shooed her away with lasers, but she always came back. HIs upgraded defenses had held her off so far, but his patience was starting to wear thin. "Far too persistent."

He made it to the top of his base, and stomped to the front door. His robot parents sat useless in the corner, disconnected to prevent from accidentally letting the nuisance in. Not bothering with his disguise he opened the door and yelled straight up at her face (curse humans and their height!). "Zim has told you a thousand times! The Dib is dead! Leave me alone."

"He's not dead," Gaz said, her eyes narrowed and alive with more energy than her laid back posture gave away. Zim could see the denial was even more fierce with her than it was with himself, though they were both denying different things. "You've had your fun, Zim. Now give him back already. Dad won't stop asking where he is, and it's getting to be a real pain."

"The Dib is dead," Zim repeated, rubbing the side of his head. He cared not for this girl or her father. He didn't even care about the Dib. Who should be dead but wasn't and—Zim growled. "I stabbed him. Being the weak, pathetic human that he was, he bled to death. Go away."

"He's not dead," Gaz repeated. She gripped her fists, and glared down at Zim. He felt something cold growing in the air, but Zim ignored it. Gaz took a step closer, threatening to let herself into the house and have her own search. "Stop playing around and give me my brother back."

Zim needed proof that Dib was dead. He wasn't, but he at least needed this girl to think he was. That was the only way she'd leave. The Dib-sister was too apathetic for revenge, and if he was lucky the shock would keep her busy long enough for him to finish his latest plan.

"Stay there," Zim said.

He slammed the door shut and returned to his lab. He stomped straight to Dib's tank and yanked over the small storage box full of the Dib's belongings. He sorted through the mess until he found the perfect proof. Pulling out Dib's favorite trench coat, Zim put his fingers alongside the giant rip, and smirked at the blood soaked into the fabric. If this didn't convince her, nothing would.

"What is this?" Gaz asked, holding the coat in her hands after Zim threw it at her. She gripped the fabric so hard her knuckles turned white. "What is this, Zim?"

"I told you, many many times and now I will tell you one last time," Zim said, making sure to sound as haughty as possible. "The Dib is dead. There's his coat as proof. It's all that's left of him after I incinerated the rest, and I had meant to keep it as a trophy, but if giving it to you is what it'll take to get you out of here, then so be it. But, if you happen to want more, like say the rest of his blood, check the park. It's all over."

"You're lying," Gaz whispered. Her fingers shook. "He's not dead. Where is he?"

"Believe what you want," Zim answered. He shut the door again and waited by the window. The Dib-sister stood there for another five minutes, before she slowly turned and walked back down Zim's walkway. He held his breath until she got in the car and drove away. "Finally."

Zim narrowed his eyes and headed back to the lab as fast as he could. He may have miscalculated the Dib-Sister's apathy and who knew how long it would take her to collect herself.

He needed to finish. Now.

Paranoia fueled Zim's expediency.

The thought of the Dib-sister arriving at any point in time with the Membrane arsenal at her disposal moved Zim's fingers faster and worked as a wonderful motivator. It didn't matter that he could, as a last resort, throw her brother at her to stop her assault at the last second. That wasn't really an option. Zim growled. Dib was supposed to be dead.

Not still floating alive in a tank.

"I made cupcakes!" GIR shouted behind Zim. The Irken Elite groaned as his robot did as he pleased. GIR wasn't necessary for this plan, so he let him. GIR placed a few cupcakes on the floor in front of Dib's tank, next to the stack of other things he'd been gathering for when the human "woke up." GIR tapped on the tank. "He's been asleep a long time."

"And he's staying that way until we rule the planet, GIR. How many times do I have to tell you!?" Zim yelled over his shoulder. GIR saluted and said something along the lines of "Yes! My master!" before smashing a cupcake into the glass wall near Dib's mouth. Zim huffed. "Never mind. It's pointless talking to you."

If all went as planned, the Earth would be conquered by the end of the week. Following that, Zim had a time table set in place that should have the entire population enslaved and praising the Irken Armada by the end of the month. Zim had given himself to the end of the year to dispose of any rebel groups that might arise.

Then and only then, would he present his prize to the Tallest.

They'd been getting more and more cross with him over the years, and even Zim was starting to feel their irritation. They weren't amused with his progress, and after trusting him with a mission, he could not fail them! He would make it in time to show off his work before Operation Impending Doom II was complete!

"Just you wait, filthy humans," Zim cackled to himself. He soldered the chips into place on his weapon, each little seal one step closer to finishing. "Soon you will all bow to Zim!"

He looked over his shoulder and smirked at his captive in the tank. The only good part about failing to kill Dib, is that now Zim would get to see his face when he saw the world destroyed and know that he failed.

Dib would never bow to Zim, but he could be broken.

Zim went back to his work, finding that a more suitable reason to keep the teenager alive than the fact Zim considered him worth saving.

A much better reason.

"You have the worst timing, Dib-Sister," Zim shouted. The girl approached him, murder in her eyes and a pathetic human knife in her hand. "But you're too late! This machine will wipe out every electrical device on the planet save for my superior Irken tech! You'll all be helpless!"

"Last chance to tell me where my brother is, Zim," Gaz said. "Or you're going to regret that I was ever born."

"Silence!" Zim shouted. He was a good twenty feet above the Dib-Sister's head on his platform. His machine was proud and ready to go, hovering just above his head. The controls were at his fingertips. All he had to do was turn on the device. If he could do that, it wouldn't matter what she did. Irkens healed quickly. So even if she got a hit in, he could stop her. He was superior in every way. "Sit and watch like a good human-pig."

Zim slammed his fist into the button and the machine whirled. Gaz jerked her head to the side, just as the top of his weapon exploded into light. She covered her eyes as the blast covered the entire cityscape, and the lights all flickered off at once. The sounds of cars stopping and the noise of people investigating meant his plan was working!

"YES! Without your electricity, all of you will be powerless!" Zim said, grinning wide. He jumped up, throwing his hands in the air. Victory! Zim laughed, loving every second of his well deserved success! "Bow to Zim!"

Zim jumped to his Pak Legs as Gaz dove for him from the platform railing. She snarled and made another jump for him. "It's bad enough you took my brother, but now you've ruined my games, too! I'm going to kill you!"

"You wont! If your brother couldn't stop me, there's no way you—"

Gaz hit Zim in the head with the handle end of her knife using speed he didn't think humans were capable of. He hit the ground with a thud and scrambled back as she approached him with the knife.

"Time to die, Zim," she growled. Gaz stalked closer, the weapon glinting and part of ZIm wondered why she didn't bring one of her father's many many guns. "I'm going to make sure that you suffer."

Ah, that explained it.

Zim feared no human! And he had also come to the very sudden conclusion that the Dib-Sister could not possibly be human because right now he feared for his life. She radiated darkness, it falling off her in waves as she approached, stretching across the platform and threatening to suck him under and devour him in darkness.

Zim did the only thing he could do: Used his bargaining chip.

"THE DIB LIVES!" Zim shrieked, holding his hands up in front of his face. "If you kill Zim he'll die for real!"

Gaz dropped her knife, the evil aura vanishing in a blink. She settled for harsh glaring and scoffed. "I knew you were lying."

Zim most certainly did not squeal when she grabbed him by the antennae and yanked him back to his base.