Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading and please review!
(Back with Gaz)
They had found the bridge, but if Dib and Miz had been there, there was no sign of them now.
Peg looked around them from left to right nervously as Gaz walked along the bridge looking for clues. Of course, she had a right to be nervous, everyone knew whose territory this was. And as if thinking about them queued them in on their trespassing, two Smiley Face gang members appeared out of the shadows.
"Looks like everyone is ballsy today hu Mikey" A short stubby kid said to the bigger one. "Got to make Examples out of them." He added as they closed in on Peg.
"Yeah examples!" Mikey said, cracking his knuckles and laughing like an idiot. "Can't let them get away like the other two."
"Uh Gaz!" Peg cried, as they were now inches away.
Gaz pulled out her light sword, and used it to cut through one of the bridges light poles, the laser sword cuts clean through, and the four watch as the pole falls with a loud "clank!" She then pointed the sword at her enemies. "You're next!" She vowed.
Of course, the boys scream in horror and run away as fast as they can screaming stuff like: "She's crazy!" And "MOMMY!"
Peg laughed despite the close call. "And this is why I need you." She admitted.
"No one messes with my girlfriend and lives!" Gaz growled. "I will haunt their dreams!"
Suddenly a black limousine pulls up, and the girls watch the door open to… "Dad?" Gaz said in surprise.
"Daughter." Professor Membrane looks stunned. "Get inside hurry." He insisted. "You and Peg should not be on this part of town."
"We're looking for Dib and Miz." Peg informed him as they got in.
"As are we." Dark Booty stated from behind the driver's seat.
""We think they came by here." Gaz said, "Those boys mentioned briefly that other kids had been on their bridge today."
"I'll hack into the highway's video feed." Professor Membrane said as he pulls up his laptop.
"You can do that?" Peg asked.
"Where do you think Dib gets it all from?" Professor Membrane said with a prideful smile as the video fed appears on his screen. He rewinds the footage, until Miz and Dib appear on the bridge, surrounded by 12 gang members.
He plays the footage just as Miz punches the leader in the face.
"Nice punch." Gaz praised as the boys took off running.
"I think they're making a break for that bus!" Peg says, pointing at the bus that is barely visible at the corner of the screen.
"But are they actually running from the gang members?" Dark Booty asked as he put the car in park and took the screen, he could see it…something there, a faint transparent outline of a figure. He pulled up the video settings and changed the lighting, making the outline more profound, and the others gasped as a figure came into view.
It's invisible, but the changed settings does make it easier to see its shape, and the shape is very Irken like, Very Irken like indeed.
"It's Zim!" Peg shouted.
"No, I don't think so." Dark Booty said, sure he had yet too actually see the alien. However, he did recall that the kids had filled out descriptions of him after the factory incident. "From your reports Zim is 5'9 in height, this individual is at least a few inches taller, and the boot size is much smaller."
"So, what are you saying?" Peg asked.
"It looks like we have another player in this game." Dark Booty said darkly. He started up the car and headed down the road where the bus had taken the boys maybe minutes ago. "And this one's a little too close for comfort."
Professor Membrane couldn't agree more, the figure had been inches from his son's position on the bridge. "Yes too close."
A little too close indeed.
(Back with Dib…)
He just couldn't believe their rotten luck, and it just kept getting worse!
What kind of person threw two innocent kids out to be slaughtered by gang members?
What kind of world did they live in where a bus full of people could just drive away, leaving them to their gruesome fate!
Dib picked up speed as he and Miz continued to race downtown. For all they knew they could be running in the wrong direction! They could be running deeper into this unforgiven world.
Miz must have been thinking the same thing because he said. "We need to find a way out of here. It's no good if we're running in the opposite direction of home."
"Home is east of the Smiley Face Gang territory…I think." Dib added. "I heard that on the News somewhere."
"So how do we tell which way?" Miz asked, almost out of breath, man Earth's gravity was kicking him in the butt today. Still, he had to keep going, not just for his sake, but Dib's too. He knew Dib couldn't carry him with how tiered he was, and Zim wouldn't want him to, they'd surely get caught then.
It was funny how he kept putting Dib's safety first before his own and without even thinking about it! This average boy of 17 years was invading his mind, and Zim was just letting it happen.
"We could make a compass." Dib suggested.
Zim looked behind them, seeing the enemy closing in and shook his head. "No time!" He shouted.
"THE SUN!" Dib exclaimed, grasping desperately at straws now. "It sets in the west so all we need to do is-"
"What?" Miz asked. "Stare at it until our eyes melt, Dib it's nowhere close to sunset!"
Dib looked around, and realized it to be true, by his calculations it was only 10:30 or so, sunset was hours away, and he doubted they could stand here and wait that long.
"Maybe if we got to a higher vantage point we'd be able to see our neighborhood." Miz suggested than.
Dib nods deciding any plan at this point was better than blindly running. However Zim knew this plan would work; after all ocular implants were standard Invader issue. From the top of the right building his incredible eyes should be able to spot their neighborhood. He runs faster as the perfect building comes into view. It's a bank with several police cars in the front, but Miz doesn't seem to notice. "Come on!"
As they cross the street, a man with an ice cream cart passes by. "Ice cream, ugh, somebody buy it. OH! Ice cream, I got ice cream here." He suddenly screams as the Smiley Face gang trampled over him like a herd of angry beast.
However, they stop short once they see the cops.
"Darn! What do we do now Maci?" a boy asked their leader.
Maci growled, obviously upset that they had lost their prey, however upon seeing the cops he smiles. "The place just been robbed." He informed them.
"And?" The kid asked, obviously confused.
"And two teens just walked in on the scene of the crime." Maci laughed. "The guilty Party always returns to the scene of the crime." He laughed as he began to retreat. "Let's go, they're finished."
His gang soon followed him into the shadows, leaving the trespassers to their fate.
Meanwhile inside the Bank the boys approach the front desk. Inside, a woman talks to the police. The bank entrance is open but now the officers outside have started stopping people from entering. Zim and Dib walk under the police line too frantic to notice.
Zim sees the sign that says 'stairs' and smiles. "Dib this way." He insisted.
Dib however eyes the front desk, wondering. "Hey maybe we can barrow the phone and call for help just in case." Dib said.
Miz nodded his agreement, and they proceed towards the front desk when the bank teller screams.
"OOOOOH! It's him!"
The teens froze somewhat confused.
An officer with the name Prambly on his name tag looks at a picture from the security cam in front of him. It shows a teen who had rob the bank moments ago, who happens to be dressed a lot like Miz; with a bag of stolen money. He lowers the photo and looks at Zim.
"Hey, that's the guy! And he's back for mooooooooooore!" He screamed, the after pausing briefly he adds. "Get 'im!"
Miz runs on instinct towards the stairs he had seen earlier, dragging Dib along for the ride.
"Seriously!" Dib screamed. "Now the police are after us too!" he shouted as they began to ascend the stairs. "What is wrong with these people?"
Zim forces himself to run faster, if he had been alone, he would have used his PAK legs to climb up the walls, but Dib was here. And Zim was not leaving him! So, he pulls Dib's arm urging him to run faster. He does and finally they make it to the roof where they have only seconds' barricade and close the door behind them.
The door holds, even as officers beat down on it screaming. "Open up in the name of the law!"
"Okay, now, where do we go from here?" Miz asked franticly looking out across the horizon.
"Miz why did we run from the cops?" Dib asked franticly. "Now we look guilty!"
"I told you Dib." Miz said. "Zim can pretend to be anyone!"
Dib froze realizing that Miz was right, Zim had pretended to be a police officer in order to catch him back in Egypt. He could do it again!
Miz looks from building to building and settles on a spot. "There!" He exclaims pointing ahead. "That looks about right."
"We can use this ladder to climb down." Dib suggested, pointing at said ladder nearby. "And follow this back alleyway."
Miz nodded, and seconds later the two were hurrying down the ladder. Once down they hit the ground running. Sure, Zim couldn't be every single one of those police officers, but if they got caught, they'd be taken into a secure facility where Zim could pose as anyone and kill them! And Dib, and Miz would have nowhere left to run, because of this the boys refused to stop, even as a helicopter hovers above shining their lights on them.
If they kept going straight for a good five miles they'd be safe, Dib was sure of it. Too bad fate had other plans!
The two boys come to a screeching halt as their path becomes blocked by none other than Maci and his crew.
Dib winced, each member had a blunt ended object, and while he knew he and Miz were taking martial arts classes with Dark Booty, neither of them were ready for this many opponents.
"Wow you two are pretty good." Maci admitted. "Tell you what if you apologies now I'll let you join up; we could use two capable runners like you."
"As if we would ever!" Zim began only for the sounds of sirens and police to get louder from behind them.
"Hey, it's either us or them." Maci said. "Make your choice."
Dib shared a look with his boyfriend, and it was one of despair. Zim could literally be anywhere, and these idiots stood in their way while the police closed in the gap.
They were trapped with no way out and they knew it.
Or so they thought, for suddenly a black limousine came screeching into the alleyway and stops in between them and the gang,
The door opens to…
"Gaz!" Dib shouts.
"Get in NOW!" Professor Membrane orders from over her shoulder.
The boys waste no time climbing in, and seconds later the cops are on them.
"Should have sided with us rich boy." Maci said as Dib looked out at him through the partly cracked window. "Now they'll be hell to pay. If I ever see you again you're dead!"
And with that the gang was gone! However, the police remained.
"I'll go talk them down." Dark Booty said, getting out of the car.
"Are you sure?" Peg asked.
Dark Booty nodded. "Don't worry we're with the government remember." He assured her than looked to Professor Membrane. "This won't take long." He added before walking up to the police officers.
"I'm sorry Dad." Dib said, not waiting for the silence to settle in. "Something was chasing us-"
"We know." Professor Membrane assured him, pulling up the image to show them. "And we don't think it's Zim."
Meanwhile, Tak smirked as she watch the old fart from the Swollen Eyeball talk the officers down. So Zim was associated with them, it figured. That defective always found his way into the ranks of the enemy. Still, she had to admit today was not a total waste, She had sent Zim on a wild goose chase across town and had learned a lot by doing so.
1. Both her enemies, Zim and the Eyeballs were working together. This meant she now only had one enemy.
2. Zim was hiding something when it came to Dib. And while she was unsure of what that was she knew if she could just figure it out she could use it against him.
3. And finally, Zim was at a disadvantage, his close ties with the enemy gave him little room to move freely which was why it appeared he was doing nothing!
And if she added all this information together, Tak was able to formulate a pretty good idea on how she would beat Zim, and the best part is Zim was none the wiser.
Or so she thought, for you see while Zim was still unaware of who he was dealing with he had learned an awful lot about them through this chaos.
He could sense the fellow invader throughout the entire chase. They stayed just out of sight, due to cloaking no doubt, but he could smell them following close behind. Still, this wasn't enough damning evidence to pinpoint who he was dealing with. However, the video feed Professor Membrane was showing them now was very damning indeed.
How so?
Simple, a primitive human using an equally as basic security system could point her out on the screen of his computer. Not only that but he could enhance the feed to get a better look at her, and while they couldn't see her face Zim was sure it was a "HER"!
How did he know this?
Simple: Irken females had very small feet!
If he included this information with the unknown invaders height than already he could knock Tenn off of his list of subjects. Sure, Invader Tenn was bold, but this female invader was taller than Tenn, also Tenn would not have such primitive cloaking technology.
Yes, this Irken was using an older model of cloaking tech which puzzled Zim. All invaders were equipped with new upgrades before anyone else. So, this Invader should have the latest cloaking model, and yet she was using a brand that had been out of date since before Zim's Trials for Operation Impending Doom 1. In Fact, Zim was sure they became obsolete a month after his Trials took place.
Zim's eyes widen. 'The Trials!' His spooch seemed to stop. 'What if she….' No, it was impossible, he had killed her!
"I'll be back. So, don't get too comfortable or you'll regret it!"
Zim shook his head, no she was dead; she was shredded by the trash shoot. Right?
"Problem Miz?" Dib asked.
"No…I" Miz looks troubled. "He's never had a partner before, so why now?" He asked trying to stay in character.
"I'm not so sure they are." Dark Booty said as he rejoined them in the car.
"How'd it go?" Professor Membrane asked.
"They were reluctant." Dark Booty admitted. "But once I showed off the badge-"
"Wait we get badges?" Dib asked.
"No Senior Agents get badges." Dark Booty cut him off.
"So do only senior agents get paid?" Gaz asked. She smiled, Dark Booty had already revealed they were getting paid, still Gaz brought it up now because she had yet to see the first check.
"No, you father's been putting your money away for College." Dark Booty answered.
"But we're rich!" Dib complained.
"Never a bad idea." Professor Membrane said. "Besides, you get an allowance."
"And Miz?" Dib asked. "Where's his?"
"Oh, I've been getting paid for weeks." Miz revealed. "I use it as lunch money."
Dib gives him a look of total disbelief. "You jerk."
Miz smiled, the truth was he had been getting paid, but he used the money to buy things that would look too suspicious for his robo parents to pay with their credit cards. For example, a forge kit in order to process all of those raw materials he had gathered. It had been a hefty price to pay, and while Zim could have made something to process the minerals himself, he no longer found the time to do anything.
Besides the Tallest would be expecting their first shipment soon, of course he planned to use a form of dematerializing transportation to send it to them. Dematerializing transportation was a form of transportation that dematerialized matter and teleported it light years away where it was then reconstructed into its original form in a matter of seconds.
It was an ingenious way of getting stole goods off world without raising the alarm to any of the home world's inhabitance. And with so much heat on him now Zim could not afford the enemy to get any closer than they already were.
Unfortunately for him however yet another enemy was closing in, and this one carried a threat far worse than Zim could ever have imagined.
-To Be Continued
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as always; I thank you for reading and ask that you please review!