"I just don't get it," Zim said.

"Get what?" Dib asked, looking up from the book.

"I know this is too simple to work, but I…it's accounted for enough details that I can't tell where exactly it would go wrong," Zim said.

"So, it's a plan you can't find flaw in?" Dib asked, fighting back a grin.

"One that I haven't found a flaw in yet," Zim said.

"Well, that's such a shock," Tak's AI said sarcastically from its place in the corner. "Zim, not being able to see consequences of his actions, or flaws in his thinking? Someone alert the authorities."

Zim growled, tossing the papers and pen at it. "Alright, then, you can take a look, since you're SO SMART!"

Dib quickly set his book aside and went over to sit beside Zim. Zim growled, headbutting him in the chest and leaning his weight against him with a low growl. Dib wrapped an arm around him, stroking his antennae with his other hand.

"Let's take a break," he suggested. "Go explore a little, maybe? Get your mind off of this whole thing?"

"Mmm…fine," he grumbled, nuzzling his face into Dib's shirt.

"And having the Ship look through the notes isn't a bad idea," Dib said. He reached out to spread all the notes in front of the laptop, tilting it so that the camera would be able to see them all.

"…wait one moment," Zim said, leaning forward and covering the camera with his palm. His other hand rapidly typed at the keyboard, much to the AI's protest as he pulled up some of its system settings. He scanned through it, then smirked. "Good…you can't reach the Empire, and they can't reach you."

"You know I keep high security on my laptop," Dib said.

"Yes, except for when you plug suspicious things directly into it," Zim said, staring at the screen before standing up, nodding in satisfaction. "And I just needed to double-check my own safeguards were still in place."

He'd added those not long after the AI was activated. The brain alone, without the rest of the computing system or machine attached, shouldn't be able to connect to the Empire Brains, Zim had explained—every bit of space dedicated just to housing the complex AI. Still, he'd messed around with the laptop to ensure the AI couldn't connect to anything else unless it did so physically…all while making snide comments about it not being that complex of an AI, and how it would just be easier to smash it.

"Anyway," Zim said, walking back over to entwine his fingers with Dib's. "You can try to make yourself useful for once by reviewing those notes, and we are going to go have some fun!"

With that, he strode towards the cockpit, ignoring the AI's annoyed, electronic growl. "Yes, yes, just leave me to read your…" Its voice stuttered, the screen flickering. "Wait. This…this is treason. You're planning treason!?"

"I'm not," Dib said, following behind Zim but pausing at the door. "Not my evil space empire." And not Zim's either, now, but he wasn't going to simplify that whole complex situation within earshot of his partner.

"You're going to make me read treasonous things!" It spat. "You're sunk even lower than I thought, Zim!"

Zim flinched. "…GIR!" he said, the little robot looking up from the puzzle orb he was working on with a snack hidden inside. "The Tak-brain wants to spend time with you. Keep an eye on it, and if it says anything, that means it wants to hear the DOOM song!" His voice was filled with saccharine cheer, and he shot the brain a taunting grin before walking out, dragging Dib with him.

GIR gasped and darted into the room, plopping down to sit beside the laptop and show his puzzle off to AI Tak. Dib strained to see if GIR was going to mess with the laptop or his notes, but Zim kept pulling him along until they were at their seats. Dib still looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out how things were going.

"It'll be fine, Dib," Zim said, lightly patting his shoulder to get his attention. "Now, any preferences for where we go?"

"Anywhere should be fine," Dib said. "…maybe we can go map out some more of Dark Space?" The part of the universe that was wide, vast, and unmapped in the known universe…that Earth happened to be sitting in, along with places considered to be myths.

"As good a place as any," Zim said. "Let's see. Nearest jump gate…oh, not far from here." He grabbed the controls and swiveled them around, flying for a few minutes until they came to the gate he was thinking of. Going through it led them to another gate that appeared to be sitting in the middle of nowhere, really, in a binary star system.

"Okay, we're officially at the edge of Dark Space," Zim said, letting go of the controls and gesturing for Dib to take them. Dib grinned, leaning forward and pushing them to soar through the system, then eventually out of it.

"Anything interesting here?" he asked. "Since they put a gate there?"

"Hmm." Zim pulled up files on his tablet. "Looks like someone discovered valuable minerals in one of the planets and set the gate there to mine it." He looked around, then pointed at an asteroid field. "That must be its remains."

Dib whistled, flying through the asteroids to get a better look. Zim flicked a few switches to run a scan, but nothing came up. "Hmm. Yes, if there's anything here, it's very well-hidden. Though I'm sure it doesn't stop wannabe adventurers from scouring the place."

"So, all of this used to be a planet?" Dib said, looking at the floating rocks. It looked like a few of them were charred and cracked.

"Oh, yes," Zim said. He read the file further and frowned. "Mmm. The Empire sent some ships here…I should have known." He scrolled. "They took over the mining operation to reap the spoils, but when that was too slow, they just…opened the planet and took everything."

Dib bit his lip, drumming his fingers against the controls. He navigated them out of the field, then punched the accelerator so they sped a good distance away from it. "So!" he said. "Probably not many maps aside from the planet that got mined, right? So, let's see if we can find anything for ourselves!"

Zim's expression lightened, and he flicked the file he had been reading off of his screen. "Yes! I'm sure we'll find something." He whipped out a stylus, ready to draw on his tablet. "Or at the very least, we'll be praised for just how much of this space we've explored."

Dib grinned, a flutter in his chest. They'd explored patches of this space a few times—probably more than most ever had, according to Zim—but he said something like that almost every time. And it was still good to hear.

He kept then heading forward, scanners running to detect life or interesting minerals, keeping his eyes peeled for anything strange or unusual.

They flew around for about an hour, taking shifts of who was flying and who was mapping the place and making notes. There wasn't much of interest, aside from more asteroid fields and a few planets with abandoned mines, and even those became scarce after fifteen, twenty minutes of flying.

There was one rather large, purple planet, though, that Zim insisted they explore. They both needed to put on space suits, but after that, they were able to explore the place with relative ease. Along with the lack of atmosphere, there was also a lack of life, but the planet was filled with large canyons and tunnels that ran deep under its surface. The two of them had a great time exploring and mapping out several of the systems, Zim rambling about how this would make for an excellent hiding place.

Dib, meanwhile, looked for evidence that others had been here before, taking photos of anything that looked too smooth to have been carved by nature, or too organized to be a coincidence…like the large stacks of flat rocks they'd found a few times, almost like pillars.

They wandered for hours, returning to the ship via one of the tunnels as a shortcut, then took off, back towards the jump gate and civilized space, while debating what name to give the planet—they eventually agreed to 'Cavernosa'.

"…it's probably finished reading those plans by now," Dib said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of their bedroom.

"I suppose it would be…if it chose to read them," Zim muttered.

Dib got up and headed back there, Zim right behind him. "Hey, Ship."

"You! About time you came back," she hissed. "Leaving me alone with nothing but traitorous written accounts and an insane garbage robot? I despise you."

"You already despised us," Dib pointed out, sitting at the edge of the bed. GIR was also there, drawing in a coloring book. Zim stood nearby, crossing his arms and staring at the brain. "…so, what did you think of the plan?"

"It's treason, plain and simple," she said. "I thought you and Zim couldn't sink any lower, but the depths you manage to reach amaze me."

"Yeah, yeah," Dib said. "But how about the logistics of the plan? Did you even consider how it would look put into action, huh?"

The AI was silent for so long Dib was worried it had frozen, but it let out an annoyed electronic sigh. "…there weren't any glaring flaws in the design," she said begrudgingly. "Other than the flaw of going up against the Empire in the first place."

Zim narrowed his eyes. "Really? No chance of us miscalculating the gap and getting blown up? No chance of the distraction tactics not working?"

"Well, you would probably find some way to still fail at it, but no, there aren't any obvious fatal flaws here."

Zim's eyes narrowed further. "…you're lying!" he declared. "Your input is invalid!"

"What!?" Dib and the AI said at the same time.

"You made me read that traitorous drivel for nothing!" she snapped, screen flashing with a cartoonish image of Zim being crushed with a vending machine.

"Seriously, Zim?" Dib said. "Why ask it to look if you weren't going to listen to it?"

Zim waved both of them off. "It's made it clear that it hates both us, particularly me, and would rather see me dead," he said. "If it did see a flaw, which I know it did, it would obviously lie about it in the hopes we'd go through with the plan and be destroyed in the process!"

Dib opened his mouth…and closed it, considering Zim's words. "Hmm."

"See? We can't trust it!" Zim crossed his arms and nodded smugly. "In fact, the more it insists there aren't any flaws, the more likely it is we'll fail!"

"What kind of logic is that!?" the AI said. "I can't believe you just…ugh!" With an annoyed sound and a pop, the laptop screen turned off, though the brain was still glowing brightly.

"So, who would you trust to look over the plans?" Dib said.

The question made Zim frown. "…you or me, I would trust. But it's already your plan, and I'm still missing whatever is wrong." He tapped his foot. "GIR would…no, I wouldn't trust his judgement with this."

GIR looked up from his coloring, and Zim waved at him, signaling for him to go back to it.

Zim paced. "Everyone else we know either doesn't understand the Empire's might enough, or would consider us expendable enough they'd lie and say it looks good," he muttered. He then growled lowly in frustration.

"…hey," Dib said. "Have you considered that maybe the reason you can't find anything specifically wrong with the plan is because…there isn't actually anything wrong with it?"

Zim blinked, turned to stare at him…and laughed.

"I'm serious!" Dib said.

"Yes, but the idea of something this…this simple, created by one person, being able to work against the Empire!?" Zim nudged the papers with his foot. "That's what's laughable!"

Dib crossed his arms. "You won't even give my plan a fair chance?"

"Believe me, I'm being much more fair than they would be."

"Fine." Dib pointed angrily at the notes. "Give me a reason it won't work, and I'll accept it. But maybe you should accept that maybe the Empire isn't as all-powerful than you think it is!"

Zim reared back, as though slapped. Dib huffed and turned on his heel, heading to the cockpit and flopping into his chair. He glared out at the stars, angrily wringing his hands.

A few seconds later, he wished he'd grabbed one of his books before he stormed out. But he couldn't go back yet…he still felt too irritated with Zim. He crossed his arms and grumbled to himself.

GIR came in a few minutes later, carrying some juice, a doll, and…Dib's book. He held the book up to Dib with a smile, and Dib patted his head. "Thanks, GIR."

GIR gave him a thumbs-up in response. "Master said I should join you!"

Oh, did he? Dib frowned a little, glancing at the bedroom door. He couldn't see Zim from this angle, but he hoped Zim was going through his notes. Or…at least thinking about them. Not brushing them off or trying to get rid of them in some way.

Or maybe Zim was as…annoyed as Dib felt from the conversation and just wanted to be alone for now. Or maybe he just understood that Dib would prefer to be alone…?

Dib huffed, shaking his head and turning away. He could ask questions about Zim forever, but he'd just be spiraling if he did that now. He watched GIR play with his doll, making plans for a tea party, then leaned back in his chair and cracked his book open.

…sending GIR with the book was a nice thought. Dib would give Zim that.

It was hours later when Zim emerged and approached Dib, carrying a few pieces of taffy with him. He set them in Dib's lap, then sank into his own chair, wringing his hands.

Was it a peace offering? "…thanks," Dib said, unwrapping one and popping it into his mouth.

"It's nothing," Zim said. He glanced at Dib, pursed his lips, and turned to stare out at the stars.

Several minutes passed in silence (aside from the sound of Dib chewing) before Zim spoke again. "…I reviewed those notes over and over again," he said. "I tried imagining everything that could go wrong, no matter how implausible."

He sighed. "But, aside from the most impossible scenarios, which we couldn't predict anyway…I couldn't find anything wrong with your plans."

Dib perked up, turning to face him with a wide grin. "Oh, really?"

"But that means nothing!" Zim said. "Because even after doing all that, I'm still worried!" He reached up to tug at his antennae. "What if those impossible scenarios did happen? Or what if there's something I'm not thinking of!?"

"Hey, hey, Zim," Dib said in a reassuring tone, brushing his fingers against Zim's arm. Zim flinched, his arm shivering, and he glanced up at Dib. Dib placed his hand on Zim's shoulder, slowly moving it to wrap it around his back and give his other shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Zim let out a small chitter, then got up and all but flung himself against Dib's chest. Dib wrapped both arms around him, kissing his antennae and mumbling simple reassurances to Zim. Zim became quiet, shivering a little, but in a few minutes, even his shivering had calmed.

He sighed, sinking his weight into Dib. "…thank you," he said. "I know I made that deal, but…it's just…too risky with your, our lives on the line." He kneaded Dib's chest. "If only there was a reliable way to really see what would happen to us."

Dib sighed, closing his eyes and thinking before an idea suddenly came to him. "You know…I have a way to read the future."

Zim raised his head and squinted at him. "…no, you don't," he said. "You would have been using that all this time, if you could!"

"It's not an inherent ability!" Dib said. "…and it's not like it tells me exactly what's going to happen in a specific scenario. But it can give me an idea of what might happen in general, and isn't that better than heading into a purely unknown future with no guide?"

Zim squinted even harder, clearly still suspicious. Dib sighed. "Why don't I show you? I'm pretty sure I packed what I'm thinking of…"

"Hmm. If you insist."

Dib stood up, one arm under Zim's legs and the other around his shoulders to keep cradling him to his chest. He carried Zim into the bedroom, then set him on the bed's edge. The soundproof box had already been placed over the AI. Dib went over to the nightstand and began to rummage through the drawer.

After a minute, he cried out triumphantly and pulled out his deck of tarot cards, whirling around to show them off to Zim.

Zim frowned. "…those are cards, Dib."

"I know they're cards," Dib said with a roll of his eyes. "They're tarot cards. These can be used to read the future." He turned the box around to show the text on the back that said just that, tapping it.

Zim was still clearly dubious, but that didn't stop Dib from sitting on the floor, patting it in an effort to get Zim to join him. Zim muttered something, but sat next to Dib.

"No, you need to sit across from me," Dib said as he opened the box to pull out the guide booklet and cards.

Zim huffed and got up, dramatically flopping across from Dib with his legs crossed. "Does this actually work?"

"It usually has for me," Dib said. "…never really done a reading for anyone else." He fiddled with the cards. "…at least give it a chance?"

"…fine, I will," Zim sighed. "You're usually right about all this spooky stuff of yours, anyway."

Dib beamed. "Thanks!"

Zim averted his eyes, waving for him to continue. "Alright, alright, how does this work?"

"I draw cards, each with a different meaning, and place them in front of you. In this case, I'm going to use a nine-card spread," Dib said as he shuffled the deck. "Three cards each for your past, present, and the future."

"...can't we skip ahead to the 'future' part?" Zim asked.

"Looking at where you've been and where you are is important to know just what decisions to make," Dib countered. "Besides...if it tells us about your past and present accurately, then you can trust what they say about the future. Right?"

"...good point," Zim said. "Do I need to do anything?"

"Just focus on the questions in your...well, not heart. Core?"

Zim nodded, face set in determination as he stared at the cards. Dib finished shuffling, tapping the cards together into a neat stack. "Alright. First, your past."

He drew three cards from the top of the deck and laid them in a row in front of Zim. The first was the Hierophant, followed by the reversed Hermit, then the reversed Three of Pentacles.

Zim reached out to turn the Hermit the right way around, but Dib grabbed his wrist to stop him. "No, no, the cards have a different meaning if they're facing a different direction."

"Huh." Zim lowered his hand.

Dib picked up the guidebook and flicked through it. "Okay...the Hierophant represents tradition and conformity. Reversed Hermit stands for isolation, loneliness, and having lost your way..." Zim flinched. "And the reversed Three of Pentacles means a lack of teamwork and group conflict." Zim flinched again, biting his lip.

"...I don't know everything you've been through. But that seems...fairly accurate?" Dib said gently.

"...close enough, I suppose," Zim muttered. "Can we move onto the next?"

"Right, of course," Dib said. He drew three more cards, setting them in a row underneath the past row. For the present, he had drawn The Lovers, Death, and the Six of Cups.

"Death!?" Zim said, staring at it with wide eyes. "That's it. The cards have said it, this plan isn't going to work."

"Just wait a second!" Dib said. "It's not literal, Zim! It just represents change, it's not a bad sign. And this is still the present, not the future."

Zim, who had been about to stand up and leave, gave him a wary look and settled back down. Dib flicked through his guidebook, showing him the page about Death while he read. "See? Death just represents the end of cycles. New beginnings, change, metamorphosis, and so on. Not literal."

He tapped the card, sitting in the middle of the row. "And it's in the crux position. That shows what's at the heart of the current matter...and I'd say you've been through quite a few big changes, breaking away from old cycles."

Zim slowly relaxed. "You promise it's not bad?"

"I promise," Dib said. "This card might have a negative reputation just based on the name, but it isn't bad."

He looked back through the guidebook. "And the other cards...The Lovers represent partnership and union..." His heart fluttered a little, and he smiled at Zim. "And the Six of Cups represents happy memories and healing."

His smile turned into a beam. "Aw, Zim..."

Zim blushed a little. "Don't look at me like that...you're the one drawing these cards. ...and you should already know how happy you make Zim."

"I do, but it's still sweet," Dib cooed. Zim fidgeted, huffing at him.

"...anyway," Dib said, voice a little softer. "Ready for me to draw the future cards?"

"Yes. Do it." Zim's face was set in determination, and he again stared intently at the deck, even more intently than before.

Dib drew the last three cards and set them in the final row. This time, he got The Sun, Six of Wands, and Ten of Cups. "...are those good?" Zim asked, leaning forward and peering at them.

"I'm pretty sure," Dib said, again referring to the guidebook. "The Sun can represent joy, success, celebration, and positivity. The Six of Wands can also represent success, plus victory and public reward. And the Ten of Cups represents inner happiness, fulfillment, and dreams coming true."

He blinked, then grinned. "Yeah...seems very positive overall!"

"And...you're sure they're all facing the way they're meant to?" Zim asked, tapping his claws. "They're not they're upside-down versions that only promise doom?"

"No, none of them were placed in the reversed position, so they're not reversed," Dib said. "...looks like there are positive things in your future."

Zim placed a hand to his chin, staring at the spread and frowning in thought. "...may I see the book?"

"Sure, go ahead," Dib said, handing his guidebook over. "And let me know if there's anything I can help clarify."

"Yes, your expertise is much appreciated." Zim moved to sit by him, making himself comfortable by leaning against Dib's side as he started to flick through the book.

Dib reached up to grab a pillow, setting it against the wall to lean back against it. He also grabbed one of his new books and continued to read, folding down the corners of pages describing strange events that they could investigate for themselves later.

About an hour later, Zim sighed, snapping the book closed. He'd gone through it thoroughly, even turned it upside-down to see if 'reversing' it would change its meaning as it had done with the cards. But though he'd learned a few more details, everything Dib was spot-on and had cut right to the heart of the matter.

"Well?" Dib asked, closing his own book at turning his attention to Zim.

"…you're right. The future in the cards is positive," Zim said. "And after they saw my past and present so accurately, too. And…that future," He pointed at the cards, "Is set in stone?"

Dib frowned, shaking his hand in a so-so motion. "Well…no. It's just the most likely outcome right now. The future is never 'set', and it can always be changed." He tapped the deck. "Any read is always based on wherever your current path is headed. Making different decisions can change it…or, if you like the outcome, you can decide to continue on the path you've already chosen."

He offered Zim a smile. "So…whatever choice you're considering…the outcome seems good. Does that help at all?"

Zim frowned a little, spooch twisting. "I…still need time," he said. "…but yes, seeing this helps."

It was another drop of water added to the pool of his mind. A small shift was all it would take for it to spill over, to send him flowing in a certain direction, he could just feel it. And…knowing that direction wouldn't be spilling himself into oblivion, as he had feared…a shift like that felt imminent.

"…thanks," Dib said, gathering the cards up and tapping them into a deck. "For listening to me. And letting me do a reading." He glanced away. "…I'll…do my best to listen to you, too. Whatever decision you make."

Ugh, his human was so…adorably painful, sometimes. Zim stepped forward to lightly peck him on the lips. Dib flinched a little, but leaned into the kiss, even if it just lasted a few moments.

Zim sat beside him and leaned against him. Dib's stomach gurgled, and his human laughed awkwardly. "So…any plans for dinner today?"

"I suppose it is getting late," Zim said. "I'm not sure if there are any good eateries nearby…let's see what looks good in our storage."

They rummaged in the storage before Dib decided on a microwaved mini pizza, Zim choosing some soda. He didn't need energy, but something easy to swallow and keep down sounded nice. Once they ate, Dib tossed his greasy clothes into the hamper and went to shower. Zim laid on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking.

It didn't feel long before his Dib, in pajamas, was crawling into bed beside him. "Night, space boy," he said, kissing Zim's cheek. "I love you."

"Zim loves you, too," Zim responded, rolling onto his side and tapping his forehead against Dib's sternum. It was nice, being able to feel Dib's heartbeat. He rubbed absentminded circles on Dib's back.

Soon, his human's breathing slowed as he fell into a deep sleep. Zim laid there, feeling his human's heartbeat, along with…all the thoughts rushing through his head.

He glanced up at Dib. How could one being, one human, be so powerful that he made Zim rethink almost everything? From leaving the Empire, and now…all of this.

But this was different. Leaving the Empire wasn't as dangerous as it could have been, not when he was already outside their borders. But this plan, going right up to them and all but spitting in their face? Almost all of Zim screamed about how bad an idea it was.

And yet that screaming had been dulled by every read-through of Dib's plan, and even more when Dib used those cards of his. Sure, it still nagged at him, but its voice seemed so quiet now…and unreasonable, repeating the same things over and over.

It was still holding him back from making a decision, though. And he wasn't sure how much he wanted to fight against it, considering what the consequences of his choice would be.

He glanced up at Dib, fast asleep and drooling on his pillow. He'd already done so much for Dib, and things had been better because of it…and would continue to be better, it seemed. So, he might as well try to fully convince himself.

Zim closed his eyes, focusing specifically on his PAK. It was Zim, but a part of Zim meant to logically guide him. If he thought about it, most (but not all) of the balking at going against the Empire was coming from it. But if he could logically think through scenarios…

With a little focus, he got his PAK to think through what the course of action might take them. He imagined different things that could happen, and they were added to the queue of analysis.

His PAK lights glowed, and it whirred quietly as he slowly drifted into a half-sleep, flashes of dreams appearing periodically through the night—ones of him and Dib attempting the mission.

Very few of them were actually nightmares.

Hours later, Zim was awoken by Dib yawning and stretching out across the bed. Zim grunted, shifting to him and pressing his face into his chest. His PAK felt warm, and his head kind of hurt…if he needed sleep the way humans did, he would probably feel more exhausted.

But his PAK now had some answers and outcomes for him, and that was the important thing.

"Morning," Dib said, kissing his forehead. Zim mumbled back in response. "…you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Zim said. "Just took some time in the night to…think."

He lifted his head just enough to look Dib in the eyes. "…in almost all the cases I thought of, your plan worked," he said. "The ones where we didn't were extremely unlikely—" Such as a meteor shower appearing from literally nowhere— "Or caused by things we didn't know about, like more and better ships. In which case we can leave the moment we see we're actually outmatched."

"That's…fair enough," Dib said. He then grinned widely. "You mean you're willing to do this?"

"…yeah," Zim said, even though he shivered at the thought.

Dib's grin widened further. "That's fantastic! Thank you!" He tightly wrapped Zim in a hug. Something inside Zim loosened, and he returned the hug.

But a few moments later, Dib let go and started to roll out of bed. "We should tell the Resisty and send them our plan!" he said…though he didn't get very far before Zim grabbed onto the back of his shirt, holding him in place.

"In your pajamas?" Zim said with an amused smile.

"You're right, I should change first." Dib again tried to get up, but Zim was still holding onto him.

Dib turned back around to look at him, and Zim patted the space of mattress beside him. Dib's eyes lit up. "…yeah, a little more waiting won't hurt," he decided. He shifted back over to Zim, again pulling him into a hug.

Zim sighed, closing his eyes and melting into Dib. He was already feeling better, and Dib's confidence in this was quickly rubbing off on him. He was surprised at how convinced he was this could work…it went against what he thought possible.

But they could make it work.