//------------------------------// // Crash course in alternate dimensions. // Story: To be an Invader // by FaelaArts //------------------------------// “You’ll never get away with this Zim! I will stop you!” Dib shouted into the microphone of his stolen ship, piloting the controls as best he could. Without his sister Gaz piloting the ship, he feared he might be slightly worse than Zim. He was wearing his usual black coat, glasses, and pants, the look of a paranormal investigator. On his shirt was also a symbol of a monotone expression. His black hair pointed upwards, forming almost a U shape, with his head being on one side of the U. “That is what YOU think Dib! My plan is so ingenious this time that it makes my old plans leap into the closest sun in SHAAAMMME!” Zim was not wearing his disguise, and he saw no reason to. Above the world as he was, he had no reason to walk around wearing those itchy eye-cover-thingies and that wig. Why should he have to hide his dashing antenna, and his outfit that consisted of red segmented funnel-shaped uniform with a pink collar, black boots and gloves. He was the pinnacle of Irken style! “I highly doubt that Zim! What are you going to do? Throw me into the nearest wormhole and laugh at the irony because you are comparing me to a worm or something?” Dib laughed before dodging out of the way of a blast from one of the many guns located on Zim’s ship. As they dodged through an asteroid belt, he noticed a pale blue light shining in the direction he was fleeing, or being herded. “You’re kidding right? Isn’t this, I dunno, cliché Zim? Are you running out of ideas or something?” Dib saw the gunshots coming for him, and heard the mocking laughter through the radio. In the asteroid belt there was very little room to manover, and he slowly found himself with only one option, to be sucked into the wormhole. “My plans are NEVAR clicheee! They are a combination of skill and smarts, which combine in such a way to defeat you Dib! I hope you enjoy your one-way trip to a new reality!” Zim pressed down on the button, and fired the shot which would send Dib’s ship into the pull of the wormhole. Leaning back, he began to crackle with laughter, he had done it! Dib was going to be gone forever! “If I’m going, you’re coming with me!” Dib fired one last rocket before the worm hole sucked him away, and turned the ship so he would see the destination of the wormhole as he arrived. Quickly bringing up the communications rig, he began typing in the number of his sister. Her answer was immediate, and scornful. Dib cut her off quickly. “Listen Gaz, I know I said I’d be home in time for us to both catch that gaming convention you wanted to go to, but I’m being sucked into a wormhole and I don’t think there is any possible way out. Just tell dad that if he never sees me again, IT WAS ALL ZIM’S FAULT!” Dib shouted loudly, and blinked as he could only hear static from the other end. Tapping the device, he realised he had gone out of range sometime during the call. Looking behind him as he heard screaming, he was pleased to see his aim had been true. “GIR! We are spinning out of control! Find a way to steady us!” Zim frantically held on to the pilot’s seat as the ship spun around madly. Gir, a robot with a stick-like body and a trash can head, was quick to salute, and then dance a jig on the controls. Zim could only scream as their spinning speed got stronger, and he was thrown against the glass, Gir landing right on top of him. As he looked at the spinning world outside, he saw the wormhole end. The pale blue-ness of the wormhole faded to encompass a wide range of colours, mostly green, before the ship crash landed, sending him face first into a patch of mud. His antenna twitched as he heard Gir go flying through the air, screaming at the top of his lungs. He also heard a second ship land. “Nice plan you landed yourself in, Zim! I love it when your plans end in you, loosing.” Dib rested a foot on Zim’s back as he sank into the mud, and began to laugh loudly. After a moment he removed it and noticed their surroundings. They were in some sort of forest close to a very weird town. And everything seemed brighter somehow. “Laugh it up you filthy human, for when I escape and leave you stranded I will be the last one LAUGHING!” Zim then raised his head to the sky, and gave his best maniacal laugh, before launching into a coughing fit. Zim always forgot that laughing right after a ship crash was not always the best idea. Looking toward his shattered ship, and Dib’s less shattered ship, he began to piece together a plan to determine the location of the next wormhole. If he could get a strong enough link to the other dimension, he might be able to download the list of the wormholes leading to Earth from here. It was only a pity they could not take the wormhole they had arrived in, but no matter. “So Zim, how do we get home? And where are we?” Dib watched as Zim finally noticed their surroundings and sniffed the air. Looking around, he also seemed to be looking for something. Dib wondered if he should ask about it, but decided Zim would probably speak it aloud soon enough. Dib watched as Zim leaned back, and a small antenna appeared, with a microphone on the end, from the bag on his back. “Is it just me or does it feel brighter or something in here? No matter, Gir! Where are you?!” After pausing for a moment, Zim began to tap his feet impatiently. Without Gir, he wouldn’t be able to triangulate their position in relation to Earth. “I’m in a barrel of candy!” Gir’s reply was just as loud, if not louder. Zim growled and grabbed a hold of the microphone, and began to talk very slowly into it. Dib wondered just how often Zim had to do this. He also wondered if he had any popcorn in his ship. "Gir! Get over here right now!" Zim shouted once more into the microphone, even leaping into the air as he did so. There were sounds of a confusion and shouting from the other end of the microphone. There was also Gir laughing with apparent glee. Zim grinded his teeth, and waited for the answer. "I can't boss! They're offering MORE FREE CANDY!" Gir's voice reached new levels, and Dib winced slightly at the volume, watching with slight amusement as Zim looked ready to burst into anger. However, with a disgruntled growl, Zim pulled out some sort of tracking device and began heading toward the town. Dib, with nothing else to really do, and not wanting to leave Zim to destroy an innocent dimension, decided to follow. Turning back, he clicked the button on his ship’s keys and locked it down.