Invader Zim: Nine Days - Day 2

Invader Zim: Nine Days

Day 2

It seemed like any other day at Skool. Happy, bewildered children were enjoying themselves on the playground while Ms. Bitters sat in the shadows of the classroom, watching the children with her devilish eyes. While all of the children were frantically playing on the "quality" playground, Zim was out in the school's grassy field with an alien device that looked similar to a metal detector. The little screen on the device was blank and Zim was deeply frustrated and moving the device all over the field.

On the other side of the playground, Dib was examining Zim from a safe distance. He was suspicious of Zim. Well, he's always suspicious of Zim, but today seemed different. This was one of a few days where Zim had not made any malicious eye contact with Dib or even struck up a monologue on how he's going to destroy the world. It was driving Dib insane that he didn't know what was going through his head. Since his thoughts were over-flowing his brain, he dumped them all onto his little sister, Gaz.

"Look at him Gaz." He started.

"Ugh…can you ever start a sentence without 'Look at him Gaz'?" She responded. Her head was buried in a video game and she had no intent on listening to Dib.

"He's up to no good. He must be trying to….booby-trap the school or something."

"Well, why don't you ask him, or beat him up, or give him a hug, or something that involves you getting away from me?"

"You're right Gaz," Dib replied. "It's time that I stop letting Zim make the first move. This time, I'll get the information and prepare myself, and the world, for whatever that space monster has to-"

"Say another word to me, and the next vehicle you see will be a hearse."


Zim continued to frustratingly search the area. Every single pace he made would draw anger from him. Whatever he was doing, it was not making him happy. Dib hid behind a tree and watched his adversary from a distance. I've never seen him with that thing before, Dib thought. Something is wrong. So very wrong. I need to confront him, but I have to use the right words. It has to be smart or else Earth could suffer. Hey, yeah. The fate of Earth could rely on this one question. I need to get as much information before he-

"What are you doing, Dib?" Zim asked annoyed.

Dib snapped out of his thought process and noticed Zim standing right next to him. He was packing up his equipment and he bared the look of a frustrated alien on his "cleverly" disguised face. This is it, Dib thought. Here I go.

"Uh…what are…YOU doing….Zim?"

Zim stared at him quizzically. "I'll have you know that what I'm doing is the final process that will destroy the Earth. You see, this planet has these things called 'Fault lines.' Your poorly designed planet is made up of plates. If I can dislodge one plate, it will cause a planet-wide earthquake that will weaken the population. It's brilliant. BRILLIANT!! Ahahaha!"

"But there aren't any fault lines near us," Dib responded unimpressed.

"Gah!" Zim yelled. "That's why I'm packing up and leaving this…SKOOL. I have much to do in…so little time."

Zim gave Dib a creepy smile. "Little time?" Dib replied. He was now starting to get a little nervous.

"Oh yes," Zim answered. "Very very soon, the Earth will meet the powerful fist of the Irken armada. This planet is doomed! Every life form on Earth will soon bow down before me and my Tallest, AND THEN YOU'LL ALL EXTINCT BY US! The sad part is, I'm going to actually miss our little feuds. You better enjoy them while they last because it'll all be over soon."

Dib was now terrified. "The invasion….is coming? When? When will they be here?"

"Ah hahahahaha!" Zim laughed. "Pathetic human-worm-person-Dib. You think I would tell you when the war will come to Earth? FOOL! It's top secret information and the planet will be taken completely by surprise."

"Well…" Dib started. "You have to give us some chance! Is it a year?"

"Ah hahahahaha! You wish it were a year!" Zim spat back.

"A month?!"

"Even sooner!"

"A week?!?"

"Well….not that soon."

"…..Ten days?"

"Uh, no. Sooner."

"Nine days?"

"Hmm, nope."

"Eight days?"

"I'LL NEVER TELL YOU!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some faults to find. Why must they be around California? Why don't they come to ZIM!?!"

With that, Zim left. Dib was left dumbstruck. Zim isn't the joking kind of person when it comes to official business. He only had eight days to save the Earth. Who was he going to break the news to first? His dad? The military? The president?

"GAZ!!!"

Gaz looked over at her screaming brother who was running towards her. She mumbled something to herself and then put some headphones on. She decided to do what she normally does and just nod every few seconds while Dib rambles on about whatever he has to say.

"GAZ!" Dib yelled. "The end is near! Zim's leaders are on their way! They'll be here in eight days! I'm serious! We have to tell everyone. Lives are in danger. The safety of humanity is on the verge of collapsing! There'll be panic in the streets! Oh, sweet Big-Foot-pulling-the-Loch-Ness-Monster-out-of-his-toilet WE'RE DOOMED!! I need to send an official to the Swollen Eyeball Network telling them to-! Who is that?!?"

Dib pointed to an unfamiliar girl walking about the playground. From where Dib was, he could barely see her because there was a crowd of boys surrounding her.

"Hold onto that thought, Gaz," Dib told the oblivious girl. "I'm going to see who that is."

Dib ran over to the group of boys and began pushing his way through the sweaty, puberty-ridden bodies. With an "excuse me" and even more shoving, Dib finally managed to get to the girl in the center. He found himself staring face-to-face with the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. Her blue eyes sparkled as she noticed Dib for the first time. Her face then lit up and her lips turned into the most perfect smile Dib had ever seen. Her dirty blonde hair was as straight as her figure, which was healthy and natural. To top off her beauty, her voice was more beautiful than the cry of Sasquatch.

"Hi!" Dib blurted out. "Who are you?"

Suddenly, the crowd of boys angrily moved in on Dib. Since Dib doesn't get any girls, they wanted to keep him away from the new one. They were about to throw him away when the new girl intervened.

"No, it's okay. I haven't met him before. Come on guys, can you give us a little room, please? Don't worry, I can still chat with you other times. I'll be on FaceNovel later."

She winked at the guys and their hearts practically burst out of their chests. They did as she said and began to disperse. She and Dib were alone, but were under watch. Not too far away, a dark aura of jealousy was directed at the two.

The girl smiled at Dib. "My name is Trachel! What's yours?"

"'Trachel'?" Dib asked, confused.

"Oh, funny story," Trachel said. "My dad wanted to name me Tracy and my Mom wanted to
name me Rachel. Rather than choose one of two normal names, they gave me an embarrassingly ridiculous one."

"Oh, no," Dib stuttered. "It's fine! I'm, uh….Dib, by the way. So, uh…when did you come…into town?"

Trachel laughed. "'Dib.' That's a funny name! I moved in yesterday. My dad is the CEO of a manufacturing company and he wanted to start a new location in the city. Since all of his workers are morons, he decided to run the place himself."

"Yeah, that's cool," Dib was in love. He never felt this way about anyone, and this was one of only two girls that would actually talk back with him. "So what are your interests? Internet? Clothes? Aliens?"

"'Aliens'?" She asked. "Quite the opposite actually. I'm into people. I just love meeting brand new people. It's funny. It's my first day here and I think I've met every boy in this skool."

"Every boy?" Dib responded. "Well, have you met Zim, yet?"

"Zim? Which one is that?" She asked.

"He's the green kid. He's a total jerk, and he's an alien!"

"An alien? Green? Which country is he from?"

"What? No, he's not from another country! He's from outer space! He comes from the planet Irk and he's trying to take over the Earth. He's bringing the Irken armada to land full destruction of our home!"

Trachel stared at Dib blankly. "Is Irk like…an island in Indonesia or something?"

"No!" Dib yelled. "He's from space. He's uh…..what's nine plus four?"

Trachel was now puzzled. She thought hard about it before answering, "Ninety-four!"

Dib sighed. He knew that finding a relatable girl that would talk to him would be too good to be true. All the affection that Dib felt for her was now lost. There is no way he can love somebody as dim-witted as her. He stood up.

"I gotta go. I'll see you around," Dib said.

Trachel continued her smile. "Okay! Bye Dan! It was nice meeting you!"

Trachel sat on a bench on the playground. All the other kids continued their playing, they were unaware that Trachel was available to talk to, but that was fine by her. She was thinking about Zim. She was intrigued by how Dib described him and she wanted to meet him with all her heart. She could only imagine what a foreign boy would be like to talk to. He would be the ultimate new person to meet. While she was fantasizing about what Zim would look like, she was blissfully unaware of a group of girls approaching her. Approximately four girls stand around Trachel as the leader, Jessica, taps her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Miss prissy pants. Who do you think you are?"

Trachel's attention turned to the girls. She smiled and stood up. Facing Jessica, she said, "Hi there! My name is Trachel! I'm new here. What's your name?"

Suddenly, Jessica shoved the new girl back onto the bench. The other three girls closed in on her as Jessica continued speaking.

"Your presence here is affecting our popularity. Ever since first grade, I have been considered the Skool's most beautiful girl. Judging by all the attention you've been getting, I am not going to let you be a threat to my induction in this year's beauty pageant."

"Oh my," Trachel gasped. "I wouldn't want to take that honor away from you. Don't worry, I won't enter the pageant. You'll win for sure! I'd vote for you."

Jessica raised an eyebrow at her. "Stupid country girl. In this skool, you are nominated for the pageant. Do you think you have a say in the system? No, your voice here is as worthless as crud. You will clearly hinder my chances at winning again. Therefore, we'll just have to gussy you down a little!"

With an evil smile, the girls began to close in on the horrified Trachel. A dark shadow under their eyes enhanced their terrifying appearance.

"No," Trachel began. "Back away! BACK AWAY!! AUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!"

Trachel forced her way between two of the girls and fled for the skool.

"After her!" Yelled Jessica.

Trachel reached the skool's building and tried to open the door. However, it wouldn't budge. Trachel pushed and pulled with all her might, but the rabid pack of girls were only getting closer. Suddenly, Trachel was approached by a floating machine that looked like a mix between a video camera and a crossing guard. The robot spoke to her.

"Sorry child number…..1402. No children are allowed into the building until recess is over."

"Please! Help me!" Trachel screamed. "Those girls are going to kill me!"

"Processing. Please stand by." The robot then started playing pleasant music as the monitor attached to it displayed a spinning wheel. Trachel couldn't wait, though. The girls were closing in fast. In a split second decision, Trachel ran towards the far side of the playground. The robot finally finished processing and turned to the nearest group of girls who were playing hop-skotch.

"Bullies will not be tolerated on Skool grounds," the robot said. It then fired a wide laser beam towards the girls.

Trachel reaches the fence on the far side of the playground, but quickly notices the barbed-wires on top. Not wanting to give the angry girls any more time to catch up, she runs along-side the fence in order to come up with an escape plan. She quickly formulates an idea when she sees a tree that grew next to the fence. Coming from the country, she has scaled trees before and this one would not be a problem. She climbed up the tree and jumped over the fence landing just as the girls reach the section of the fence opposite from her. Trachel stood up, smiled, and then stuck her tongue out at the girls. Jessica then smiled too; a dark, sinister smile. She picked up a rock and threw it, hitting Trachel just above her eye. Trachel yelled out in pain, turned around and ran. Two of the other girls picked up rocks and started throwing them too. The fourth girl pulled a cutting torch out of her purse and began to cut through the fence. Trachel managed to run two blocks when she stopped to catch her breath. She looked behind her and was horrified to see the girls had gotten through and were still chasing after her. Trachel continued running. Being new to the city, she had no idea where anything was and would have to make up plans as she went along. Unfortunately for her, the angry girls were streetwise and new a shortcut for every turn Trachel made. The sixty second head-start was quickly cut to ten seconds. The determination of these girls only made Trachel realize how serious they were in beating her up.

Options were quickly running out. Trachel found that the city line was not very far at all. If the girls don't beat her up, it would be a long way home only for the mess to start over again the next day. Skyscrapers turned to houses as the urban setting was disappearing. Powered by fear, Trachel continued to run. Fueled by anger, Jessica and her friends were bent on leaving a permanent first impression on Trachel. Houses then turned into trees as the chase went into the woods. Trachel paused a moment to catch her breath, as did the angry girls. The exhausted new girl took the time to slip away into the woods off the road. She didn't care if she got lost, she just wanted the chase to end. However, a voice echoed behind her. It was the voice of her pursuers yelling, "Run all you want! There's no way this day is ending with your pretty little face in one piece!"

Trachel screamed and pushed her way through vegetation. Suddenly, as she pushed through a thick bush, she found herself at the edge of a cliff looking over the city. She gasped as she caught herself just before going over. A few seconds later, the group of girls emerged through the forest. Their eyes were hungry for a beat down. The terrified new girl backed away along-side the cliff. The group of girls followed suit, each having the city on one side and the forest on the other. Jessica's bug eyed face spat out, "Time to officially welcome you to the neighborhood!"

Trachel crouched into a ball, expecting the worse. The girls moved in closer, laughing maniacally. Suddenly, an arm shoved them to the side and all four girls found themselves rolling down the face of the cliff. Towards the bottom of the cliff, the girls got tangled into a ball that rolled into the city after reaching the bottom. The hero was no one else, but Zim with Keef tagging along.

"'Scuse me," Zim spoke absent mindedly. "Now I told you Keef, I do not want you following me. I don't need your help and you would regret helping me in the event that you do help me. ME! I AM ZIM!"

"Isn't this great Zim?" Keef asked. "Just two friends? Skipping school together? Are you searching for treasure? Who's that?"

"No Keef. I'm searching for fault lines that would make the….who is that?"

Zim paused his search looking at the cowering girl. Trachel slowly picked her head up and noticed Zim for the first time. He stared at her awkwardly as he watched tears fill her eyes. Without warning, Trachel leapt from where she was and wrapped her arms around Zim.

"Oh! You saved me! Thank you! Thank you!" She screamed.

"Augh!" Zim yelled. "Agh! Get off of me! Get off of me! Your tears feel like ACID!"

"You must be Zim," Trachel replied loosening her grip on him. "I've heard some things about you at skool, but hero wasn't one of them!"

"Hero?" Zim asked. "Who are you?"

"Oh! Excuse me. My name is Trachel, I just moved here. You are 'Zim,' right?"

"Yes! Yes! I am Zim. Zim is me. I am me. Me am ZIM!"

Trachel laughed. "'Zim!' I'm so glad I'm not the only one with a weird name!"

Zim's eye twitched. "Weird name? Where I'm from, you would be HONORED to be gifted with such a glorious identity as 'Zim.'"

"And where are you from?"

Zim paused. "Connecticut."

"Oh! I have two cousins who live in some Connecticut town. And they-"

"Uh-huh. I don't care. Goodbye."

Zim began to leave, moving his tracking device with him. He began humming to himself when Trachel stopped him.

"Wait!" She yelled. "The things I heard at skool about you weren't the nicest ones, but I chose not to believe them."

"Oh," Zim said, not really getting the point of the conversation. "Well, uh…I'd agree with them."

"I still don't believe them. You just saved me! You have a big heart, I can tell."

"Uh, we don't call it a heart where I come from."

"Listen," She said shyly. "Would you like to go out with me on a date?"

Zim was taken aback. "Go out on a date with-? What do you mean-?"

"What? You've never gone out with anyone before?"

"Well," Zim thought about it. "I don't think so."

"Oh! You'd love it! Basically, when a girl and a guy have, uh, feelings for each other, they go out and do fun stuff like eat dinner or see a movie."

Zim was still confused. "Feelings for each other?"

"You know," Trachel said innocently. "Love."

"Love!?!" Zim yelled. "Zim loves NO ONE! And why would I need to love someone to enjoy those Earth entertainment venues. You've clearly bit off more than you can chew in this conversation so, good day."
Zim, once again, began to leave. Trachel stood in the same place and watched the two boys leaving.
Suddenly, she yelled, "Wait a minute."

Zim reluctantly stopped and turned around. Trachel was beginning to cry again.

"Well…we may not be dating, but I don't know my way around this city. Can you…can you walk me back home, please?"

Zim felt no sympathy for Trachel and was about to leave her. However, Keef then nudged his arm and raised his eyebrows a few times. His creepy smile was the giveaway that he wanted Zim and Trachel together. Zim thought about and decided that it'd be better to have Trachel tag along so he wouldn't be stuck with just Keef for the rest of the night. He stored the searching device into his PAK and faced Trachel.

"Alright! I'll take you home!"

Trachel smiled and happily caught up with Zim and hugged his arm. Using one of his spider-legs from his PAK, he pushed her away as they walked back towards the city.


The sun was beginning to set by the time they reached Trachel's house. Zim was exhausted after a long walk of Trachel talking about her life in the country, her move, the chase with the girls, and so much more. Zim walked her up to the door.

"Well," he started. "Here's your home. Good night!"

"Wait a minute," she interrupted. "My dad would want to meet you!"

"Uh, listen. I have to be somewhere right now so…"

"Oh!" Trachel realized. She bowed her head sadly. "I see."

Zim raised a brow. "You know, the last time someone loved me as much as you, I ripped their eyes out."

"I understand. But if you ever change your mind…"

"Mm-hmm. It was nice meeting you, bye," Zim said leaving.

"I am serious about you meeting my father though, he's a REALLY cool guy. And he gives away free stuff."

Zim stopped and faced Trachel. "Free stuff?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "He's the CEO of a company that makes containers for schools around the world. That was a cool looking machine you had back on the cliff. Are you a scientist? If you are, my dad can get you some measuring beakers and stuff. He runs a company called 'Liters of the World.'"

Those words captured Zim and hung onto him. "Your father runs the leaders of the world?"

"Yes!" Trachel shouted. "It's awesome, isn't it."

Zim began to think. If I'm on good terms with female worm, I'd be on good terms with her father. If I'm on good terms with her father, I can control the leaders of the world. Then I can destroy this planet from the INSIDE!

"Alright Trachel," Zim spoke. "I will consider your offer and have a decision for you by tomorrow."

Trachel squealed in delight. Zim continued, "But for now, I am really sick of conversing with you and wish to go home now."

"O.K. Zim. I hope you feel better. See you tomorrow!" Trachel yelled. She gave Zim a quick kiss on the cheek and then closed the door.

Zim placed his hand where her lips touched him. He had a strange feeling in his squeedilyspooch. It was a feeling he has felt very few times.

"Oh boy!" Keef piped up. "That girl sure is nice. You, me, her! We could make our own SITCOM! We'd make the perfect trio. What do you think, Zim?"

"I. Don't. Know." Zim said to himself. "Hey Keef, I feel a sick sickening in my belly. Is that normal?"

Keef squealed for joy. "You're in love!"

Zim squinted at Keef. "You're not serious."

"I AM! You can see it all the time in movies! It's like butterflies in your stomach. It's a beautiful feeling, the feeling of love."

Zim put his hands on his belly. "I don't think it's butterflies I'm feeling. Are you sure it's love?"

"YES!" Keef shouted. "I felt exactly the same way when I first met you!"

Zim looked at Keef and then lowered his brows.

"Wait a minute. Didn't I kill you?"

"YES!" Keef shouted.


Zim stared awkwardly at Keef, made eye contact, and quickly moved his eyes away. He looked up, down, left, right, and back at Keef. He was still staring at Zim who darted his eyes away again. Keef's ultra-creepy smile could not be hidden from Zim's peripheral-vision, neither could his enormous, happy eyes. Zim made one last look at Keef before turning around (keeping his eyes on him the whole time). Zim then slowly walked away, being sure to keep his eyes on Keef. The awkward moment would probably stick to Zim even after the invasion.