I don't own Invader Zim okay? If you don't know that by chapter 14, I feel sorry for you. Anyway, I know it took a little while for me to update but here it is. Don't have much else to say, but enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

Dib rolled his eyes at Lord Nar. This was the last thing he really wanted to get involved in, an intergalactic power vacuum that would not leave him alone. He saved the earth and was recovering from a rattlesnake bite too. Could the powers that be just let him lie in bed and watch reruns of shows as old as his father in peace? His girlfriend was bound to be worried about him if Gaz hadn't told her where he was, and he honestly doubted if she even knew her contact information. He had gone through girlfriends rather quickly lately. He had achieved his life goal and that was that. Or is it? Are you going to be happy just catching Zim and bringing them back for whatever…? Lord Nar sat entranced by the black and white western that was on the television, fascinated by the old show. He was right, he does have the technologies to scan for Zim and the Tallest much better than we could…. Dib paused again. No. No. You do not need to get involved in their wars! Just get Zim and the Tallest back to the base.

"I mean to ask you, just what will you do when you catch Zim and his leaders?" Lord Nar said turning to Dib.

"What?" Dib asked startled at his question.

"I mean there has to be some reason you and your team are all up in arms about this." Lord Nar said. He knew he had to prod Dib in just the right ways to convince him to help them out in the end. Lord Nar saw his fighting skills and knew that Dib was just what they would need to keep Meekrob from taking over their planets. They were a tougher enemy to fight than the Irken Empire. Obviously, being made of pure energy, the Meekrob could not be harmed easily. You would need to have something disrupt their energy essences and that would be hard to come up with. Life forms of physical matter could not destroy them in hand to hand close quarters combat. Dib had powers from them. It would be like fighting fire with fire. Lord Nar needed him and possibly his team if he was going to keep the Resisty free.

"Why do you care?" Dib snapped. "Why do you need me? The Irken Empire is in ruins. You could easily take back what is yours."

"You'd think so." Lord Nar said. "However the people that gave you your fantastic powers are the Irken's greatest rival. You don't think that they wouldn't use this opening to their advantage? And by taking the Irken Empire, they take the Resisty's homes? They, the Irkens and the Meekrob, are not that different. They want power. Lots of it. Kind of what all races who want to conquer the universe want." Dib looked up at Lord Nar, showing his reasoning wasn't good enough for him. "So I ask again, what will you do when Zim and the Tallest are captured?"

"I dunno…." Dib said. "I guess I never really thought about that. I'd have to talk to Gaz about the ramifications, but I could experiment on all of them. See what technologies they have that could benefit Earth."

"Okay so you saved your home and will commit technological espionage with your captives." Lord Nar said. "And?"

"And what?" Dib asked.

"Well you are 32 Earth years old. Humans live on an average of 85 Earth years. Most likely with these powers that will be even longer. Some humans already live well into their hundreds. You could be 150. And your peak moment will be at the tender young age of 32. Kind of sad isn't it?"

"Will you shut up?" Dib yelled. He was already injured and had that notion that his life had peaked at 32 in his mind and it was not something he wanted to face, especially not with a goat horned alien trying to guilt trip him into helping them fight their war. He was done with that. "Besides it's what humans do when we defeat someone with greater technology than ours. We steal it."

"So barbaric." Lord Nar teased.

"Well we'd never have gotten into space in the 20th century if the US and Soviet Union hadn't kidnapped the Nazi scientists. You really should read up on World War 2 man. Shows just what humans can do to each other if they aren't afraid of getting nuked into oblivion like that one game Gaz likes to play…." Dib mused.

"I may do so." Lord Nar said. "However, I will help you with your quest, even if you do not decide to join us." He gave Dib what looked like a smartwatch but knowing where it came from, he could tell it was far more advanced than any of the modern ones, developed only a few years earlier could ever hope to be. "Once you have found the vehicle that they are traveling in, contact me. I can use our ship's scanning technologies to find it, catch it and bring it back. Us helping you this way won't be as big a shock as your entire planet now knows they are not alone in the universe." Lord Nar said.

"Fine." Dib said as he saw Lord Nar teleport out of the hospital room and rolled over sighing. Just as soon as he thought his fight to protect Earth from the Irken empire was over, new things happen and more battles will need to be fought. Looking at his phone, he thought of calling Gaz and wondering what her mind would think of when it came to just how other empires would react to Earth being the one the Irken Empire fell on and if those other races would want them as well. No, she's too busy leading the group to find Zim and the Tallest anyway…. Dib mused in his head. He wanted to put the encounter with Lord Nar behind him. Just sit back, enjoy the TV and the floating feeling he got when the mixture of antibiotics and pain killers with a side of anti-venom was flowing through his veins. I could get used to this feeling…. Dib thought for a second. No, no, that's how addictions start. You don't need to fall into that. Although you could easily. If what the aliens keep saying, you've peaked at 32. Way to go, 50 plus more years of having your greatest accomplishment be behind you. No one would wonder why you're addicted to it….NO! You don't need to be thinking like that! Knowing there was only one person who really got him to understand his struggles, and knowing she would be furious he was calling her while she was working on something for him, Dib called Gaz.

"What is it idiot?" Gaz sighed. "Look we don't have them yet; we are working on the van reports here! Do you know how many 25-year-old shitbox minivans there are in the state of Nevada alone? Not to mention they could have been out of state too! Get off my case!"

"Well do you have a make and model range? Or something I can send to someone else?" Dib asked.

"Well, it was a late 90s minivan, that's all I know. It reminded me of ones that I saw those soccer mom brats have growing up. In fact, it had the soccer ball from back then still on there kind of faded. Why? Who are you replacing me with?"

"You hear of the Vortians?" Dib asked.

"I remember you mentioning they were former allies of Irk then they were conquered. Why?" Gaz said.

"Well one of them can help us find and bring back Zim and the Tallest if we had the make and model of the car." Dib said.

"Well send him just google image searches of late 90s minivans and tell them about the faded sticker in the back until I have more. It's hard work getting through all these DMV records!" Gaz said.

"I'll do that." Dib said. Then the other question on his mind popped in. "What should we do with them?"

"When we catch them?" Gaz asked. "Well I want 5 minutes alone, no cameras with them."

"What do you have against them?" Dib asked.

"None of your business." Gaz said. "But what were you thinking?"

"That's just it. I don't know. Obviously get their technological information and try and use it for humanity but what then? Do I kill them? Do we keep them hostage for god knows how long? And if we kill them…."

"You may incite more alien wars, or at least with factions loyal to the Irken empire." Gaz said. "Possibly but you'd have something they would want, the Tallest. Zim, who cares. But at the same time you beat the Massive. They will know how much that means. They won't be so hot to attack. And I wouldn't slack off your training and keeping your skills up."

"Because of that?" Dib said.

"Because of that. Precisely." Gaz said as she searched through databases and police reports. "You protected Earth but marked it as well. We know they're out there and they know what we can do. You can never stop being the protector now. Take the Irken technologies and make them so we have a Space Force to defend ourselves as you can easily explain why we need it now."

"Has my life peaked?" Dib asked the other question that Gaz would know how to answer.

"Fuck no. If you follow my guidance you have a long life ahead of you to keeping this planet safe. And I can't imagine that alien politics and strategic defense would be boring. Every day won't be a take down the Massive day, but by god, your life will NEVER ever be boring. And why would you want boring anyway?" Gaz said as she came across a few promising reports of missing persons and vehicles out of California. "Look I think that medication cocktail they have you on is messing with your mind. I wouldn't think that far ahead right now. But yeah. You got yourself a lifelong job of protecting the planet. Something I thought you liked doing."

"Yeah. You got some points there Gaz." Dib sighed as he hung up. "FUCK!" He yelled. "It never ends and she's right, it will never end. We are indeed marked. Fuck! There's just no winning at this is there?" No Dib thought as a response to his own question. But you have to now play the game like generals in war do. You got a group with better technology and insight into your enemy than you have begging you to be their ally, their savior, their defender. They're going to help you find Zim and the others. And Gaz is right, your life will never, ever be boring, and yes, she's right, who would want that? With this revelation, Dib looked up pictures of late 90s minivans and saved them to the coms device that Lord Nar gave him. "Well here goes nothing." Dib said initiating a call.

"Dib! Hearing from you so soon?" Lord Nar smiled.

"Look, my sister hasn't got the exact specs of the minivan in question but she did say it was a production from the late 1990s. I'm sending you reference pictures. There was also a faded soccer ball picture on the back and according to her, the fuel rods of the escape pod were coopted to power the thing. You know about Irken escape pods?" Lord Nar laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Most if not all of Irk's military technology was designed by my people Dib. Of course I know." Lord Nar smiled. "We will have that old minivan delivered to you in no time."

"Thanks." Dib said as he ended the call and lay back on the bed. "One chapter ends, another begins…."

So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. Revelation time on what bringing down the Massive means for Earth and their place in the Universal stage. And of course Dib is having a midlife crisis about what he did. Because it is impressive, defeating an alien race all by yourself. Anyway, I don't have much else to say here so remember to read (well you just did) and to review! Ciao for now,

Otherrealmwriter

Aka

Realm.