Why don't you explain to me WHAT you have to offer?"

He sat across from the alien, looking quietly amused, his pale blue eyes glittering in the light of the dark back room of the bar that the Irken alien Invader Zim had foolishly entered. Zim's ruby/maroon eyes glittered a bit like gemstones as the green, faintly scaly-skinned alien's black antannae flattened against the side of his head and he nervously rubbed the back of his little neck with his black-gloved hands...while HE calmly folded his arms over his well-built chest, eyes of Trojan Blue continuing to stare...and stare...and stare.

"I know perfectly well you've been approaching other mercenaries and bounty hunters. They've all rejected you. What could you possibly have to offer me?" The faintly ethereal voice inquired. Zim shuddered a bit, there was something slightly unnatural about this being. Everything about him seemed to radiate pure, barely-restrained power, with a faint undercurrent of sinister intent. He was looking at the Irken as though he was a dog he would have to put out of its misery, and was trying to be sweet about it and entertain its silliness before he took it behind the woodshed.

"I know y-you're only interested in the greatest of challenges! And-and the finest prey! The-the best planets!" Zim stammered out, regaining his confidence. "The planet that ZIM has been told by his Tallest to conquer is the greatest! For they chose the greatest Invader! Greatness runs in my veins, calling upon me to conquer it! DO NOT IGNORE MY VEINS!" He demanded, holding up his arms, clenching his teeth and his eyes shut tightly, as the being across the little circular table they sat at looked on, amused.

"...so you believe this planet has worthy warriors who might actually be of some interest to me, is that it? I assure you, I've fought many, many fools who believed themselves capable fighters."

"The one I want you to fight, my rival, is..." Zim hesitated. "...almost as good as Zim." He said, and it sounded as though he had garbage in his mouth, and would have sooner choked on his own tongue than admit it. The admission was beyond painful, but if it got what he wanted, well...

"...go onnnn." The being said, its tone quieter, more contemplative. An Irken admitting that a non-Irken was almost just as good as them? That never, ever happened. Especially not a dye-in-the-wool, head-up-his-own-ass idiot like ZIM. Zim had an ego larger than an asteroid, and his unpleasant attitude had made him almost want to ignore the Irken's requests. Or rather, constantly following him around, saying his name before he'd finally turned around and glowered, asking "Why have you been following me for two hours straight?!"

"The...Dib...is a young man who has managed to thwart my plans over and over. He regularly destroys or works through my greatest technology and continues to be a thorn in Zim's side. He will be a perfect challenge for you. His planet has no idea aliens even exist, he may be the only one besides his sister, and this makes him all the more dedicated to defeating me. That makes him almost as passionate in his drive as ZIM." Zim insisted, putting a hand on the reddish, three-striped outfit he had, an "Invader's Gown" as it were, crossing his legs, black boots riding high.

"Do not get me wrong, I enjoy a good challenge, and I've not eaten in quite a while, but..." The being hesitated. "...what else have you to offer me?"

Zim hesitated. This would be the lynch-pin. The one thing that he could potentially give that would get his new ally to go along with him if all else failed. "I have also heard you...are searching for your sister."

The air in the room seemed to get very, very cold. The being sitting across from him stiffened, his eyes becoming near-slits as he dug his claws slightly into his arm. "...go...on." He whispered quietly. "...but be very wary of what you say, for if you were to displease me, I assure you, you won't make it out of this bar in one piece. Or even two pieces. Or three...five...twelve..." He trailed off threateningly. "Really, it depends on how much would be left for the coronors to examine. The last fool who tried to give me fraudulent information about where my sister was, well...this was the biggest piece I left of him."

The being calmly reached into his chest, and Zim could see his hand passing through it, as if like water before taking out a series of photographs, putting them down upon the table as Zim covered his mouth with his gloved hands, a digusting shade of orangish/green bathing over his face.

"You will note what I removed from him. Before...after. Before...after." He said, flipping the various photographs up and down, showing various shots of the faintly elflike man's body, and then...what remained afterwards. "I believe the largest piece was the size of your thumb. I don't like being lied to, Irken Zim."

"The Tallest took her!" Zim squeaked out in a squeal, covering his face and quivering in his seat, shaking like a leaf. "The-the Tallest have her locked up within a secret facility, I-I found out the coordinates because its located in a hyper security prison I've g-got a connection to, this...this prisoner sends me cool stuff when I ask him to!" Zim whimpered. "I can g-give you the coordinates if you'll just do this for me!"

Silence. Long...long...silence. And then...

"Very well. Give me the coordinates. I will verify my sister is there, and if she is...I will return to break her out after I have dealt with your..."Dib"." The being said. "I'm a man of my word, Zim. You have my word of honor that I will fight against the human and claim him with all my power. I will not go easy upon him, and you will then be free to take over that little planet of yours, uninterrupted by pesky Earthling interlopers. We have a deal?" He asked, extending a clawed hand.

Zim took it, and shook, piercingly blue eyes staring into ruby-maroon.

"You've now earned my very valuable services, Zim of Irk. Just one more thing before I ask of the location of my sister. The location of the Dib. Where does he live?"

-

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Dib was finally on his own...well, sort of.

He'd moved down the street from his old house, all for one purpose: to be closer to Zim. It helped that he'd asked his father, Professor Membrane, for a house with a lab extension in the name of "real science". Dib said it was to study the stars and map the constellations, analyze planets far, far away and keep an eye on celestial bodies. He was being half truthful. He WAS very interested in extraterrestrial affairs, just...not what his father had in mind.

And so the black-haired, jacket-wearing young teen was now having his furniture arranged in his new house, boxes and boxes being brought in by big, beefy meaty movers as the head mover adjusted the do-rag atop his head. Dib sat in a nearby chair, slicking the scythe-like extension of hair he had back, waiting for them to finish as he looked out the nearby window a bit, then back at the chief mover.

"That's the last of them, Mr. Membrane. We'll let your father know you're all set up. The big telescope and all the heavier stuff are in that extension in the west wing, the fridge is installed, and we've moved your bed in but, well..." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking around the barren-walled room, at the plain wooden floors, at the many, many boxes lying around. "You got someone to help you unpack all of this, right?"

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Dib lied through his teeth, shaking the man's hand, giving him a nod as he and the mothers headed for the oak front door, leaving Dib alone in the room as he sighed and hung his head. No. No he didn't. Dib was barely eating, barely sleeping, tired...and alone. Gaz was having run of the house, no doubt, and having the time of her life. She'd probably already turned his old bedroom into a new playroom for her to play Game Slave 360 and her other old consoles in. He scratched over his chest, over the "Apathy face" blue t-shirt he wore beneath his dark jacket and sighed, blinking his amber/golden eyes behind his large glasses.

So much packing to do. And all on his own.

"UGH! Keep it down in there! Some of us gotta work the f-kin' night shift!"

Dib blinked, hearing someone complaining outside in his front yard and he went to the door, opening it up, seeing an aggravated, irritated-looking man in a tight-fitting white shirt and khaki shorts who was glaring at him, the aggravated, bearded forty-something giving Dib a glare. "Ain't you the kid who somehow called up ZOMBIES on Halloween?!" He grumbled, looking Dib over, glaring at the child.

"I, uh, moved! Sorry about the racket. Dad wants me to, y'know. Be more independent! REAL SCIENCE and all that." Dib remarked with what he thought was a nice smile.

"I don't care if you're his son, or a kid." The man grumbled. "I gotta work for a living. If I oversleep or if I'm late for work, it'll be your ass, DIBBUN MEMBRANE." He told Dib, giving him a baleful glare. "And don't think for one minute that I care who your f-kin' father is!"

With that, he stormed off, Dib cringing a bit. That was a level of vitriol he'd never gotten from an adult before. He saw the man head down the sidewalk as slow clouds ambled overhead and he sighed. "...nice to meet you too." He mumbled.

"See ya met D. Snuchts."

"What?"

"Mr. Dimitri Snuchts." Gaz said, Dib realizing his sister was there, looking amused by all this, her hands in her thick jean pockets, her skull necklace hanging around her neck, loose and floppy, purple hair in locks as though it was a giant set of jaws trying to snap down over her head. "That's his name. D. Snuchts."

"That's silly, it can't be his real name!" Dib said, looking back in the direction that angry man had gone, then at Gaz as she smirked.

"His last name's RUSSIAN, Dib. What, does Russian sound silly to you?" She asked with a laugh. "Tell ya what, try telling it to his face his name is silly. See how he reacts. Then again, maybe you'd better do it later."

"After he's back from work?"

"Work? That's a laugh. He never gets further than the pub." Gaz snorted. "Anyhow, I'm here to tell you I turned your room into a new bathroom! Got this HUGE jacuzzi where your bed was. Have fun unpacking!"

Dib stammered, Gaz giving him a playful wave as she waltzed around, then covered his face. "OHHHHHH!" He groaned out, shaking his head back and forth. "SONOFA!"

...

...

...

...The night began to descend down upon the city, many beautiful stars glimmering in the dark sky above. The moon was but a sliver tonight, casting only faint layers of light onto the many bridges that crisscrossed around the city. A singular woman was making her way out of the bar, quietly sighing, looking down at her phone, mumbling a bit. It had been a long, boring day, and she just wanted to get home. She had no idea someone was watching from down a nearby alley, wearing a grimy, greasy jacket, his face stubby and unwashed, gripping an ugly-looking knife.

"Dirty little whore! T-Teach you to...tease me, c-can't lead people on like that!" The man grumbled darkly, unaware of the form hidden in the shadows, slinking towards him, closer...closer. "Gonna cut you from belly to neck-"

The 42-year-old woman's earrings jangled as she walked down the sidewalk, passing underneath a streetlamp before she heard a faintly muffled "GAAH" that briefly rang through the air. She quivered and shook, hearing the unmistakable sound of thumping and squirming, a body desperately trying to squirm its way out of someone's grip...and failing miserably. Horribly. Her blue eyes were wide in horror, her skin growing goosebumps as she slooowly turned the corner...

There, holding the man tightly into its body, keeping him from getting free, half-buried in its starry, black-formed skin, was what appeared to be a slice of the night sky come to life. It had a horned head, with beautiful gems, three in fact, embedded in its forehead and large circular gemstones in a necklace around its neck. It had a very well-developed and mighty frame, with sharp claws instead of hands, and faintly taloned feet as it gazed upon her, its eyes a piercing, haunting light blue color that made her gasp in sheer fright.

"There are bad people out tonight." The alien informed her. "I suggest you go home." He said, his voice dark, faintly ethereal, and for some reason, it reminded her of Ron Perlman. She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes bulging wide as she gripped her purse for dear life, and then bolted down the street, the Huntsman then forcibly ripping the man's head out of his body, putting a clawed hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak.

"You will be as quiet as possible. And you will listen to the will of The Huntsman, for you are his quarry tonight, and it is unwise to resist." He whispered low and soft into the man's ear, seeing his eyes wide with sheer terror, the rest of his body almost completely sealed away inside of his starry form. The man smelled like a brewery. A stench the Huntsman knew very, very well, a stench he was familiar with. The outer dregs of a society always resorted to the bottom of a bottle when nothing else could fill the void in their lives. And when that didn't work, they'd turn to crime. Those with little to lose had a bad tendency to throw their lives away in foolish, petty concerns. He, a living galaxy, had MUCH to live for, and this meant he had to be careful.

The man whimpered, the Huntsman's clawed grip tightening a little.

"I could open your skull up without even really thinking about it. And do you know what I would do then?" The Huntsman asked, calmly placing a single claw atop the man's reddish-haired head, tracing a circular cut eveeeeer-so-slightly.

"N-No..." The man squeaked out.

"Eat your brains. I wouldn't have to eat all of them, of course. You see, I've learned some fascinating techniques from studying wasps, in fact. They have this fascinating skill of making sure their prey stays alive even as its being devoured, you just have to eat JUUUUST the right parts, and leave just enough alive. I imagine I could...oh...maybe take a little off the top here..." He poked one part of the man's head. "Then here..." He poked another part. "And then maybe a little here before-"

"Nnnn! NNNNN! NNNnnooooooo!" The man was now on the verge of peeing his pants, the Huntsman's voice becoming quiet and persuasive.

"But...I have a code to adhere to. I do not feed upon a planet's inhabitants unless I've beaten the best warriors they have to offer in combat. As hungry as I am, I want to be fair. So I'll offer you this little deal. I have your scent."

He lowered his clawed hand from atop the man's head, and picked up the man's chin as his other hand sloooowly traced itself down the cheek, tracing a cut line, Trojan blue eyes staring peircingly into deep brown. "You will turn yourself in. You will get help with your little alcohol problem. Your body STINKS of it, you've been probably drinking five beers a day."

"S-Six!" The man admitted through his chattering teeth. "Y-Yes sir, absolutely sir!"

"Because if I smell your scent anywhere near me again, next time, well..."

The Huntsman trailed off, slowly letting him go, putting him on the sidewalk, glaring down at him, and showing a big, fanged grin. The man screamed in terror, racing away down the road, the Huntsman grunting a bit, clutching at his gut. He had been so very hungry. So hungry. Yet he had sworn to himself he would not feed until he had defeated the one named Dib. He had his integrity to uphold. The Huntsman considered himself a being of honor, and no matter how hungry he got, he couldn't just go wild and devour any random human in the street. He was not some disgusting, mad dog.

But it was time for him to check in on Dib Membrane, and he easily leapt up onto the roofs, leaping across them with ridiculous ease, the ten-foot-tall horned being striding easily towards his destination as he finally came to a halt in front of a house that had a little observatory set up in its west-hand side, a large telescope sticking out of a circular rooftop. The Huntsman slid down the roof he laid on, easily bounding over the fence and sneaking up to the back door, where the kitchen laid.

Hmm. Locked. And bolted. Clever. But the camera peering down from above the door was a fake. Made to look real, to scare off intruders, but...a sham. He could recognize it clearly with his keen vision.

He focused intensely, holding up a clawed hand as light blue energy began to form in his palm. He wanted something small for this, and he slid the energy into the keyhole, then pulled it out...as it molded itself into the key he wanted. Smiling to himself, he slid it in, unlocking and unbolting the door, creeping on inside and closing it up, making his way towards a snoring form in the living room.

There laid the human underneath a big white comforter, the bed still not carried into his bedroom, most of the boxes still not yet unpacked, a few posters like "I Really Wanna Believe" showing a 'Grey' alien underneath green words, and glasses flopped off the couch the young human slept on. His chest, bare, rose and fell as he half-snored, half whistled in his slumber, his hair messy from slightly tossing and turning...

The Huntsman stiffened.

This was not a young man.

He was but a boy.

A child.

He couldn't have been older than fourteen. The Huntsman hesitantly approached, looking down at the child's slowly rising and falling frame, at the little nose, at the adorable little alien pajamas he was wearing, faintly visible just above the bit of blanket he was sleeping under. The living galaxy covered his face in his hands.

A child.

He couldn't do this to a child. He'd NEVER killed a child.

What was he going to do?

...

...

...

... "Sir! Sir!"

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

"Ughhh. I'm awake, I'm awake!" Dib moaned out, struggling to sit up, cringing as he put his glasses on after rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I'm up, I'm up!"

"This is the police, sir! We need to speak with you!" Came the authoritative voice from outside.

"I'll be right the-" Dib began to say, turning around to look around his room, his glasses now on, fully awake, and seeing, much to his surprise...all of the boxes had been unpacked. The tables had been laid about, the recliner was placed out, the bookcase, the TV, his video collection, his bed, all of it had been moved. His house now looked...normal. Livable. And a little note laid on the table before him, written with a pen that laid nearby.

"A gift for you. My apologies for breaking into your home."

Confused, he rose up, heading for the front door and opening it up, two well-dressed police officers looking down at him. "Oh. It's you." The first one grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Aren't you that kid always complaining about "Zam" or the like?" The second one asked. "Didn't you once call us to your home saying he had tried to launch himself through your window?"

That one had been a funny incident. Zim had, in fact, intended to shoot himself into Dib's room via a cannon. Dib had simply opened up his window...then opened up the window across from it, and waited. Sure enough, Zim had flown clear through BOTH of them, hitting that awfully-conveniently placed honeybee hive outside, screaming in terror and yelling "NOT THE BEES! AAAAA!" As he uselessly flailed around, caught in the tree branches for a good half an hour before finally falling down. Dib had decided to cancel his call to the cops when he realized that hive had been right across from his room. It still aggravated the operator, since Dib was a FREQUENT caller.

"I'm, uh...trying to have a fresh start. New house and new job doing work here for my dad's lab and all that!" Dib remarked with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, well, we got CALLER ID now, so we're gonna start ignoring you more." The first cop grumbled darkly.

"...er...okayyyy..." Dib said with a gulp. "So, ah, how can I help you officers?"

"Did you happen to hear a disturbance in the last couple of hours?"

"No, but I'm a pretty deep sleeper. Why?"

"Your neighbor next door, Mr. Schnuts-"

Dib snorted, trying to cover his mouth as the cops cleared their throat. "Your NEIGHBOR, Mr. Schnuts, seems to have suffered a home invasion. He's missing, and it may be some time before we find him, if we find him at all. We're talking to anyone living close to him to see if they saw, or heard anything."

"I didn't hear anything, officers. Awfully sorry." Dib remarked, though he had a feeling he knew what might have happened. His late-night visitor had probably been SEEN by his neighbor. But...why? Why had his visitor not stolen anything or...hurt him? He didn't understand.

But he didn't know that his next door neighbor wasn't so far off. He had been tied up and put against the wall, a gag in his mouth, the Huntsman covering his face as he sat in the abandoned, rickety house down the street. A horrific groan echoed through the house as the wind blew through the windows, the living galaxy's expression pained as he slowly lifted his head up, and turned to gaze upon the human.

"So hungry." He whispered out. "...so starving." He murmured. The alien was becoming increasingly desperate. He had a job to complete, he had promised to fulfill his contract with Irken Zim. Had promised to try and end the life of Dibbun Membrane.

But he'd never killed a child before. The idea repulsed him. He cringed as he gripped his skull, claws slightly digging into his black skin.

What was he to do? What could he do?

The empty house had no answer. And Mr. Schnuts was far, far too terrified to speak, even if the gag WAS removed. The Huntsman was alone, alone with his thoughts, and shadows...and dust. And a terrible, ugly choice he knew he would have to make.

And soon.