I have been greatly enjoying “Saving Zim: Epilogue”. You did a good job expanding on the tone of the story to incorporate more humor back into it. I know your worried you continued the story too long, but I think your doing fine. It doesn’t feel stagnant or like a rehash. It feels more like part two of a trilogy.

“Saving Zim: Epilogue” starts off right were it left off with an apprehensive Zim feeling overwhelmed and upset by the new situation he is in. That is before he starts to accept and even starts to find the good things about his new home. It has the flow of real life’s ups and downs and the emotions that go with it. Although it is never forgotten that Zim is sickly and dying, it is nice to see that Zim is starting to feel better and more secure. I like humor becoming part of the plot again. It brings back some of the fun from the original series. It is done well and we see the extremes Dib and Clara are going through with accepting the little demanding alien into their family. It is adorable to see Zim going back to his controlling/overbearing ways. We should have seen the trackers coming! It is hilarious when Zim is putting trackers on Dib and Clara and how he prides himself that they should be thankful because at least these trackers are humane. The new overzealous security system is also a pretty entertaining point and brings back memories from the old series. It is funny to think Dib went from trying to get past the irken security system as a kid to having Zim install it in their shared home to protect not only himself but Clara and Dib as well. Now Dib has to live with the over-the-top security in his own home and is trying to remind Zim that he and Clara need things like to get in and out. Even Dib’s attempts to find middle ground are hilariously misunderstood as he tries to ask Zim to stop using the turrets to blast ’trespassers’ with fire, only to have the alien go to the other extreme and to start freezing them. I am assuming Zim isn’t killing anyone because in the Invader Zim universe I am sure people can survive a lot including being frozen. However I can see Dib having to deal with the unfortunate side effects of the system. I imagine he is probably having to go out with the garden hose everyday to free the frozen victims by melting the ice away with water and having to come up with a lame excuse like blaming it on a glitch in the new system.

I also feel like Saving Zim: Epilogue is a better place to learn more about Zim’s past, use flashbacks, and expand on other characters. In Saving Zim (the first story), the reader like Dib didn’t have a full understanding of Zim. We (humans) were just learning more about his alien nature and his deeper emotions. Expanding on the aspects of his previous life and military training is better to do here in the second story because as Dib we are starting to see more aspects to Zim that we didn’t really know before. Now that a sickly Zim is living with Dib and Clara, Dib is starting to understand him better and Zim is also starting to reflect on the past. Dib goes from worrying Zim is trying to trick him when Zim warns him about Clara being different to realizing that Clara actually was pregnant and coming back to seeing a scared insecure Zim having a full breakdown. Zim's breakdown scene was important because it shows us just how militarized he is and all the mind games that went with it. It shows how hard it was for him to be de-weaponized and how terrified he is of being abandoned/betrayed by the humans he is trying so hard to trust. Zim is not just a monster but rather the product of a monstrous system. However after Zim has his breakdown and hits his lowest, he starts to see everything he feared didn’t happen, Dib and Clara came back and still love him while Dib also grows and is able to believe in Zim a bit more. Later on Dib even learns that Zim saved his crashing ship and that was before the wire trap and the promise they made. It shows Zim cared about Dib earlier and way more than he ever let on and that he went against his military training to spared Dib, his plaything, only to be hurt and almost killed by him later on. Of coarse Dib ended up choosing to spare Zim as well. I think you use your tragedy, angst, and trauma scenes in the most meaningful way. They aren’t just thrown in there for drama and emotions but are put in for development. That is not a easy thing to pull off consistently. I can be a hard critic so I need to look no further than How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Supernatural (after Season 5)for how to do it wrong. Also this is a perfect time to start exploring Zim’s past more since Zim himself is reflecting on it. He is no longer a soldier and is seeing life in a different light than the propaganda/training he was raised with. Zim even starts feeling regrets for how he has treated Dib in the past and is finally feeling guilty for throwing Dib into the explosion from the episode “Walk for Your Lives”. Talking about the explosion, poor Gary. He actually has good reason to hate Zim as the irken killed his son in that explosion. There is going be no way Gary is going to be able to forget what Zim did to his family or back down on trying to expose or kill the alien so I feel like he is going to have to be killed off at some point. But it’s not really Gary’s fault and he was more of a casualty of Zim’s carelessness/cruelty than a bad guy. As for how he dies, I wonder if Dib will be the one to kill him, since Zim already failed to kill Gary once. It will probably be an accident and I am guessing Dib will accidently kill Gary while protecting Zim from him. It would definitely be traumatic for Dib the protector of humanity to kill a human especially when he couldn’t go through with killing Zim the alien in the wire trap. If my prediction is right I don’t think Dib will regret killing Gary to save Zim but I do think he will be haunted for having blood on his hands. As for minor character’s Gaz also has better characterization in part two although I would like to see her character be further developed. In part one, she is distant and a little cold but we know she does care about Dib and was upset that Zim almost killed him but we don’t learn much more than that. Now in part two, she is finally coming around and starting to show that she even cares a little about Zim. Her dry humor of asking her dad if he was sure he didn’t have a second son was pretty funny since Gary was ranting about Zim being an alien like he was old Dib’s replacement. Even looking at the original show Gaz was always somewhat antisocial. It seems that Gaz is just too into her video games to care about anything and that it is actually Dib that is hanging with her for company, however than you start to notice that Gaz is not seen with her own friends and actually pays a lot more attention to what is going on around her than what she lets on.

While I would happily read about the end of Zim’s life with his new family I feel like the stakes are going be raised now that new aliens are here. I am guessing they are trying to recruit him because he was so effective at killing off the tallest and other invaders. It would be interesting to see other irkens like Skoodge or defectives fighting agains the empire. Hopefully the defectives are some of the crazy female irken variety that the fandom is so good at creating.

Once again I have to gush, both Saving Zim and this epilogue have been some of the greatest works of fiction I’ve ever read. Yes, I said fiction and not just fanfiction. You tell a story of old battle torn soldier who’s life is falling apart, and of a man who spent most of his boyhood heavily influenced by this person who is beginning to pass away before his very eyes. It isn’t fair, that Zim spent a majority of his life a soldier, no childhood, no love from the people he looked up to the most, for him to die slowly from his body breaking down, to lose the robot he viewed as his child, to not get to experience the great things in life that Dib desperately wants to share with him. Even after Zim’s life is saved in Saving Zim, the epilogue you’re writing just provides so many more complex growing character arcs that stretch far past what Saving Zim covered. Dib loves Zim and can’t imagine life without him, but is also having a hard time dealing with Zim’s frailty, and he’s conflicted in whether he did the right thing, urging Zim to continue living in the state he’s in now. Zim is an old dog struggling to learn new tricks, he doesn’t know how to be at peace because he’s never known it. He can’t fathom not being a soldier anymore, and he’s broken. He’s sick, he stutters, he suffers from multiple different ailments and he feels that eventually Dib and Clara are just going to be rid of him. This story feels so unique, these people care for each other, but finding a way to make life together work is difficult. We, as the readers, are rooting for them but are also very aware of the reality of their situation. But even amidst the dysfunction, these people love each other, both Dib and Zim are two very determined people who have never given up on each other and this stage in their lives is just a stage. The goal for Zim shouldn’t just be to survive, but to live even if he’s dying, and be happy. All the dialogue in this story and Saving Zim is phenomenal, emotional, and thought-provoking. Every scene is meaningful and your ability to provide such complex emotions within beautiful language is genuinely amazing. I greatly admire your ability to make such a sad story very beautiful at the same time. I’m definitely not forgetting this story nor Saving Zim.

Sorry it took so long to review this one. I've been super busy playing "COVID catch up" at work.
First I wanted to mention how well done I thought the description of Dib listening to the sounds through Tak's ship was. The narrative really took you out of the pilot's seat and into a tour through space. It was really nice and gave the reader a sense of wonder. I also liked how you described Zim's feelings after the ship was repaired. It was obvious he was disappointed that he didn't have something to work on any longer and didn't know what to do once it was done. It was his main source of distraction and excuse for living with humans. Looking forward to reading more! Till next time!

" Warnings:
This story. "
XDDD oh man, that made me laugh

" Dib07: God help me, why do I keep updating? "
Because it's a beautifully written story with a captivating plot that hasn't been resolved yet :3

XD naaw Zim waking Dib up like a kid on Christmas morning, except grumpy lol

"You're a tyrant." He groaned into the pillow. "Who needs an alarm clock with you around? I knew I should have gone to the Animal Shelter and picked a less argumentative breed of cat."
DIB! XDDDD

" The Irken had crept into their room late at night, shoving them both aside as he made room for himself in the middle. Perhaps, ultimately, he regretted his decision. Clara, thinking of him as a plushie, or part of her new husband, had entwined her arms about him, crushing him tight, and trapping him for the rest of the night. "
Naa-aw-aw!

" It took him a slow, stupid moment to realize that Zim was trying them on. Without an exterior nose they kept slipping down his smooth face. "
XD Zim, you're too cute!

*Snort* Zim just, casually slapping a tracker bracelet on Dib, love it

"A tracker, huh? So long as it doesn't detonate, Zim. You know how I feel about explosives."
"You'll just have to be good, won't you?" He purred. "
*Snort*
I'm so glad to see Zim feeling a bit better and acting more like himself X3 *worried feelings in back of head* yup, everything looks nice and peaceful this morning (edit: oh my word I was so right to worry!)

" "But Clara's g-getting fat."
Dib /almost/ let slip laughter, and hoped to God this conversation wouldn't reach her ear. "
Bwahahahaha

*Evil grin* yes. Let's give Zim The Baby Talk lol

XD why is there a possum!?
Aww poor Dib's allergic to kitties X3

"Go on! Go home!" He said, waving his hands at it. The kitten merely sat down and started meowing. He shut the door and turned round to see a ferret licking meat juices out of a saucer on the kitchen floor. "Clara!"
BWAHAHAHAHA!

"Maybe a window was left open." And she shrugged. Her lack of surprise said it all.
"Ah huh." He replied with dawning realization. "How many uninvited animals are we dealing with?"
"Just a few. Coffee?"
Dib's slippers made shuffling sounds as he headed into the lounge. A grey squirrel sitting on the sofa chatted irritably at his intrusion. Unsure of what to do, he backed out, sneezing into his hand. "
Bwahahahaha! Poor Dib X,DDD

Ohmyword XDDD Zim installed turrets!

"No more weapons, Fudge. Make something more... creative, with less of the destruction! By the way you're my adopted child now! The papers came through! So listen to your fucking dad!"
HAHAHAHA! *laughing echoing down the hallway*

*Thoughtful* okay, so the northern lights are still around (even though it appears to be a few days after the wedding). And now it also appears that Dib is able to see them? So my theory of only Zim being able to see them is out the window at this point, but the fact that they're interfering with the laptop satellite does still make me think that they're of alien origins *making mental notes*

Aw X3 poor Dib suffering allergies

"So you don't think it's... alien?"
"I would know. I've heard every distress call, garbled message or transmitted fart from every filthy race this universe has ever spawned."
Yeah, except these guys the Irkens are fighting are new, aren't they? So Zim may not know their messages (or possibly even their language if new enough and it was never stored in his PAK, or if the translator was removed during surgery then he has no hopes of recognizing, right?)

" Even when he could not see the sweeping, comely magnetism flowing above the city, he could feel it on his antenna. "
*Adds to ever growing list of odd things about these "lights"*

" Dib and Clara had watched the undulating lights weaving through the dark heavens late on their wedding night as if they'd not noticed it before. "
AH! SO THEY /COULDN'T/ SEE IT BEFORE! Which means IT'S GETTING STRONGER! Which /MEANS/ the aliens causing it MUST BE /GETTING CLOSER/!

What...what thing did Dib install in the ship to make Zim react like that? (Edit: it doesn't look like we find out this chapter, but seeing how Zim doesn't want to even go near it, and Dib said it was something to do with extra precautions (if I'm remembering correctly) and I've been sitting on this for a few hours (read this part at work, but didn't finish the chapter till bed time) then I'm thinking maybe a water tank? Or bathroom or something?)

Aw, poor bug feels empty now that the ship's all done :(

" They had painted her dark purple and blue – reflecting the amalgamation of their partnership. "
Aw, that's sweet X3

" For an unsteady moment the former Elite had the irrepressible urge to rip off a section of hull and tear out the tubing beneath so that work could recommence. He held that rage in check – very nearly letting it out. "
Poor bug u_u

" The Aurora Borealis flittered and snaked above, like a bridge between worlds. "
Oooo ominous foreshadowing, love that 8D

*Narrows eyes* are they playing chess...or /risk/? Lol

" When I told you to change the turret's ammo, I meant something neutral, not nitrogen!"
XDDDDD ohmyword lol

" He said as Dib made his move: bringing the armoured serpent forwards to the centre, and trying not to scratch at his itchy eyes. Zim raised his antenna, and countered with the Imperial wolverine "
Hm, so not risk then lol
X3 I love how focus Zim is able to be while playing this! It almost seems like this is the most lucid he's been in a while

" Zim edged back. Was it kicking because it needed to get out? "
XD poor bug, but I absolutely love how you portray his misunderstandings about natural birth and human smeets, he's disturbed, yet curious, but mostly disgusted XD

" There was a bump beneath his hand, and his autumnal eyes widened at the sensation. Something was moving around in there. It made him think of water, of weightlessness. He remembered the warm tomb of liquid around him before being brought into the world. "
I'm not sure what emotion I was supposed to feel, but I definitely felt something akin to motherly affection at the thought of little baby Zim remembering his test tube XD why? Who knows lol but this bug needs a hug and an actual loving family (not just a cold unfeeling robot arm)

T_T poor Zim, Clara just wanted to be playful and affectionate and give him some tickles but he got all coughy

T_T poor bug, instantly paranoid that they're plotting against him the moment he's alone, even though all the evidence points to him being safe here

" He returned to his bedroom, squeezing the Gir doll to his chest with a fierce need. The cat he had employed into his service weaved around his legs, loudly purring. He gently put down the doll to scratch behind its ears. "
Aaah my heart! TnT

"I don't need it! I'm not stinky like you!"
"So you don't want your shoulders massaged?"
"How dare you bribe me!"
*Giggles* naw

" And Dib still felt like the child. He tried to hide the crack in his voice. "You don't understand how... how hard it is on me."
"Dib creature," the human barely had the courage to look into those autumn eyes. "I do."
TnT my heart
Dib doesn't like seeing Zim like this, so fragile, so much like a child and an old man at the same time, with only the smallest of hints of his old self flaring up now and again...it must be so hard for them...this new dynamic of theirs u_u

" Dib tried to find the smile even while his throat clenched. He leaned over and hugged him, feeling those thin bones in his arms. He did not want to see their road end - and could not imagine life without him. /Tell me we're always going to be together, Zim/. "
ToT author no!

"You let my dad pet you and hug you!" The crack in his voice could not be chased away. "Am I second best now?"
TnT *sad noises*

As always, /love/ your dream sequences! There's so much happening but it flows so well and it feels like it functions like a real dream!

Oh...oh no...the power just went out. Now, is that just something that happened, or, was it Garry? Or perhaps the aliens?

" He swung round, screwdriver held high as he looked into many faces.
Three eyes peered down; their dark forms as tall and as lean as pillars of ebony. Each poised pillar possessed a tapered eye of purple across its forehead in a horizontal slash that shared an impossible intensity, and within and without their eyes gleamed bright in the room as much as in his head. They stood like things inanimate: and more suited to a nightmarish realm. Zim wasn't so sure he'd woken at all. "
Wait what?...wait, what?...WAIT? WHAT? IS ZIM BEING ABDUCTED!? (or about to be murdered!?)

" His lower jaw jerked as he made to speak, aware that he looked utterly bedraggled in loose-fitting nightwear.
They stood, motionless, impassive, like an insentient blockade. "
I'm honestly terrified on Zim's behalf! We just that that super touching moment with Dib, and now Zim's gonna die. :/

" The black entity raised a hand higher – he raised the screwdriver – and when the hand touched him, his mind tipped away just as the PAK disconnected from his spine. "
*Deep sharp inhale* AUTHOR! NO! DX! BAD AUTHOR!
No! XD why leave it there! XDD *snort* come on! That's not fair! Lol
T_T Zim's either gonna die, or be unexplainedly healed
Maybe if we're lucky these are just sleep paralysis demons and next chapter will start with Dib finding Zim all tangled up in his blankets screaming in his sleep
*Wistful sigh* yeah, doubt it. Zim's probably about to die and we'll have loads of angst and heartache. Don't get me wrong, I'll love every second of it XD but still, poor bug, hasn't he been through enough already lol

oh shit..

Aaah this is a great chapter! Getting updates for this is a gift. Sorry I took so long to review this one. I am really on the edge of my seat about the end. I thought it would be Gary who kidnapped Zim but this doesn't seem to be him unless Zim's perception of what happened is unreliable narration. He does hallucinate and has been worried about the Irken war. Ah I can't imagine what will happen. I have a few theories.
I really like that moment between Zim and Dib when he has to give him his injection. It's so sad to see Dib process Zim's decay.

Fantastic as always. Not very articulate so I can’t go over every detail, but the pacing is just fantastic. Dib7, thank you for doing what you do. God protect you in these times and always.

This cliffhanger is killing me! I can’t tell if Zim is hallucinating or if there really is a home invasion happening where he’s going to be taken! Once again, your writing is fantastic and you’re amazing at conveying such particular intense emotion!

The gun-turrets made me laugh, especially when he changed it from laserfire to nitrogen "they make great sculptures" XD

I'm sure that signal isn't nothing, and I have a horrible feeling it's going to be bad new for them all in the near future.

Hello hello! WOOHOO! A new update! This is just what I've been needing lately, and it was great to read a fun chapter today! Seeing Zim and Dib working together is always such a treat to watch, honestly!

Zim basically being Dib's own personal alarm clock had me honest to goodness cracking up! It's probably very good for him that he's able to use and monitor these trackers though, for his own mental health! I'm curious if that's gonna end up coming into play at some point, or if it's just good old Zim being Zim again! Whatever keeps him at rest, y'know?
I honestly nearly burst into laughter when Zim just so bluntly stated that Clara was getting fat. He was VERY lucky that she was still probably asleep back there, otherwise, that wouldn't have been a pretty sight.

I'm wondering how the HECK all these animals got into the house to begin with! (Zim has some explaining to do!). I'm definitely in awe of your comic continuity with Dib and his allergies, however! For a second I was gonna vote they keep the kitten but then I remembered; Dib would be MISERABLE. A bit of a shame! Zim would've done well to have a companion. Clara's totally used to the chaos at this point, honestly.

ZIM HAVE MERCY ON THAT POOR MAILMAN XD. The running gag of this poor guy constantly be subjected to Zim's weaponry is both terrifying, and hilarious.
AHHH, THE FAMILY HAS OFFICIALLY ADOPTED ZIM! Yes Zim, LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER.

I'm glad Dib's taken notice of these odd signals as well, in all honesty... This is something they really both need to be worried over. Bad signs all around...

I'm curious, though I might've missed something, why did the glass cover upset Zim so greatly? I'm forming a few of my own suspicions around it! Dib often knows what's best for our little guy these days if it had something to do with him, so I'm glad in this case that he wasn't as quick to obey. It's hard to see Zim struggle so heavily with even minor repairs though... Feels like it wasn't that long ago when we saw him working in the base, and the worst he had to deal with was knee pain. He's getting better, but in some ways, it's hard to know that the Zim of old is so far gone now. Dib's patience is becoming stronger every day though, and is beautifully portrayed throughout this chapter.

The ship is finished though! It's completion is a lot more bittersweet than I imagined... What purpose does Zim have left after this, one might wonder? I'm still suspecting that will eventually morph into being a guardian for Dib's child, though for how long? And will it be enough? Hmm!

I LOVED seeing Dib and Zim just casually playing a friendly match against one another! Zim's still so competitive, and I adored the baby kicking scene with him and Clara... I think Zim's finally starting to really understand the beauty of life here, and how important this child is going to be. I think I suspect what she was going to ask him regarding the baby, though I don't doubt Zim will come to love the little one just as much as Dib and Clara will. He really does have those instincts after all, even if he would never say so.
(I'm also curious how far along she is now? How long HAS it been since Zim came to stay now?)

Talking of how far Dib has come... It was nice to see him really stepping up and taking charge of Zim. I never realized how much medical work Clara does for Zim, and it's good that he was thinking ahead. Our little bug is never the easiest to deal with, but seeing him teach Dib and return his patience makes for such a gentle bonding scene. I seriously am so happy we got to see so much of it this time around (Which clued me in that SOMETHING might be coming up soon, LOL).

AND I WAS RIGHT. OH GOD OH MAN OH GOD. THOSE... THINGS HAVE FINALLY SHOWN THEIR FACES, AND EVERYTHING HAS GONE TO HECK AND BACK. AND ZIM'S PAK IS OFF, OH JEEZ-. THIS CLIFFHANGER MAN. I'm gonna be FREAKING OUT come next update, just like I am now!

EXCELLENTLY written chapter, even though I am currently flailing about in pure madness! Thank you, as always!

Oh shit they found him! I'm half-scared at what these beings - Kerrians, I assume - might do should Zim scream loud enough to get either Dib or Clara - or both - to come running. Holy fuck...
Well, nice to know I was somewhat correct about them being capable of psychically assaulting their enemies! Kind of. Don't like Zim actually being attacked in such a way, though...

I'm also kind of curious as to why they decided to wait until Tak's old ship was repaired before going after Zim. They were clearly monitoring the area for at least a month. Maybe they're planning on using the ship's telecommunication systems to show the Tallest they're willing to go after any Irken no matter how inconsequential, similar to what they did with Invader Mint's base?
Ugh, trying to formulate theories while tired and brain-fogged is so frustrating I'll have to think more on this later, haha.

Anyhow.

Zim being more disappointed in the ship's completion makes total sense with how directionless he feels life currently is. His inability to fix the ship himself certainly didn't help with that, even with Dib trying to make sure his little alien friend remained in charge of most of it.

It was also nice seeing Zim know when to be gentle with his human, like with the whole medication thing. The little nudges to encourage Dib to acknowledge his own medical competence was really sweet, and I just love their queerplatonic moments overall!

Clara seemed to be mostly hanging back and letting the guys do their own thing, outside of randomly bringing random animals into the house. Although, that is such an IZ thing that I really can't complain xD Poor Dib though, being allergic to so many of the animals (namely the cats)! I can't imagine being allergic to my furbabies like that!

Speaking of health stuff, I appreciate you remembering to include little details to remind the audience how sick he is and how much his past and current injuries hold him down, from uncooperative limbs to that fucking awful cough. With my recent illness experience, I definitely have a newfound appreciation for just how terrible fluid-filled lungs are - absolute. Fucking. Hell.

Eh, enough blabbing. Wonderful read as always, and I hope you're doing as well as you can! Please take care!

*reads summarysucks in breath behind teeth*

Fücking Tantalus

As someone who got woken up AT 3 AM because I accidentally closed the cat inside and she wanted cuddles, I feel Dib, I really do

... ZIM, YOU LITERALLY WEIGHT LESS THAN A WINTER WREN, YOU STUBBORN STICK

Birds and bees, THAT is a conversation I don't look forward to having with my maybe future smeet(s}

Zim dealt with worse "Cinderella parties", you know, when... Well, you know

HA! I am still using a duvet, Zim has all my support in his sweater endeavors

You two are both Clara's children, don't pretend otherwise sweetpeas

*pat pat* Poor Dib... I am allergic to hamsters, learned the really hard way

*pats poor Takship* you, dear, deserve emotional compensation

That ship has seen so many paint jobs (I'm counting the comic continuity)

OWO YOU READ HIS DARK MATERIALS ?

... As someone who played A Hat in Time, no, ICE SCULPTURES ARE NOT GOOD AT ALL

EXCUSE YOU

OH, NOW YOU REALLY DONE IT, IF THERE'S A THING I KNOW IS THAT THIS FAMILY IS MADE OF LOYAL DUMB BUTTS

Oh no! Poor Zim! Going from having fun with Dib and Clara to having a bad dream and now this? Zim really can’t catch a break! But this was an awesome chapter! And I can’t wait to see what happens next!

having all those animals in the house sounds like fun, though Dib can't enjoy it much with his allergies now can he?

and Zim building Turrets by the front door, ha ha. How in the world did he manage to get away with that?

but now we seem to have an interesting predicament. I must say, even though I was expecting those alien fellas(I have terrible memory when it comes to names, sorry) to come in at some point I was still quite surprised.

what interesting beings they are.

Hopefully Zim managed to wake up someone, as right now it seems that the only advantage Zim has over any of the other irkens that have encountered these aliens before is his family.

absolutely amazing chapter and I can't wait for more :D

Well the animals in the house was funny and it madee think of all those times GIR let a pig or a donkey or whatever into the base, LOL, a nostalgic feeling.

Anyway Zim feeling Clara's stomach was a tender if not somewhat tense moment but nothing can compare to the cliffhanger you provided, oh boy.

Invader Johnny Signing Off.