Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim. Rights reserved by Jhonen Vasquez, Nickelodeon, and now Oni Press.

Summary: Operation Impending Doom II is coming to a close. There's only one problem; the final opposing forces have promised their surrender in exchange for the one thing Irkens do not need…. water! Now, in order to gain total universal domination, the Tallest must depend on the one Irken they hate most. Will Zim succeed in domination? Or will his failure become Earth's last hope for survival?

Author's Notes: I would like to take this time to thank you for reading and to let you know that good criticism is always welcomed. There is nothing i would love more than your suggestions and your help to make my story the best it can be, but please NO FLAMES!

Again thank you for reading and please review.

Yours Truly, RoxieDivine ;)

Chapter 1: Some Things Never Change

Time….

It was something you could never get back. Always fleeting; here one moment but gone the next.

Six years had come and gone and much had changed.

For example: Dib, who was pouring milk in his cereal, was getting ready for another day at school, but he was no longer young and frail. He was almost as tall as his dad, now only a few inches shorter. His big head had become proportionate to the rest of his body long ago. His hair was still styled in that same hairdo that his sister, Gaz, always hated, and was gelled in place, making it shine and glimmer. He wore the same T-shirt with the same serious face on it, paired with the same black jacket and boring glasses. No one ever took a second glance at Dib, and he liked it that way.

"Gaz, if you don't hurry you'll be late for school again!" Dib shouted, his voice carrying from the kitchen table, into the living room, and up the stairs.

"Hold your horses! I'm coming!" Gaz slowly moved down the stairs. She was still about a foot shorter then Dib, and like her brother her features had matured to match her age. At the age of 15, one year younger than Dib, Gaz had taken her Goth look to a whole new level by adding black eye-liner and dark purple eye shadow. She long ago gave up her cute black dress for a purple shirt and black skinny jeans, though she was still wearing her skull necklace. It had, after all, been a present from mom. She never took it off.

Dib also wore a memento from their mother; his glasses. And he refused to replace them no matter how bad or scratchy the lenses seemed to get.

"You better not have eaten all the cereal!" Gaz warned as she sat down beside him.

Dib handed her the box and started to think to himself as she poured her bowl.

'I wonder what Zim is planning to do today?' He laughed to himself. 'After six years you'd think he'd give up by now! Some things never change….' He smiled as the bus driver pulled the school bus in front of their house and honked his horn.

"Good bye dad!" Dib called as he ran out the door.

"See ya dad," Gaz followed right behind her brother.

"Good bye kids," Professor Membrane spoke from a floating screen.

Dib hopped into the bus and walked through a hurricane of thrown papers. He made his way to the back of the bus and sat down alone.

'Yeah,' he thought to himself….

'I guess some things never change.'

Time….

It stopped for no one, and that included aliens.

Zim shook his head and tried to chase away his tiredness from the last month's sleepless nights as he ate his breakfast. He had gotten use to human breakfast foods long ago and was now munching on a chocolate chip muffin. He tried to keep despair from settling in, but it wasn't easy. It had been six years since his arrival on Earth and much had change. For example; he had long ago, to his delight, started growing. He was now as tall as the average teenage child by human standards, though he was technically many more Earth years older. Irken years were approximately ten times longer than pitiful Earth years.

Zim sighed as he started thinking of ways to destroy the Earth, yet again. He thought maybe he could try to turn all of the humans into slugs! Nah…. Or maybe even drain the planet's water supply! Nah….

None of it seemed very fun to him anymore, probably because he had been at it for years without any success. It was all one big cycle by now. Zim tries to destroy mankind. Dib stops him. Zim comes up with another plan, and Dib stops him again! And blah, blah, blah, so on and so forth….

"Doom, Doom, Doom, Doomy Doom, Doom…." Gir danced and sung in the living room. Zim had long ago reconstructed the home to have separated rooms; he had discovered most human homes were this way. "I love this monkey!" Gir screamed as he danced to the dancing monkey show on the large TV.

Usually Zim would yell at him to be silent, but he wasn't in the mood. He sighed deeply.

He had only joined the Irken military to prove his worth to his fellow members of the Irken race. He had sworn he'd be great, and presumed that at least there was honor among Invaders…. that at least he would be respected, and he would be seen for the greatness that he was. He sighed deeply yet again.

He had grown tired of this feeling; he felt like nothing…. and he had felt this way for a long time now. All he had to do was destroy one planet! He couldn't even manage to get past one filthy Earth child, much less cripple the whole Earth!

He had to find a way to get the advantage over that Dib, but how?!

Suddenly, Gir put a video camera right up to his face. "Aww…. you're eating a muffin! This will be perfect for the home video!" Gir giggled happily.

Zim tried not to growl in frustration….

And he failed miserably.

"Gir, for the last time! Get that camera out of my face!"

"But it's for the family," Gir said. "For memories."

Zim tried to resist the urge to tear off his antennas in frustration; about a week ago this madness had started. Gir, being the TV addict he is, watched a show about the meaning of family, and somewhere in his crazy skull he had gotten the idea that he and Zim were some kind of family instead of master and servant. Ever since then, Gir has had a camera practically glued to his hand, wanting to capture every "family moment."

"Gir, for the last time we-" Zim jumped at the sound of the bus horn. "The bus!" Zim immediately stuffed the rest of his breakfast down his throat and ran through the living room and out the door. "Goodbye Gir!" He called over his shoulder, his anger lost in the rush to catch the bus before it left him yet again.

"Have a good day!" Gir cried out after him as the door closed.

Dib's eyes narrowed as Zim climbed on the bus in his same-old ridiculous disguise.

Zim smiled as his eyes narrowed evilly. If there was one thing he never got tired of, it was messing with Dib! He pressed a button on his glove and a small robotic spider crawled onto the ground and towards Dib.

Dib watched as Zim slouched down in his bus seat and, to his surprise, Dib felt a tang of worry. Zim hadn't been himself lately; his plans were fewer and further apart, and his mood was darker. Was there something wrong with Zim? He actually started staying in his classes all day, and turning in his homework! Was he bumping up his game or...? Dib thought for a moment; could it possibly be that he was growing tiered of the mission, or maybe he was even getting comfortable in his new, more human life style? Maybe even too comfortable?

Dib flinched and involuntarily jumped and danced in pain as he was electrocuted by an unknown force.

Zim laughed as Dib screamed in pain.

Dib's eyes narrowed once more as he saw the source of his pain; the small robotic spider crawl back to Zim's arm.

"How's that feel Dib? Does it fill your great big head with pain?" Zim taunted.

"My head is not big!" Dib yelled in frustration. 'And to think I was even feeling worried about Zim! ME! Worried about ZIM!'

"Ha! Please! You smelly pig beast…. your head's so big you could see it from space!"

"Your voices are making me sick," Gaz growled as she looked up from her game. "Listen very carefully you two; today is already going to be a bad day for me. Don't ask why, it just is! OKAY?!" She yelled, evil ringing loudly in her voice. "I have exactly FIVE MINUTES left until we have to get off this bus, and then the torture begins. So if you do not shut up now so I can enjoy my game in silence, I will tear you both limb from limb!" Her eyes narrowed at her brother sinisterly.

"What he started it!" Dib pointed at Zim.

"He lies!" Zim yelled.

Gaz growled and clenched her fist in anger; she had just lost one of her precious minutes of game playing. "You will pay," she growled, moving to get up.

"Quiet, the lights are on!" The bus driver called out over the madness. "And stay in your seats!" He looked at Gaz.

Gaz froze and glared at them with so much hatred that if looks could kill they'd both be dead.

"You're so lucky," she whispered to Zim, and then she turned to Dib. "As for you, your misery has only just begun!"

Dib shivered in fear, and Gaz, being somewhat satisfied with his response, turned her attention back to her game.

Dib glared in Zim's direction and watched as Zim turned around and opened some book he had had his nose in for a couple of days now. Dib squinted his eyes and tried to read the small printed title on the top right corner of the page.

"How to Take Over the World: Chapter 12 - Human Conquest for Dummies," it read.

Dib smiled to himself.

Yes; some things never change.

Author's Notes:

For all of you who are wondering Yes this story will be a ZAGR and It is finished, and yes it is a re-upload of the my last Invader Zim: The beginning of the end. The story is currently in review but will be updated weekly with a new chapter. I am also Working on a series that will be a follow up to the story so keep an eye out for that.

Yours truly, RoxieDivine ;)