Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim. Just this story

Authors note: This is my first Zim fic, don't be too hard on me. And it is a bit short, but it's almost a prolouge, it just has enough to qualify as an opening chapter.

P.S: The plan mentioned in the beginning right here isn't important, therefor has no specific details. It simply serves as a way for Zim to see his errors.

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Zim paced the floor of his lab. He was in a sour mood, as his latest plan had gone awry. It had all gone so smoothly, until Dib had shown up to ruin everything... again.

"How?" asked Zim out loud, "How did he do it? Computer!"

"Yes?" asked the computer.

"Show me the surveillance footage," ordered the short green alien. "Any footage showing signs of an intrusion." The computer screen split into five separate screens, each showing different footage. The first showed Dib listening in on Zim's plan while hiding behind a crate. The second showed the fight that had happened between Dib and Zim. The third showed an empty hallway. the fourth showed GIR rolling around on the floor as Dib crept past him. And the fifth showed the outside. Zim concentrated on the third and fifth screens

After a minute or two, he saw Dib climbing a fence on screen five. "What?!" exclaimed Zim, "How is that possible!? How did he get past the guards?"

"There weren't any," answered Computer.

"What?"

"You said that they weren't necessary," explained Computer, "You said, and I quote-" The screen showed a video of Zim saying, "No one in their right mind would dare break into the base of Zim! Besides, no one could get past the electric fence."

"How did Dib climb the fence then?" asked Zim.

"You cut the fence's power so you could use the microwave to make nachos," answered Computer.

"Oh." Zim looked now at screen three. He saw Dib emerge from an air vent. "Hey! Wasn't Mini-Moose supposed to be guarding that hallway?"

"Squeak," said Mini-Moose.

"Oh right," said Zim, "You were helping me make the nachos." Zim was silent for a few minutes. He watched the screens for a bit, until something dawned on him. "Hey," he said, "Computer, if you saw all of this, WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM!!?"

"You had told me to reroute the power from the defense mainframe to make a second plate of nachos," answered Computer, "Plus a bag of popcorn."

"Then why didn't you at least tell me that he was there!?"

"I tried! You told me not to interrupt your 'moment of triumph'. If you had listened to me when I tried to tell you the dangers of making nachos using the defense grids power, Dib couldn't have ruined the plan."

"...So... It's my fault?"

"..." There was silence.

"Computer?" asked Zim calmly and thoughtfully, "Was the failure my fault?"

"...Well," answered Computer, "Yes. This wasn't the first time either."

"How many of my other plans did I mess up?"

"..." Computer didn't say anything.

"Computer," said Zim, "Answer me."

"All of them," Computer finally said. Zim was stunned.

'All of them?' he thought. 'But how? I am the Great Zim! I make no mistakes!...Do I?' "Computer," asked Zim, "Do you have any footage showing failed missions?"

"Yes."

"Put them all on a disk please." Computer searched through several files, collecting the requested data. It put it on a disk and a robotic arm handed the disk to Zim. Zim took the disk and asked, "How much video is on this disk?"

"Hours and hours worth," said Computer. Zim looked at the disk for a moment. He then walked into another room and put the disk into a DVD player-like device. He sat down and began watching.

888

Zim couldn't believe it. Which was understandable, as he had spent the last six or seven hours straight watching plans blow up in his face. Computer had been thoughtful enough to go through the files as he put them on the disk, highlighting several key points that had led to Zim's failures. While several videos showed GIR as the cause of failure, the videos were predominately of Zim screwing up.

Dib (of course) was a prime factor in it all, but half of the time it was Zim's screw ups that led to Dib's success. The fact was, Zim was upset. "I'm a failure," he said sadly.

"Squeak," said Mini-Moose.

"You're right!" exclaimed Zim mournfully, "I was too arrogant!" Zim put his head down and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he started thinking clearly. He got up and ran back to the lab. He started looking a couple of things up. And then, an amazing plan started forming in his mind. "Yes... Yes!"

"Squeak?"

"Yeah Zim, what is it?" asked Computer.

"I have an ingenious plan!" said Zim, his confidence restored. "It's technically only an outline of a plan, but I know just the person to help me iron out the finer details. Computer!"

"Yes?"

"Bring up the Skool's files," said Zim. "And anything else you can find on the Dib-monkey's family. If I can ally myself with a certain someone, we will be... unstoppable! Mwuahahahahahahaha!"

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Uh-oh! I like where this is going! What is Zim's plan this time? What human is he talking about? And why did it take so much power to make nachos?

Tune in next time to find the answers to these questions and more.

P.S: hope you liked it!