Professor Membrane passed away from an accident at the lab. Dib, now 17 has special permission to be the guardian of Gaz (16) since he wasn't 18 yet. Permission that was placed in the will by their dad. We already know that Dib and Gaz are intelligent so we know that Dib can get a degree in no time. Now I'm blabbering on there. Dib is in charge of the lab. Gaz and Zim are still going to school. I'm certain some won't understand why Zim is still going to school, but hey this is Zim after all.

17 now and custody of his sister, he was at home in the lab downstairs working on some private items. Items he didn't even want anyone to know at Membrane Labs. Since his fathers death 6 months earlier he received his G.E.D, obtained full custody of Gaz, and took some college courses in order to maintain the business and one day get his degree. He knew he would fully be able to accelerate getting that the second Gaz went off to college herself. Money wise they were pretty comfortable, but both understood to keep pretending it was about to run out or that it wasn't there. They made their pact together to make it easier and it was the whole, out of sight out of mind, mindset they decided to adopt.

Down in the lab he would recycle some old stuff his father discarded while Gaz never complained about something that went out of date when it came to her Game Slave since she even learned to recycle that and cheat by fixing it in order to become automatically updated the moment another one came on the market. She always had a way of sneaking in to plug it into their mainframe thusly making her old faded out screen become even brighter than before. She remarked on how she wished she thought of this years ago instead of standing in line with ugly sweaty boys for a new system. Dib smiled at that knowing that even those sweaty boys hit on her profusely. Something he didn't like, and obviously she didn't like since she punched out a few for getting too fresh with her.

Checking the time to see that she had to be home by now, he was gonna say something when he smelled food actually drift down through one of the air vents. Whatever she was cooking smelled nice at least. That was another thing, both of them would take turns cooking instead of ordering out so much. For her, she would do homework, play or read a book before cooking. For him he would work himself to the bone, hit himself for forgetting to start cooking, and he would rush upstairs noticing the amusement playing up on her face while she still sat in her school uniform. She wasn't a fan of that uniform, but felt too lazy to even get out of that. He understood that since he once remembered the uniform. She complained that at least they wore pants while they had to wear skirts even when it was freezing, but he told her something about the fabric being so scratchy for a guy that you would fight the urge not to... Scratch yourself in the middle of class. Oh he remembered the rashes. She then gave up complaining about the skirt.

Hearing his stomach grumble, he turned to adjust a dial on the machine nearest to him not realizing he accidently knocked down a vial onto the ground popping open the cork and releasing a chemical into the ground. Playing with the dial, it emitted a vibration into the ground. No one would be able to feel it at the level he had it at, and he watched the monitor to see the affects he had on plant life around them.

"Hey Genius, forgetting the time?"

Dib turned to glance at Gaz carrying down a couple bowls of food. "Sorry, Gaz." Accepting the food, he noticed it was just spaghetti.

Shrugging, she sat down next to him. "Eh, you are just as bad as dad." She commented as she started twirling her noodles around her fork. "Just don't blow yourself up."

Shoveling a fork full of food in him, he nodded. "I'll be careful."

"Sorry it was just that, I wasn't feeling ambitious today."

Studying her face he noticed she seemed downcast. "It tastes good. Always does. School fine today?"

"I can't wait for the day I leave that hell hole, Dib." Glancing at the monitor she placed her bowl down. "That doesn't look right."

"Hmm?" Glancing at the monitor as well he hardly took a huge study of it. "Vibrations to determine plant life."

"Plant life doesn't give that type of reading though. Look." Gaz pointed at the screen now.

Putting his bowl down, Dib studied the readings, studied what he was looking at as a memory started to come back. "Oh no, not again."

High pitched screams were heard out in the street above making Gaz place the external camera's on to watch the scene unfold. It had to only be in this neighborhood, so she switched to every camera in the metropolis before turning back to Dib. "Yes again, Dib, but it's worse now."

Panicking, Dib tried to think on how to stop this. Dad was the one that stopped it before. "This wasn't my intention, Gaz!"

"Whether it isn't or is, you have to stop this." She said as she tried to look around too.

Hearing a cracking in the floor near them they both stopping to turn to look at one another before turning to the area where the sound was being produced. Their hearts beat while they waited until the ground literally threw up causing debris to fly every where and knocking them down on the ground in the process. They both stared at that location until an inhuman sound came and a skeletal hand showed to pull itself up. It was covered in half skin in which some was dangling from what they could see, but what made them stay stock still was seeing purple hair come up before it fixed them with a disturbing gaze that made them finally break them out of their hypnotized state.

"Mom?" They both asked at the same time.

Dib scrambled on his feet helping Gaz on to hers as they looked at her. They thought she was buried in a cemetery. They thought she ran away. They didn't think she was in their basement the whole time. "What the hell?" Gaz asked as their mom fixed her eyes on her. Now Gaz wasn't one to be frightened easily, but the way she stared right through her shook her to the core as she watched her open her mouth up as worms fell out along with liquid. Liquid that fell to the ground and burned holes through the flooring.

"That isn't right." This isn't normal zombies, Dib thought as he watched how their mother was more fixated on Gaz. "Gaz, run! I'll catch up."

"Dib..."

"DO IT NOW!" He demanded.

Hating to leave her brother, she did as instructed as she quickly ran upstairs. Her mind felt frazzled. If it was a stranger she would be fine, but this was their mother. As fast as she emerged upstairs, she was surprised by another zombie coming directly at her throat. Kicking it away from her, a little liquid escaped from its mouth to catch the tip of her boot singing it. Eyes wide, she grabbed the nearest thing to fling at it, and ran off to get blocked by another zombie. She wondered what Dib was doing right now as she called out to him to tell them there are more upstairs. There was no answer. She hoped nothing was going to take him away as she turned to run upstairs at full speed only to get caught sharply at her foot, lifted up, and knocked down hard. She felt something in her knee snap. She heard them nearing her, but she passed out before she could feel anything else.

Dib grabbed the nearest weapon he could find finding it strange how their mom just disappeared, but hearing Gaz calling out before silence hit scared him more as he ran up full speed to find a couple of the zombies nearing on his passed out sister in the stairway. Aiming he noticed the acid marks on their floor making him think as he called out to them. He wasn't going to risk splattering their blood or acid all over her. Turning their attention to him, they walked towards him now giving him leeway in shooting them both in the heads. Keeping his weapon poised, he went to the doors to make sure they were locked before running over to her to check her over.

Gingerly he turned her over on her back to find a marking on her forehead with minimal blood there. Her knee was obviously broken, and she didn't appear to have any other wounds, but he needed to get her a quick fix. Membrane Labs aren't that speedy in how they accomplish these things, so he thought of only one being that hopefully won't turn him away. This was for her sake.

Getting an ace bandage to wrap around her knee to secure it as best as possible, he grabbed his keys, and lifted her gently in his arms to lead them to the garage. Placing her in the backseat, he opened up the door to find more behind him. Cursing, he floored his car in reverse to hit them before switching to drive as he drove fast over to his place.

Thankfully here, there were just a couple even though he heard screams as he lifted Gaz up, and ran to the door hitting the doorbell with his elbow. "Please answer." He begged while scanning around him.

Zim answered the door irritated at the sight of him. "What?!"

"Zombies. Alive again. Must find cure. Gaz hurt badly." Dib didn't realize how much he exerted himself until he spoke. He sounded like the heaviest breather around waiting to make a perverted phone call. "Please help her if anything."

Zim glanced down at Gaz with an unreadable expression before allowing them entrance. "Fine, but if you tell anyone anything you are about to see, I will kill you myself."

"I swear I won't. This is for her. I'll do anything to see she is fine, Zim."

"Pitiful human emotions." Zim cursed as he escorted him to the couch.

"Uh Zim perhaps you should secure your base. Zombies eat off human flesh and these ones also drip acid." Dib warned.

"Zim needs no advice from you ugly worm baby." Hearing a blood curdling scream outside, Zim cocked his head to listen closer as he said far more casually, "Ahh Computer secure the base and put down the steel shutters."

Stepping onto the lift, both Zim and himself stared straight ahead. "I'll do anything for my sister's safety."

Zim was silent. He appeared angry now even as the lift stopped and he escorted them to a table to indicate for him to place her down and to remove her shoes. As Dib did that, Zim prepared some things on his computer turning back to see Dib hunched over his sister kissing her gently on the forehead.

"I know you are strong, but I never want to lose you sis even if this is a simple break to your bones." Dib whispered.

"I suggest you move back while I begin this." Zim ordered quietly as the Computer began its scan.

All right. I did some very poor editing here. I know I did. If you have questions simply ask. If you flame me I have a flame thrower here for trolls. I also have a Gir to dance upon your heads. :P