Operation: GALACSIA

Reunion

Hey, welcome back. This is a really big chapter here. I mean, it's not long, but... you'll see.

Chapter 21: Reunion

GKND H.Q.

"DECOMMISSIONING?!" Rachel exclaimed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I feel bad about what I did to Nigel, but not enough to decommission myself!"

"If you want to rid yourself of your sadness, then this is the only way." Dimentia replied.

"But there has to be some other way! Can't I at least talk to him first?"

"No! He doesn't want to see you. Otherwise, he would've come back to Earth and done so."

"Dimentia, please! I want to see him, so I can apologize!"

"There's no point. He doesn't want to see, let alone talk to you. No matter what you do, he'll always be angry with you. If you want him to be satisfied, you'll sit yourself in that chair and be decommissioned. I'm sorry Rachel, but it's the only way."

Rachel held her head down in regret. Dimentia smirked.

The shadow being, who watched from behind the throne, quickly flew off.

Aquaria; Sunny Island

After their battle with Tak, the main group was resting at the beach on Sunny Island, with the sun setting over the horizon. "You know, Dib, I used to never like coming to the beach." Nigel said to him. "My friends always pushed me into going because they thought I was working too hard, and I sort of was. Then over time, I actually got used to coming here. I actually liked going."

"Sounds like you guys had some crazy times back there." Dib replied.

"Yeah. Too bad those times are all over. You're real lucky, Dib. You don't have to stay here in GKND, like us. As soon as we find where Zim is and catch him, you'll be free to go."

Dib looked away. "Yeah..." He turned back to Nigel. "Actually, Nigel, I have a confession to make."

"Hmm?"

"The thing is... Zim didn't really destroy my tracking device. Or at least, not my other one."

"Huh?"

"I put a second one on Zim's ship just in case and it's still active. But I thought if we went to find him and actually caught him, Dimentia would send me back to Earth in an instant."

"Well, why wouldn't you want to go back to Earth?"

Dib was silent for a moment. "Because... I HATE IT THERE! I don't have any friends back on Earth! Everyone in Doomsdale always liked to make fun of me because of my... paranormal studies. Even after I've been saving everyone from Zim's crazy plans for more than a year, they always pick on me, and they never believe any proof I give them about Zim being an alien! I followed Zim up here in another attempt to capture and expose him, an attempt that was probably doomed to fail from the start. But then I met you and Ava, and we traveled together and met these other guys... and, well, I just didn't want it to end. You, Ava, and all the others are the only friends I have in the universe, and I didn't want our good times to end."

Nigel only chuckled. "You think that's funny?" Dib asked.

"No, no, not that! I'm just laughing at the irony."

"Irony?"

"Well, it's just that, every other operative wants to go back home to their own planet, and you're the only one of us that actually wants to stay here."

"Yeah, but technically, I'm not an operative. You said it yourself."

"Maybe, but you're just about good enough to be one."