"Give him back to me! Right now!" Zim screamed at his defective S.I.R. unit. The rain pelted his green skin, wearing away at the paste that coated him. The robot smiled, his blood red eyes glowing slightly brighter in the darkness of the night. "Gir is resting. He is happy now, but you will never get him back. You don't deserve something so innocent such as him. All that is left of him are your memories. It's just me now. Forever."

Zim stood there, letting the rain hit him. "I don't believe you! You will release him to me this very moment, or I'll make you wish that you'd never crossed me."

"You really should have treated him better. He was all that you had, and you couldn't even give him the time of day. Or night. He did so much for you, he tried to make you happy whenever he could, and all you did to repay him was belittle him with insults and threats. You did not return his affection for you, and now you are paying for that. How does it feel, to lose the one thing you had left?"

"H-how can I fix this? What must I do so you will return him to me?"

"I've told you already. There is nothing you can do to change this outcome. It was always going to be this way, no matter what you did, because you are incapable of showing love or kindness. It is not in your nature to do so. I have watched you through his eyes, and I've seen how you treat him. He may have been ever so oblivious to it, but I wasn't."

Zim clenched his fists in anger and frustration, as he extended his PAK legs and pointed their glowing tips at his servant. "I have had enough of this! You will come home, GIR! Come home and let me fix you this instant!"

"I am.. " The robot hesitated for a moment, red eyes staring right through the Irken in front of him. Then he focused on Zim, and finished his sentence. "I am not Gir."

Zim's eyes narrowed, thinking this must be a ploy of some kind to attempt to deceive him. He would play along. "If you are not Gir, then who are you?"

"I am not Gir. I have no name."

The Irken growled, frustrated. "I have grown tired of this game! You will return to the base now!" PAK legs glowed even brighter, as Zim was seconds away from firing them.

Powerful lasers shot from GIR's eyes, reducing his masters weapons to mere stubs. Zim stared in shock at his now destroyed PAK legs, before retracting them back into their proper places and releasing a scream of frustration. He moved toward his robot with anger in his disguised eyes, hands outstretched to grab him. To shake him until he was normal again.

Red eyes flashed in warning, ready to fire. "Don't."

The Irken ignored the warning, continuing to advance. Lasers struck the ground in front of him, inches from his boots. Sensing that Gir was more of a challenge than he'd first realized, Zim stopped moving and remained standing in place, eyes glaring at him with malice. "When I get my hands on you.."

"You will not. If you hurt me, you hurt Gir. Do you want that?"

"I don't care what happens to him, or you. I just want him back."

"It's too late now. I do not give second chances. You chose his fate, and now he is finally free. From you. He is safe now, but take solace in the fact that he is now happier than he ever was with you." The S.I.R. unit activated his rockets. "Don't find us. Don't come looking for us. If you do, I will not hesitate to kill you." Then he flew up into the night sky and was gone, leaving Zim to ponder his mistake.

A few hours earlier

"GIR! Sit still and stop being so… energized! Go watch TV or something while I work on my latest plan to annihilate the humans!" Zim snapped at his robotic child, who was currently in the midst of running around the Irken's lab and knocking things over. "Wheee! Can't catch me!"

Zim growled and easily caught the robot as he flew past him. "Got you. Now get out and let me work in peace!"

"But I want to play tag!" He slapped Zim on his arm. "Tag, you're it!" Zim grimaced and rubbed his arm. "I told you to LEAVE!" He screamed, throwing Gir against the wall. "You always do this, and I'm sick of it! I told you countless times to never bother me while I'm working, but you just insist upon doing the opposite!" He walked over to his robot and picked him up by his torso, slamming him against the wall with each word: "When. Will. You. Learn?!"

He threw his servant into the elevator. "I don't want to see you until I've finished working! Computer! Take Gir up to the living room!" The elevator door closed as his computer carried out the order. Unknown to Zim, in the safety and privacy of the elevator, blue eyes turned to red, as his little hands became fists, and his eyes were alight with anger. It only lasted a moment, as the elevator dinged and opened on the living room.

The cyan eyes returned, and with a smile and childlike obliviousness on his metallic face, out stepped Gir, as he hopped up onto the couch and turned on the television, giggling as he watched his favorite shows.

An hour later, Zim came up from his lab, walking over to sit beside Gir. He watched the show for a few minutes before he spoke. "What is this dookie?" He asked, turning his head to address his robot, and what he saw staring back at him confused him. Red eyes replaced Gir's normally blue ones.

Zim scowled. "Why are you in Duty Mode? I need nothing from you at this time." Gir continued staring, not moving or saying anything at all. Zim waved his hand in front of Gir's face, "Hello? Can you hear me?" An arm reached up to grab the alien's hand, gripping it so hard that pain raced up his arm, causing Zim to cry out and wretch his hand free of the bone-crushing hold.

"GIR! What is the meaning of this?!" The child remained silent, still in Duty Mode, staring intently at his Master. "ANSWER ME!" The Irken yelled, the pain in his hand mixed with white hot rage. Gir narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming strangely confrontational. "You are the reason for his pain."

Zim was getting really angry now. "What on Irk are you going on about?! I order you to stand down!" Gir stared at him a moment longer, expression still of a threatening nature, before his eyes returned to their normal cyan color. Gir caught Zim's gaze and waved, smiling cheerfully and returning his attention to the TV.

The Irken sat there, now slightly afraid of him. He cast a wary glance in Gir's direction while tending to his injured hand. What is happening to him?