"What are you doing?" Gir chirped.

"It's called photoshopping, Gir. I'm altering a picture to make it seem like Zeke is an alien."

Zim had gathered plenty of pictures of Zeke with various pieces of Irken technology. He even got a good one of Zeke aiming an unloaded laser gun at something out of frame. Still, Zim wanted his presentation to be air-tight and he couldn't have that unless he had Zeke looking like an alien. So, Zim photoshopped his own eyes onto Zeke's face, but changed the color to orange rather than magenta. He also tinted Zeke's skin blue and pasted his own antennas over Zeke's hair. Zim didn't want any of this to come back to bite him, so he made Zeke look as different from himself as he possibly could while still making it look realistic. The Swollen Eyeballs were probably use to altered photos, so color changing was the furthest he was going with it. No tentacles, no wings, no fangs, just Zim's parts shopped onto Zeke.

Just a few more days, Zim thought, adding the finished picture to his collection. A few more days until millions will be under my control.

The computer dinged and a page opened up. Gir squealed and giggled at the noise while Zim read the note that had appeared.

"What's that?" Gir asked.

"It's-"

"What's that?"

"It's-"

"What's that?"

Zim stared at the robot. Gir stared back, quiet and patient and with his tongue sticking out. He looked expectant.

"It's-"

"What's-"

"A message from the Swollen Eyeballs! Alright?"

"Oh. Why didn't you say so?" Gir looked back to the screen. "What's that?"

"It's an invitation to the Swollen Eyeball's American headquarters. Their main base! Gir, do you know what this means?"

"We're not in Britain?"

"It means that on Saturday, I will be presenting my work to every branch in the United States!"

"I want to be in Britain."

"Look, it even says that the members who won't be able to attend in person can live stream it on their computers! I'll finally get the recognition I so much deserve! It will make ruling them all the more better."

"Won't Mary be able to see it on live stream?"

"By the time the Dib-Monkey will be able to do anything about it, I will already have been voted in. Anyway, I might be able to sneak around the headquarters and find out their secrets."

"What secrets?"

"Quiet, Gir!"

"Incoming..." The computer's robotic voice said just as the printer began clicking and beeping. "Printing..."

A small piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Zim scooped it up and examined it. "A plane ticket to Hawaii. That must be where the headquarters is located!"

"Can I come?" Gir asked sadly.

"Oh why not. I'll just tell everyone you're Zeke's robot and I stole you off of him. The more evidence the better."

"I GONNA GET PACKED!" Gir squealed.

"We still have three days, Gir."

"Warning," the computer said. "Proximity warning. Intruder alert. Someone is at the door." The computer screen flashed to show Agent Dreamcatcher, wearing her backpack, standing by the door with her arms crossed.

Zim quickly left the lab and got to the door.

"Just where have you been?" Sam demanded.

"Since you were following Zeke at school, I thought I could take a few days off."

"I'm not talking about school! I'm talking about the Swollen Eyeballs! All the other leaders' leader candidates have been putting themselves out there! Doing Q and As, making speeches, telling people why they deserve to be voted for and all that. You haven't done a thing! It doesn't matter how much of my findings you pack into your speech if you don't keep up appearances!"

"Don't you mean our findings?"

"Sure, whatever. Now, come on. We need to tell people how awesome you are so they'll vote for you!" Agent Dreamcatcher pushed past Zim and looked around the room, smiling with her hands on her hips. "Wow, this place is a hovel. Where's your computer?"

"Why?"

"Because we're going to record a video speech and send it out to win over our audience. I've already wrote up some notes." Sam happily pulled a stack of folded papers out from her backpack. "I've got things you're striving for, things you'll change to make the Swollen Eyeballs better, why you deserve to completely obliterate the competition, and what good things you can bring to the organization. Just the usual stuff."

"And we'll be sending it to...?"

"Every member of the Swollen Eyeballs, of course."

"And by every member you mean-"

"Every member. But don't worry, we have translated subtitles for members in other countries."

Zim's thoughts flashed to Dib. "I don't think I should. I don't want to focus too much on little speeches when I should be focusing on my big speech. And the presentation."

"'If you're camera shy-"

"Shy? Zim is not shy!"

"You can just send it in a written form," she finished. "We'll tell everyone you're the new guy they've all been hearing about and sign your codename at the bottom of it."

"I have a codename?"

"I picked it out! Agent Joker. You like?"

"Of all the stupid names!"

"Calm down, it suits you! Besides, I already registered you as such. Anyway, I have the notes for the speech we'll send out."

"Then write it for me," Zim said.

"I can't do everything for you," Sam said, already piecing the e-speech together in her mind, "but this time, I guess I can.

"But don't use my real name."

"How come?"

"I, uh, want people to know me by my codename. You know, it'll make me seem more serious about the Swollen Eyeballs."

"Great idea!"

"Good, now get out." Zim pushed her out and closed the door behind her. Humans.

As he walked back to his lab, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. He had his wig on, but not his contacts. His eyes were very large and very magenta and he had no idea how Sam could have missed it. She must have really been lost in her thoughts. Zim briefly wondered what could have been clouding her mind so much that she didn't notice a pair of alien eyes, but then remembered that he didn't really care.

"But dad! Voting Day is a once in a lifetime chance! Who knows when another leaders' leader will leave! I have to go!"

Professor Membrane was clear across town in his laboratory testing some medicines on a group of rats. He talked with his son through a floating computer screen while he worked. "Now, now, son. The doctor said you can't leave until the X-Ray scheduled on Saturday."

"Can't they schedule it any sooner? I might never have another chance to go to the headquarters! I've been dreaming of going there ever since I first joined!"

One of the rats exploded off screen. Professor Membrane wiped the gunk off his face and said, "sorry, Son. I have to go." The screen went black.

Dib closed the laptop and groaned. Gaz laughed in response. She had been using her brother as an excuse to get out of school for the last few days and she was enjoying every minute of it. His non-lethal suffering was just making it even better for her.

"It's not fair!" Dib said. "They don't even know if the shard is there or not and my arm feels fine! Well, as fine as a broken arm can feel, anyway." He looked sadly down at the sling.

"You're doing that thing I hate again," Gaz said, playing her video game. "You know, talking. You're talking."

"I have the plane tickets right here and dad will be busy in his lab for the foreseeable future. Maybe he won't notice if I went anyway."

"I'll tell."

"You can come. they gave me two tickets. One for me and one for my legal guardian. Since dad can't come..."

"No."

"It's Hawaii! Everyone wants to visit there!"

"Too much sun."

"I'll do your chores for a week."

"No."

"Then what do you want?"

"Nothing."

"What if I let you choose where we go for the next family dinner night?"

"No."

"The next four?"

Gaz sighed. Knowing her brother, he'd just sneak out and go on his own if she kept refusing. Besides, his offers were getting tempting.

"The next twelve and you do my chores for a month," Gaz said.

"Deal!"

Gaz sighed again. Hopefully whatever Zim's planning won't happen on Voting Day.