Dib was sulking. He had been tossing back and forth trying to get comfortable for hours to no avail. He had stumbled upon an elementary school that had large playground equipment made of plastic on cushioned flooring. The inside of the slide was actually a pretty good size and it gave him some shelter – it was walled up except for two tiny exits that he had to crawl through on either side.

Dib was trying not to think about Gir . . . and Zim. He was so happy that Zim was repaired but he truly hadn't expected to be thrown out. He hadn't anticipated that all of his effort and the last five years would be forgotten. He expected when he was fixed that Zim would be touched by Dib's devotion and grateful for his efforts. He would fall into his arms for a passionate kiss, then they would live happily ever after. Okay that wasn't a very well thought out scenario but it was the basic idea.

Banging above Dib's head told him that someone was climbing up the slide. Then a swooshing sound – the kid sliding down. This pattern went on for some time and Dib found himself getting irritated by it. He stuck his head out of one of the exits and said angrily "Go home, it's too late to be out playing!" The sound stopped instantly and Dib nodded to himself in satisfaction. He pulled himself back into the cave and when he stood up a pair of turquoise eyes were right in his face, but it was . . . Zim's body?

"ITS ME!" Gir's shrill voice came from Zim's mouth. He was also smiling vapidly with his tongue hanging out. "I was in Master all along!" Gir seemed very pleased with himself. "I'm the master now, check this out," Gir began making armpit farting noises, giggling to himself like an idiot.

"Gir, is something wrong? Are you stuck inside Zim? And stop making that noise, it's gross."

"Master's all messed up, he was hidin' in the closet like a jellybean. Sometime he yellin' at the demons, I don't see 'em tho." Gir was looking around all over as he said this, probably looking for squirrels

"Why did you come here?"

Gir turned his head and was suddenly very serious.

"Specimen sent me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dib and Gir walked back into the base. It looked to Dib as if the house had been cleaned, then thrashed again in a different way. Furniture was thrown all over, there were claw marks on the arms of the couch and along the walls.

"Ok, Gir." Dib said with caution in his voice.

"You fix mah master with your big ol' head. BYE MARY!" Gir said and waved energetically.

Zim's head dropped and he was quiet for a moment. When he raised his head to regard Dib it was Specimen's faded red eyes he saw. He looked so sad Dib couldn't help but take him into what he hoped to be a comforting embrace.

"He's not fixed," Specimen said but didn't need to, it was obvious by the fact that Specimen still existed.

"But the computer repaired the files and mechanical damage in the PAK, everything should be like a clean slate," Dib said naively.

"That's just it, computer fixed the files and mechanical damage. That's all that's fixed."

Dib felt his confidence falter, "What do you mean?"

"You downloaded Zims consciousness into another vessel then downloaded him back after his was repaired," Dib nodded, not quite sure where this was going.

Specimen's gaze dropped to the floor as he continued, "That only fixed the source of the problem – PAK and Human are gone but we still exist in Zims consciousness.

"We?" Dib asked, not feeling very positive at the moment.

"Me and It and . . . " Specimen's words trailed off.

"Membrane," Dib finished for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dib was back down in the lab, reading through the notes he had made over the past few months. He had an idea that is either brilliant, or really stupid. If it works then that will only leave one more small step to completing Zim and that was enough incentive for Dib to go forward.

The laptop that Gir had been connected to is now gone, along with the android. Dib had re-downloaded Gir's consciousness back into his old body then set him down on the couch. Immediately Gir latched onto the remote and began channel searching. He found a program to his liking then put the remote in his mouth.

Dib inspected the room one last time to make sure it was acceptable. Yep, one really scary-ass metal table with restraints on it able to move in any position desired. It was an exact replica of the table that bound Zim in his dad's lab for five years. Dib was terrified of this plan but was certain it would work. He checked the room again: yep, the table is right there. He is stalling.

Specimen came up behind him and said soothingly, "You don't have to do this, I think I am strong enough to be the main personality. I can be Zim for you!"

"Specimen, you can't be Zim."

"But Dib, Zim doesn't care about you! I do, I love you – why am I not good enough?"

"Specimen, please. This is difficult enough without making me have to choose between you two. Zim is the real person; everyone else split off him and was never supposed to exist in the first place. It breaks my heart every day to see him like this; he used to be so energetic and full of –"

"Himself?" Specimen offered spitefully.

"Life," Dib finished. He pulled Specimen into his arms and held him for a few moments. "This will work," he said as he pulled away. Specimen thought he heard Dib say "it has to," as he walked back toward the table but couldn't be entirely sure.

Dib undressed himself then lay down on the threatening table. It immediately latched onto his waist and neck. He stretched his arms out and the restraints tightened around his elbows and wrists, then his knees and ankles. Feeling numb Dib lay back his head for the neck and forehead clamps to cinch. Since Dib had no lekku the restrainer there just held down his hair scythe.

Dib opened his mouth to signal Specimen but it was dry, nothing came out. He licked his lips, closed his eyes and said the hardest thing he's ever had to say in his life, "I'm ready!"