The dismissal bell rang clearly allowing a flood of children to flow from its doors onto the street. Decoy gazed at the sky, such a wonderful blue it was today, not a cloud to be seen. He started skipping down the sidewalk towards the direction of his home where his master was waiting.
Dib remained several feet behind in the shadows keeping a close eye on Zim. Gaz was to walk home alone today, which didn't bother her, she preferred it as she despised Dib's company. He had the plan thought out; he would follow Zim home, observe him, try to figure out what he was up to.
Dib tried his best to be silent and stealthy, with the erratic way Zim had been behaving he dare not take a chance of getting caught, who knew what the alien might do to him. He watched from afar running every few feet then stopping to duck behind a bush or mailbox. He paused to watch Zim stop by a house with a white picket fence covered with winding vines and flower blossoms.
Decoy admired the little pink flowers hanging delicately off the white fence. He leaned over, sniffed one, and continued home.
Dib looked over the flower Zim had sniffed. It looked like all the flowers growing there. He stared ahead with confusion and continued following. As the home base of Zim neared, a brown white-spotted puppy wandered down the street. It yipped passing Zim and stopped to sniff his leg.
Decoy smiled seeing the dog.
"Hi puppy!" he said patting it gently on the head. The puppy barked and ran off as Decoy resumed skipping along the sidewalk whistling "Zippity doo da."
Dib came into view from behind a lamppost. This was bizarre. Why would Zim bother to smell a flower, look at the sky, or pet a dog? Was he enjoying earth's simple pleasures because he was going to blow it up? Was that it? Was he planning destruction? The puppy stopped at Dib's leg and gave it a sniff. Dib looked down at the canine and began ranting madly.
"He's planning on destroying us all isn't he?! He's probably built a bomb or giant laser in space! We're all DOOMED!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!"
Dib's shouting frightened the puppy away.
"Yes, run!" he called after it "Run for you liiiiiiife!"
He took a breath to calm himself.
"No, no, we mustn't jump to conclusions. We don't know for sure what he's got planned. We must keep composed, we must keep focused, we must... stop speaking in plural."
Decoy approached the front door and opened it.
"I'm home!" he yelled in cheerfully.
"Yippee!" GIR shouted enthusiastically, plowing Decoy over with a hug as he entered the house. The two rolled on the floor laughing.
Dib approached the house cautiously, taking another calming breath.
"Ok," he said to no one "Now is the moment of truth. Now is when I find out Zim's true plan."
He mounted the fence that surrounded Zim's fortress and balanced his way along top of it. He dare not take the pathway to the window, the gnomes may be watching. He got to the side of the house and carefully peered inside hoping he wouldn't be seen. He saw Zim rolling on the floor with his green doggy thing. What were they doing? Some kind of strange alien ritual?
Decoy jumped on GIR and rubbed the IRU's belly. GIR giggled at the tickling and waved his arms above his head as he lay on the floor. A shadow slowly loomed over the two robots and their happy scene.
"You're five minutes late." Scolded Zim scowling.
"I stopped to smell some roses." Decoy answered getting up to his feet.
Dib gasped,
"Two Zims? He stared in disbelief "There are TWO ZIMS!?"
"Never mind why, I don't like tardiness. Zim said, displeased with his copy's excuse. "Report today's events at school."
"Today we reviewed our vocabulary, we learned multiplying with decimals in math, and I played on the swings."
"And the swings are important why?" Zim inquired.
"The swings are fun." Decoy grinned broadly "I was swinging with Billy and Mary and then I went on the seesaw with Melvin, and I also played on the monkey bars and then I played tag with..."
"Enough!" Zim interrupted "I made you to gather important information, not to waste your scanning circuits on gallivanting around playing insipid games with the humans."
"But you programmed me to interact with the humans." Decoy protested.
"Yes, yes," Zim sighed, "perhaps I was being too vague when I said that." He walked behind the decoy and opened its utility pack pushing a button. Decoy fell limp and hunched over in a state of deactivation as Zim opened the hatch in its back displaying its complex circuits and wires.
"A Robot" Dib gasped "So that's it. It makes perfect sense now."
Zim inspected the robot's innards for any loose connections that may have contributed to Decoy's interest in playtime. Everything appeared to be in order. He closed the hatch and lifted the android over his shoulder heading for the kitchen.
"GIR, I'm going to run a diagnostic on the decoy." He said, then stuffed the doppelganger headfirst into the toilet. "You go watch your cartoons or something and don't bother me until I'm done." He gave the chain a tug and watched the robot flush down to the lab, then he hoped into the porcelain transporter and followed it.
"So Zim thinks he can fool everyone by sending that robot to school for him." Dib sneered to himself as the scene inside ended. "Well he's not going to get away with it much longer. I now have the perfect plan to use that robot against him and he won't have a clue until it's too late and he's an exhibit in area 51." He laughed evilly, "I'm such a genius." He hopped from his perch on the fence and ran home to begin his brilliant scheme.
*****^^^^^^*******^^^^^^^*******
All the children who walked to school or whose buses had come early were gathered in front of the school building waiting for the first bell. Decoy entered the field and stared longingly at the groups of children playing with each other. He wanted to join them but his new protocol ordered him to not speak to or interact with them unless it involved gaining information.
A shadow formed behind him getting closer until it covered his back.
"Hey there 'ZIM'!" Dib said cockily.
Decoy turned smiling. He may have not been able to address the other children directly, but that didn't mean he couldn't talk to them if they addressed him first.
"Hi!" he said joyfully. Dib inspected the smile; there was no doubt that this was the robot Zim, the smile gave it away.
"I'd like to have a word with you." Dib said leading Decoy away to a secluded section of the playground. "Over here."
"What do you wanna talk about?" the robot alien inquired.
"I want you to do me a favor." Dib smirked. The robot was totally oblivious to the threat. He was almost surprised that Zim hadn't program it to avoid him.
"What kind of favor?"
"I want you to run an errand for me."
Dib walked behind the decoy and opened its utility pack pushing the same button as Zim had the day before.
Decoy bent over closing his eyes staying in that position, de-active as Dib opened his back hatch. Peering inside at the organized array of wires and circuits, the earth boy grinned with menace and self- esteem as he retrieved a small disk from his trench coat pocket.
Dib remained several feet behind in the shadows keeping a close eye on Zim. Gaz was to walk home alone today, which didn't bother her, she preferred it as she despised Dib's company. He had the plan thought out; he would follow Zim home, observe him, try to figure out what he was up to.
Dib tried his best to be silent and stealthy, with the erratic way Zim had been behaving he dare not take a chance of getting caught, who knew what the alien might do to him. He watched from afar running every few feet then stopping to duck behind a bush or mailbox. He paused to watch Zim stop by a house with a white picket fence covered with winding vines and flower blossoms.
Decoy admired the little pink flowers hanging delicately off the white fence. He leaned over, sniffed one, and continued home.
Dib looked over the flower Zim had sniffed. It looked like all the flowers growing there. He stared ahead with confusion and continued following. As the home base of Zim neared, a brown white-spotted puppy wandered down the street. It yipped passing Zim and stopped to sniff his leg.
Decoy smiled seeing the dog.
"Hi puppy!" he said patting it gently on the head. The puppy barked and ran off as Decoy resumed skipping along the sidewalk whistling "Zippity doo da."
Dib came into view from behind a lamppost. This was bizarre. Why would Zim bother to smell a flower, look at the sky, or pet a dog? Was he enjoying earth's simple pleasures because he was going to blow it up? Was that it? Was he planning destruction? The puppy stopped at Dib's leg and gave it a sniff. Dib looked down at the canine and began ranting madly.
"He's planning on destroying us all isn't he?! He's probably built a bomb or giant laser in space! We're all DOOMED!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!"
Dib's shouting frightened the puppy away.
"Yes, run!" he called after it "Run for you liiiiiiife!"
He took a breath to calm himself.
"No, no, we mustn't jump to conclusions. We don't know for sure what he's got planned. We must keep composed, we must keep focused, we must... stop speaking in plural."
Decoy approached the front door and opened it.
"I'm home!" he yelled in cheerfully.
"Yippee!" GIR shouted enthusiastically, plowing Decoy over with a hug as he entered the house. The two rolled on the floor laughing.
Dib approached the house cautiously, taking another calming breath.
"Ok," he said to no one "Now is the moment of truth. Now is when I find out Zim's true plan."
He mounted the fence that surrounded Zim's fortress and balanced his way along top of it. He dare not take the pathway to the window, the gnomes may be watching. He got to the side of the house and carefully peered inside hoping he wouldn't be seen. He saw Zim rolling on the floor with his green doggy thing. What were they doing? Some kind of strange alien ritual?
Decoy jumped on GIR and rubbed the IRU's belly. GIR giggled at the tickling and waved his arms above his head as he lay on the floor. A shadow slowly loomed over the two robots and their happy scene.
"You're five minutes late." Scolded Zim scowling.
"I stopped to smell some roses." Decoy answered getting up to his feet.
Dib gasped,
"Two Zims? He stared in disbelief "There are TWO ZIMS!?"
"Never mind why, I don't like tardiness. Zim said, displeased with his copy's excuse. "Report today's events at school."
"Today we reviewed our vocabulary, we learned multiplying with decimals in math, and I played on the swings."
"And the swings are important why?" Zim inquired.
"The swings are fun." Decoy grinned broadly "I was swinging with Billy and Mary and then I went on the seesaw with Melvin, and I also played on the monkey bars and then I played tag with..."
"Enough!" Zim interrupted "I made you to gather important information, not to waste your scanning circuits on gallivanting around playing insipid games with the humans."
"But you programmed me to interact with the humans." Decoy protested.
"Yes, yes," Zim sighed, "perhaps I was being too vague when I said that." He walked behind the decoy and opened its utility pack pushing a button. Decoy fell limp and hunched over in a state of deactivation as Zim opened the hatch in its back displaying its complex circuits and wires.
"A Robot" Dib gasped "So that's it. It makes perfect sense now."
Zim inspected the robot's innards for any loose connections that may have contributed to Decoy's interest in playtime. Everything appeared to be in order. He closed the hatch and lifted the android over his shoulder heading for the kitchen.
"GIR, I'm going to run a diagnostic on the decoy." He said, then stuffed the doppelganger headfirst into the toilet. "You go watch your cartoons or something and don't bother me until I'm done." He gave the chain a tug and watched the robot flush down to the lab, then he hoped into the porcelain transporter and followed it.
"So Zim thinks he can fool everyone by sending that robot to school for him." Dib sneered to himself as the scene inside ended. "Well he's not going to get away with it much longer. I now have the perfect plan to use that robot against him and he won't have a clue until it's too late and he's an exhibit in area 51." He laughed evilly, "I'm such a genius." He hopped from his perch on the fence and ran home to begin his brilliant scheme.
*****^^^^^^*******^^^^^^^*******
All the children who walked to school or whose buses had come early were gathered in front of the school building waiting for the first bell. Decoy entered the field and stared longingly at the groups of children playing with each other. He wanted to join them but his new protocol ordered him to not speak to or interact with them unless it involved gaining information.
A shadow formed behind him getting closer until it covered his back.
"Hey there 'ZIM'!" Dib said cockily.
Decoy turned smiling. He may have not been able to address the other children directly, but that didn't mean he couldn't talk to them if they addressed him first.
"Hi!" he said joyfully. Dib inspected the smile; there was no doubt that this was the robot Zim, the smile gave it away.
"I'd like to have a word with you." Dib said leading Decoy away to a secluded section of the playground. "Over here."
"What do you wanna talk about?" the robot alien inquired.
"I want you to do me a favor." Dib smirked. The robot was totally oblivious to the threat. He was almost surprised that Zim hadn't program it to avoid him.
"What kind of favor?"
"I want you to run an errand for me."
Dib walked behind the decoy and opened its utility pack pushing the same button as Zim had the day before.
Decoy bent over closing his eyes staying in that position, de-active as Dib opened his back hatch. Peering inside at the organized array of wires and circuits, the earth boy grinned with menace and self- esteem as he retrieved a small disk from his trench coat pocket.