Dib sauntered back into his room with a can of soda. He sipped it confidently, glancing at his laptop device, reveling in his genius. He had stopped using it a few hours ago believing he had enough pictures of Zim to host "Mysterious Mysteries." He left the screen on however to periodically look in on Zim, perhaps to indulge in the last time he would see the alien alive, organs intact. He looked at the screen and noticed Zim yelling at the decoy. There was no audio but he could tell by the little green man's expression and flailing gestures that he wasn't happy about something. Dib witnessed Decoy push Zim to the floor and rush out the door furiously with shock. Where was it going? It definitely didn't look like it was going on a mission.

"What's it doing?" The boy asked the air "If that robot doesn't come to school tomorrow I won't be able to get the disk back. And Zim, if Zim finds it he'll check for malfunctions and find my disk, then he'll know I'm on to him and try to destroy me!" He shook off the dread of being destroyed and clenched his fists courageously

"I have to find that robot first! The fate of the world depends on me!"

He gathered the laptop and rushed down the stairs, trench coat billowing behind him. On his way out the door he dashed by his father's lab where Professor Membrane was working on something.

"Dad, I'm going out for a little while." He shouted as he passed. "I have to find Zim's robot clone before he does."

"Just don't stay out too late son," the professor called back "It's a school night."

^^+++^^+++^+++^^++^+^+

Zim stood in the middle of the cul-de-sac garbed in his secondary earth disguise; the old hobo with the ratty hat and coat.

"Ok GIR, the decoy couldn't have gotten far. We can use your built in tracking skills to locate it."

"I like playing hide and seek." GIR jumped

"Go to it GIR!" Zim urged "Go find the decoy!"

"Okey dokie!"

GIR fired up his jets and zipped off zigging and zagging between houses and over head zinging past Zim every few seconds.

"Is he over here? Maybe he's over here? Or here. Ooh he might be hiding here. This place looks good. Yoohoo Decoy are you over here? Maybe here. How about there? Ollie ollie oxen fee! Ooooooooohhh!!!"

The flying robo-pup careened into Zim's chest knocking the two over to the ground. GIR looked up at Zim wagging his tail joyfully.

"I found him! I found him! Master I found the Decoy!"

Zim glared at GIR gritting his teeth at the tiny robot's misjudgment.

"You found ME GIR!"

"That's right!" GIR smiled, hid tail going a mile a minute "I found yooooooouuu."

Zim pushed GIR off his chest and tried to explain,

"No GIR, the decoy is wearing my other earth disguise. Find THAT one!"

"Ooh, That one." GIR hopped to his feet and looked around, a blank look on his face. Zim sighed.

"You have no idea where to look do you?"

"Nope, not a clue."

"I knew I should have put a tracing chip in that thing." Zim said berating himself. "But I didn't expect it to run away. It was only supposed to go to school and report to me when it..."

He grunted, slapping his forehead.

"The school! Of course! The decoy must be at the school GIR, it's the only other place it knows to go."

"Eee! I get to see your school!" GIR squealed.

"Come GIR we must hurry to the school, who knows what kind of havoc the decoy could be causing."

^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^+^

Bap, Bap, Bap...

The thick rubber sounds hitting the ground rhythmically like a metronome's beat. Decoy stood alone on the basketball court in the shadows of the school at night, bouncing a big orange ball with one hand. He looked up at the basket, gripped the ball firmly in both hands and tossed it up. A perfect basket. The ball rolled back to his feet calmly. He picked it up and looked back at the basket. His scanner picked it up in cross hairs and calculated the proper shot. Another perfect basket and again the he picked up the ball. Suddenly sparks flew from his body; he gritted his teeth squinting one eye, pushing his hands tightly on the ball popping it. The fit stopped; Decoy looked at the deflated ball in his hands and tossed it aside, deciding to do something else.


"There you are."

Decoy spun around. Zim had his hands on his hips scowling with displeasure.

"Do you know how worried you got me by running away like that?" he inquired.

"Funny, you didn't seem to care when I was around." Decoy retorted, folding his arms spitefully.

"Come home NOW Decoy!" Zim ordered.

"NO! You hate me!"

"Why would you think that?" Zim pursed his lips confused.

"You don't want me to have any fun." Decoy sobbed "You reprogrammed me so I couldn't play with anyone. You don't want me to have any friends, you only want to order me around and send me to school so you don't have to go!" His back began to spark at the height of his fervor. "YOU'RE A BOSSY, LAZY, MEANIE PANTS!"

Sparks flew violently from Decoy's body as he heaved his breath deeply and angrily. Zim put his arms out defensively easing his voice to a calming tone.

"Now Decoy, you're malfunctioning. Come home and I can fix you."

"I don't want you to fix me!" Decoy shouted, sparks subsiding. "I don't want you playing with my head. It's my head, MINE! You can't control me! I hate you! You're a bad father!"


Zim lost his cool. Such insolence from his own creation unbridled his temper.

"I have had ENOUGH of this nonsense! You will come home now! And I don't want to hear anymore of your spleen!"

Now Zim was the one panting with rage. His emotion froze as his eyes widened staring at decoy, whose focus was now on a flock of birds that had gathered by the swing set.

"Are you even listening to me?" The alien's voice wavered.

"No, I'm not." The robot double answered calmly retaining his gaze on the birds.

Zim readied himself to yell once again but held tongue upon hearing a thud from across the playground.

It was a thud of someone falling, a thud that meant he wasn't the only one there.