Cody's head hurt like hell.

It had honestly been in pain since Greece, but after what happened last night it only intensified. Constant visions of the girl- no… himself lounging around, latching onto people, grinning at him. That alone would be enough to make anyone think they were crazy, and heck, even compared to time travel it was a bit absurd.

A small part of him really wanted other people to see that thing. But another part of him desperately wanted to keep it hidden, because there was only one word that could describe what it truly was.

My shame.

He opened his eyes to his own grinning face, younger than him by close to ten years.

The feeling is mutual.

"You hear what happened amigo?" There came Alejandro, strutting in from his usual spy routine on the elimination ceremony- it didn't take a genius to figure out who got eliminated this time. Cody did his best to ignore the copycat sitting in front of him as Alejandro took its seat, Cody's double dissolving into nothing.

"Heather's finally out?" Cody yawned, adjusting himself in his seat. It didn't help that he was sweating so much either, he was thankful this timeline's Sierra wasn't stealing his clothes at least. With the way his pants were chafing against his skin, he'd need a new set of clothes for this flight. "Isn't anyone else for them to choose. Sierra's a newbie while Heather is… well, Heather."

Alejandro solemnly nodded, a hint of real emotion showing on his 'game face'. "Ah, our poor senorita forced out before she could truly shine. If she had made it to the merge, she could've gotten to second place." He grinned hungrily, the thought of the prize- of showing up his brother- on his mind.

"Now, is that behind you or me?" Cody hadn't intended to slide into a competitive attitude, but placating Alejandro was fun in its own way. The taller boy briefly squirmed before throwing on a sheepish smile that both of them knew wasn't fooling anybody.

"Ah, I was just thinking about that. Our proposed alliance." His shaky smile turned devious, thinning slightly. Cody raised a solitary eyebrow at the action, but didn't move to stop him from speaking. "You know, the merge is surely on the horizon, and with Heather out of the picture, it seems the two of us could form a powerful alliance… eh, amigo ?"

Cody snorted at the display of faux-camaraderie, both he and Alejandro knew how this would go. One would inevitably play the other and the dream of both of them reaching the final two would never happen. They were like bleach and vinegar, comfortable neighbors on the kitchen shelf, but mix them together and it won't be long before the clean up crew is sent in to deal with them.

Cody really shouldn't care about the game that much. He had his chance, far too many if he was being honest. He'd gotten close many times, but this competition just wasn't for him. At all. Totally not his thing.

You know you want to.

"We'll see Alejandro. We'll see." Cody sighed before descending into sleep, away from the taunting thoughts that his other self conjured up. Despite all he did, his own voice still egged him on, still pushed him towards delusions of grandeur and ultimate victory.

So, it was no surprise that once he closed his eyes he saw himself once more. The dress his mother had gotten him to wear when he was six, the long hair she'd spent a day straightening, and that unforgiving gap between his front teeth. It was a twisted reflection of a self he wanted to run away from, one that lacked the pathos he currently embodied.

"So, you seeing the value in winning yet?" It teased, tip-toeing cutely towards his side. It was depraved. "I prefer cute, though I guess whatever you find depraved is fine as well."

"You're just… making me think all of that. It's not what I actually want." Cody tried, stumbling over his words because he knew how asinine this was. You can't just-

"Argue with yourself?" The giggle made him want to punch himself in the face. "Come on, at least you were more honest when I was a bigger part of you. Look at you now, trying to be all nice and friendly- just who do you think you are?"

Cody stared lamely at the double. "Is this some kind of villain speech? Helping people is bad?"

The laugh annoyed him so much. "The way you do it certainly is. Oh, woe is me, poor Cody! " Crocodile tears poured from his eyes like a waterfall, slowly flooding the small room they occupied. "Oh no, I got mauled by a bear! I got eaten by a shark! So… so I have to use this time travel to creep on the girls more! I have to use time travel to manipulate everyone into thinking I'm so great, and when that fails, well I guess I'll just hit them back!"

Cody hadn't noticed or cared as each sentence his double spoke lodged a spear into his body, pinning him to the room filling with those fake tears. After all, it was true, wasn't it?

"Look at me now, I've changed! I got a girl to take care of me and now I'm a better person! I just have to solve everyone's problems! Except when I don't." Cody both knew what was coming, and had no idea what he meant. A form of denial worming its way around his head. "Courtney was mean to me, so she can still go first- after all, it's her fault that she and Duncan didn't work out. Why worry about her personal issues! Oh, and Team Victory, all manipulated by Alejandro… I suppose I should just save the girl and tell DJ to jump out of a plane. What a great guy I am, huh?"

Cody looked up at his copy, holding a spear in its hand, aimed directly at his neck. "Now now, that's not all the bad you've done. Heck, compared to me, you're a bit naughty yourself aren't you Cody? Ignoring Dawn like that… and Gwen." Cody felt his eyes widen as the spear dug itself into his neck, pinning him to the floor of the room, water brushing against his thighs. He couldn't even choke out a syllable in his defense as his copy laughed and laughed at his predicament.

"Poor you huh, finally get the girl and guess what, you aren't interested!" Stop laughing. "Does she even know? Does she know what you've done to her? How you've manipulated her, how far you've gone, and now when she finally, really likes you, you don't? Dawn must be in shreds over this too huh?"

What do you mean?

A sneering expression, one conveying total superiority, met his dimming gaze. "You're an idiot. I suppose it was time for me to take over, huh?"

Cody's eyes closed.

Then, eyes that were his own opened by another's will.

No more of this playing friends nonsense. You had the right idea the first time Cody. Now, let's go back to being what we're the best at. Back to the codemeister.

End of Part 3