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It was a Friday afternoon, a day of the week when Jim normally just went on autopilot and eased through the last few hours till he could make his escape and forget work. Today that was not an easy task, thanks to Dwight.

It had started earlier, when he and Dwight arrived at almost the same time. Dwight had parked too close to him, making it difficult for him to get out and then refused to move his car. Later, Jim was in need of change for the chips machine and Dwight wouldn't lend him any quarters. "A good office worker doesn't beg from his coworkers," he was told. The fact that Jim had lent him a few dollars for lunch just the day before apparently meant nothing to Dwight. "I didn't ask you for that, you gave it of your own volition." The last straw was Dwight pushing a leaking pen over onto his desk to get it off his own, causing a mess. It was hard to say if it was accidental or intentional but given the day's events, Jim wasn't happy either way.

To: KFillapelli
From: JHalpert
Subject: Watch this
I'm going to play a prank on Dwight, he's frustrating me today. You might want to keep an eye on him. It could get fun

To: JHalpert
From: KFillapelli
Subject: Re: Watch this
Or we could both work and make money and build a future together. :) You really should drop all the pranking, but then you know how I feel about that. Besides, Andy's out on a sales call today. Let's take advantage of his absence and be productive.

To: KFillapelli
From: JHalpert
Subject: Spoilsport
Relax, it'll be cool.

Jim glanced up and saw Dwight hanging up his phone after a sales call. "Dwight. I have a question," he said.

Dwight looked over at him impatiently. "What is it? Spit it out, Jim."

"How do you know this is me?" Jim arched his eyebrows quizzically.

"Of course it's you. Don't be silly."

"But how do you know it's the real me?" Jim stared sincerely at him.

Dwight put his pen down. "What are you getting at?" he demanded.

"Did you ever visit Stamford or the Dunder Mifflin office there?" Jim asked. "Before it closed."

"No." Dwight thought about it for a second. "No, I never did."

"Think about it," Jim explained, gesturing for dramatic effect with his arms. "All you know is that one day I disappeared saying I was moving to the Stamford branch which you've never seen and are not totally sure exists."

Dwight frowned. "I'm 99% sure it existed." It was closer to 98% certainty but he wasn't going to admit that to Jim.

"And then a few months later I'm back," Jim continued. "With this other mystery branch miraculously closed."

"It's true that we weren't sure why that branch closed. Michael and I couldn't figure out what we had done to save Scranton." Dwight adjusted his glasses, remembering the time spent outside the CFO's house and their confusion over how the issue had been resolved. "Later they gave us some story about Josh leaving for Staples but I've worked at Staples and highly doubt any Dunder Mifflin employee would willingly want to work there."

"Dwight." Jim leaned forward and adopted a very serious but quiet tone. "It's because Stamford branch never existed." Jim looked to either side, as if he were checking for eavesdroppers. "When in doubt, focus on what you do know for certain. You just know that Jim disappeared and then someone months later who looks a lot like him reappeared. But didn't the Jim you know used to have longer hair? Used to hang out with Pam? Used to have his sleeves rolled up? Used to drive a different car?"

"I'm 72% sure this is the real you."

"Dwight, I'm a clone!" Jim whispered urgently. "The real Jim is still in a government laboratory in Stamford waiting for you to rescue him. He asked me to get this message to you but to wait for a few months to be sure I wasn't being watched before I told you."

Dwight sneered skeptically. "If that were true, how do you explain Karen and Andy?"

"They are here to keep an eye on me as they size up the office. You notice how Karen is always by my side and Andy immediately tried to take out the dominant male - you."

Jim smiled inside as he kept a poker face for Dwight to see. The prank was going according to plan; with any luck he'd have him wondering the rest of the day if this was the real Jim or not.

Dwight's eyes widened. He reached down and opened a desk drawer, grabbed his keys and a taser he had hidden from Toby.

Jim was concerned. "What do you have there? What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, Dwight whipped around, quickly strode over to Karen and tasered her on the shoulder. Karen screamed and crumpled to the floor. Her coworkers looked up in shock, unsure of what was going on. Dwight then bolted for the door, grabbing his coat on the way out.

"I'm coming to save you, Jim!" He yelled as he sprinted into the elevator.

Jim rushed over to Karen's side, and tried to help her to her feet. She was in pain and trying to get her breathing back to normal as she sat down in her chair again with his assistance. Shaken and with her eyes watering, she looked up at Jim.

"We are so over," she groaned.

 

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.



Swedge is the author of 16 other stories.
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