A disturbance.

Just when I was starting to enjoy myself again.

What terrific luck must I have, right?

Clicked my tongue.

I know you are outside.

I heard one of you bump into something.

Guess they were wishing that I wouldn't hear it due to the blasting music.

Too bad you fools. I was trained.

In the way of the bass-boosted Soviet Anthem earrape.

This level of music ain't shit for me.

I will let the song play out till it ends.

Fuck you.

I don't care, I will have my peac-

Ah.

The song ended.

Welp, no rest for the wicked. Time to play this game once again.

'' Stop standing in front of the door. I know you are out there.

Just come on in. I don't bite.''

And so they do.

The black wolf walks in.

As dead faced as ever.

Plus Lappland.

Missing the usual crazed smile.

Luckily I was wearing my mask.

When they realized this their faces relaxed, juuuust a tad bit

But they both still look tense. Understandable. I would be too in their situation.

However, I wouldn't let it show this easily on my face.

''Sheesh. You like you are about to witness the end of the world. Calm down will you? I am not gonna do anything, not right now while I am in a hospital bed at least.''

I straighten my back by using the mechanical hospital bed.

I fucking love technology.

'' So what do you want? What caused you both to come here to talk to me while I was still hospitalized? Could have just waited, you know?''

Texas blinks.

'' We-''

'' You are actually mad.''

Lappland butted in.

'' We fought, both sides suffered.''

''I could even kill you right now, sacrifice myself to kill the monster that you are...''

''And yet you talk as if we are still on good terms, when we are enemies!''

I look her straight in the eyes.

She stares back at the tinted glass.

Pffft.

Hold yourself, don't fucking lau- ha, Haha.

HAHAHA.

'' Ahhhh fuck. I'm sorry. I do, have a sick sense of humor.''

I sniffle.

'' Stop trying to be a martyr ,that kind of thinking will get you nowhere, also.''

''Eh. Enemies, you say? You sure? Are we really?''

''Now let me give you a piece of my mind.''

''Forget what you came here for, forget your hate and deranged thoughts.''

I hold up 2 fingers.

'' I want you both to answer two questions for me.

''If you get them right I will tell you what is wrong with me, and accept your diagnosis of madness. If I win? Nothing will happen. I just want us to be on the same page''

''I am a man who upholds his deals as you have seen, I take these very seriously.''

After a bit of a back and forth I finally get them to agree.

At this point, they must be tired of my shenanigans too, since it was surprisingly easy compared to what I was expecting.

''So will you tell me; To you, what is an enemy?''

They ponder.

Take their time.

That's fine.

We still got some.

'' Someone to be cut down''

''Someone who opposes me''

Great.

'' Amazing. Now for questione numero dos.''

''According to your definition of an enemy, am I an enemy?''

For this one, they don't ponder.

A fast, almost reactionary answer.

'' Yes!''

They both said at nearly identical timing.

'' No. No no no no NO. Wrong! I am NOT your enemy, I am not someone who should be cut down, nor am I trying to oppose you in any way. You fail this examination. F is your grade I tell you!''

They didn't like the truth I guess.

'' WHAT?! Are you delirious? How can you say that after all that happened?''

Lappland, you stupid, stupid dog.

''Because I did all of this, everything, for you, for me, and for the future of Terra as a whole. You do not even know what you are getting yourselves into.''

They do not believe.

They doubt.

Ignorant fools.

It is time to educate the uneducated.

''You wanted to know, how I managed to do, well, any of this, right?''

''You wanted to know, WHY I looked like that under the mask, didn't you? That's why you came here. Your curiosity couldn't wait so you came to the bed of a man who nearly died just to get your stupid answers, RIGHT? So listen. Listen as I answer.''

''First, I need you to do something for me. Close that door.''

For this one, they comply.

''I will now remove my mask, again. So that you can actually comprehend what I am about to say.''

''Do steel yourself. Both of you going any crazier than you already are would be bad.''

So I do.

No hesitation.

No stress.

I am not playing tricks, just a revelation upon the mass.

So it drops, and so does their...mood?

Hard to explain what, but something indeed changed.

'' Yep. This is the face under that mask. Horrid right? Whatever.''

''Now ask me-''

I point to a corner of the room.

''Fuck it, there are chairs over there. Pull them over and sit down if you want, this may take some time.''

They look into my eyes.

Properly this time. Our irises actually meet.

Curiosity. Great.

So begins the storytelling time.

They bombard, so I bombard back.

The back and forth, the battle for information.

' '-answering our questions even though we lost?''

Let the thoughts flow through your mind.

''Just as I said before, you may think that I am your enemy.

However, the party is now over. No need to keep that facade anymore. All of this, WILL make sense, just listen as I go on.''

And so I do.

'' What you wanted to know, if I lost, was how I knew so much of your lives, correct?''

Texas shakes her head.

'' Sorry to drop it this bluntly, but you are not special. I know MANY things, about MANY people's lives, not just yours.''

''You just happened to be at the correct place at the worst time, and I chose you for... my plans.''

''What plans? Simple. A plan to get stronger.''

They look at me, dumbfounded.

What? How could getting your ass beat make one stronger?

They probably think.

I am getting there.

'' Now I will say a phrase, that will sound so ludicrous that you will want to bash my skull in, so get ready:''

''Friendship, is magic.''

They just look at me, even more dumbfounded, in shock even.

As expected, their tiny small brains can't comprehend.

'' I am being serious, think with me here. Let us assume that you are someone who is relatively quite weak, nobody likes you, and you need to get yourself in a stronger position in a short amount of time. What do you do? Train? Pray to god for a miracle?''

''No. You try to get friends, trustable allies. This is why friendship is the scariest.''

I look out the window. Still talking. Reminiscing.

''You can be the strongest man, the richest woman, none of it matters if you are a one-man team. You need allies.''

This talk of friendship reminded me of all my friends back on Earth. I wonder how they are doing...

I scoff.

''But how the fuck will I get allies? No one likes me, I look like, well, this, and I have nothing to offer, or so they think.''

I look back at them.

''I never viewed the both of you as enemies, from the start, you were just potential allies, not friends, but allies are good enough for the moment.''

''Why do you think I aimed the gun at your leg, why do you think I didn't go for a killer shot? Why do you think I made the duel 2 days after the declaration? It was all accounted for.''

''It is because I never intended to permanently harm you, to begin with.''

Lappland looks quite confused, angry even.

But Texas on the other hand is thinking, she can't decide, so she asks.

'' But why would we even consider such an offer, after all, you have done, seemingly hurting us?''

I am fucking getting to it woman, this is why I fucking hate talking to the opposite gender. ((Exceptions disregarded))

'' While I may have certainly hurt you, the events I put into motion did the exact opposite.''

They don't look convinced.

Time for a big reveal.

''Tell me, why do you think I made it so that Lappland would find and meet you, you think it was a coincidence that she just showed up at the right moment when you were juuuust about to behead me?''

I couldn't remember a few days ago, probably since I was slightly hungover due to binge drinking, but now I remember how all this even happened.

Of course I must have fucking planned it, no way in hell I would have plot armor like that, this ain't no fucking storybook about a hero of justice. I don't have that shit. I make my own plot armor.

''I had already messaged her on R.I.S.C. that you would be at the bar while I was going to pick a fight with you while drunk.''

''As for why I made the duel, or even arranged it by trying to pick a fight; Did you know at first Lappland was trying to kill you? Yeah. That's why she attacked you as you might have guessed, not because she was there to protect me at all.''

On that note, they both look concerned.

But we haven't even gotten to the fun parts.

''I know MANY things, as I said. I know that would be the case, and for uhhhh, reasons, I needed you both to be alive and well, which just so coincided with my other worries and plans''

I point to my brain.

'' Think about it, I needed to gather allies, while showing off to the rest of R.I. for a reason that I have not told you yet while making sure that these allies would actually stay on my side and not betray me immediately.''

I sigh and close my eyes.

'' It was all going so well too, if only you hadn't launched your arts. I genuinely thought that you wouldn't do it, and even if you did, I would be able to dodge them. Fair play Texas, I concede on that, you threw a wrench into the almost perfect show.''

She goes back to thinking.

Which was expected.

What was not expected was that Lappland would finally have a moment of clarity as well, finally the curse of madness upon her having been slightly lifted for a reason I have not yet discovered, or either remembered.

'' So we have been dancing in your palms all along? How could this be? How could you have done, any of this? And why this method? Why us? What is stopping us, right now, from leaving this room and utterly destroying you by relaying this information to others?''

I pop a small grin, this is why the mask is actually a boon, sometimes I just can't stop myself from smiling.

'' I told you didn't I-''

''Lappland Saluzzo and Cellinia Texas. I know things, I know things that would drive any person from Terra mad.''

At this point. The temperature drops.

I swear that the thermostat didn't move, but I can feel that the room has gotten just that bit chillier.

'' You were, fortunately or unfortunately, chosen by me for the use of this knowledge.''

They try to open their mouths, in fury-

'' YOU-''

''WE SHOU-''

But I stop them. With a simple, silent move.

I place my pointy finger on my lips, give them a harsh stare and then continue.

''I knew the bad blood, between the old friends of Lupo. I knew that I would need to interfere, lest one of them potentially dies.''

''Answer me, haven't you, if not slightly, resolved your dispute?

I hold my open palms in the air.

''Are you two still trying to kill each other? Or have you resolved that senseless conflict, due to the greater threat at hand?''

''This was my payment, and show of force in my efforts to bring you both to, well, not my side, but to at least make you cooperate for the future.''

''I know that you both aren't stupid. You can see. The ashes of conflict already arise. There are many silly and utterly pointless motherfucking strife in Rhodes Island.''

''The cracks are beginning to form. I know, I know everything, I see most things. And so can you.''

''I chose you two because you were both more sensible than the rest of these sentimentalist fucks, if I might be blunt, and because you would be the first squabble I solve.''

Their rage dies down once again.

They have gone back to thinking, about my words.

I just need to push a bit more.

'' You might be thinking; Why do you care?''

''I am clearly not Terran. Am I doing this simply because I am a good person? No.''

''I know, I also know that you are getting tired of me saying this phrase, but I can't stress it enough still. I know everything.''

''This world, is fucked.''

''Rhodes Island, is on its way to be fucked.''

''I need to fix it, since I have a responsibility, the burden of knowledge, to guide the unenlightened masses with information so vast that it would drive one crazy. So I endure, for my own sake and for the sake of the ignorant.''

''And now I am sorry for burdening you as well, with the knowledge of utter horror that has been bestowed upon me.''

I am getting fucking sleepy.

A hospitalized man probably shouldn't have spoken this much in his current state, or possibly my afflictions are getting worse, who knows?

I look down. This is it.

The plot has been revealed, and the truth set out into the streets.

It is now up to the Terrans themselves, if they wish to be saved.

In hindsight. I probably shouldn't have chosen the edgiest characters in the entire fucking storyline, but they are also both more likely to agree with my methods due to the edge.

Eh. Too late to second guess, once again.

'' So I ask you;''

''Will you help me? And take up arms against the future of certain doom?''

''Or will you choose to remain ignorant, simply not caring if doom befalls Terra.''

A pause.

A deal can't be made without an equal exchange.

So I offer one.

'' What is in this deal for you, for these big burdens?''

''For Texas. I know that you just want to forget to past, move on, and live your happy little life with your friends over at P.L.''

''Sadly I have a reality check for you. You can't fucking do that, if Terran society collapses, or if they die, which is both possible.''

''I am not even threatening you, this is a legit possibility that I must prepare for.''

She looks at me dead in the eyes.

Facade broken. Concern oozing.

''For Lappland. I have already granted one of your wishes to be reunited with Texas, much to her dismay.

I could only offer you one more thing since I know you don't care for much else.''

''I can offer you salvation. But I can't provide this salvation.''

''To acquire said salvation, you need to get close to the Doctor.''

''That is it, no strings attached, just get close to her, you will see.''

I extend my hands at the two Lupos.

I have got them in check, in a 2 rooks-down chess endgame.

The gambit has paid off, and my advantage is clear.

But one may never know.

Human emotion is a terrible thing sometimes, clouds your mind.

It is not logic that takes lives, it is not the Atomic Bomb itself that threatens to end the Earth back at home.

It is the politicians, who could get clouded with emotion, which would push them to press the button and bring doom upon us all.

So what will it be wolfies?

Will you take your chances and trust the madman?

Or will you choose to be ignorant, clouded by the fury inside, and inadvertently doom Terra to its miserable fate?

I leave the choice, up to its people.