I Do Believe In Egos

It Begins

Mark hesitated and adjusted his microphone before accepting the call over discord. "Hi Sean..." He mumbled.

"Hey." Jack leaned back in his chair a bit. "How are you?"

"Good. Just editing." Mark shifted a little, looking over the open programs on his other monitor.

Jack chuckled. "Editing?"

"Yeah. I like to edit the odd video myself. Make sure that I can still do it. You know?" Mark gestured with his hands before realizing it wasn't a video call and the other man couldn't see him.

"Sounds like a good plan. I should... probably do that too." Jack sighed, then leaned forward a bit. "So uh... I texted you a few days ago..."

Mark bit his lip. "Yeah... I saw that."

Jack laughed, shaking his head. "Were you ever going to answer me?"

"I was getting there!" Mark gasped. "Eventually..."

"It's great to have a business partner who can't communicate, you know that?" Jack grinned.

"Oh, was it something about Cloak?" Mark turned, changing his attention between monitors and began pulling up files. "Is this about the way that seam sits? Because I told them-"

Jack cleared his throat. "Not this time. Uh, I just had a question about... well... your alters showed up before mine ever did..."

Mark frowned, leaning back in his chair. "An ego thing? Yeah, I mean... it feels like Dark and Wilford have been around forever now. Why?"

"Have they ever... you know... gotten sick?" Jack asked cautiously.

Mark's eyes widened and he leaned forward, hitting the button to request a video chat. Jack narrowed his eyes, hesitantly accepting. Mark stared at Jack on the screen. "Why?" He demanded.

Jack squirmed in his chair, unnerved by Mark's reaction. More so by the fact that he couldn't tell if Mark was actually being intensely serious, or if he was just trying to give Jack the willies. "Mine seem to be sick? And Schneep has been looking after them and he's getting concerned, and he doesn't really get concerned."

"When did it start?" Mark leaned in closer, brow furrowed, still staring intently at the screen.

"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" Jack frowned. "Was I not supposed to feed them after midnight or something?"

Mark shook his head. "I just..." He sighed, before taking a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "A lot of mine have been getting sick too, and Dr. Iplier has been pointing out that it's spreading, and getting worse and nothing he does has any effect."

"Yours too?" Jack gasped, sitting forward and leaned his arms on his desk. "That's weird!"

"Weird?" Mark tilted his head. "That's terrifying. I thought they were just catching it from each other. If yours are getting it too..." He slowly shook his head. "I don't know what that means."

Jack frowned, slowly nodding. "Maybe they don't have the same thing?"

Mark leaned back in his chair, grabbing his cell phone. "Let me call the doctor."

"I'll get Schneep to join this call." Jack smiled.

Less than ten minutes later, the call had gone from two to four. "I don't know. They're dying." Dr. Iplier muttered.

Dr. Schneeplestein was silent for a moment before he sighed. "Do you see? Do you see vhat talking vith him means? Zhis is vhy I don't do it!"

"Alright Schneep, calm-" Jack began before the doctor cut him off.