The sun was beginning to set. I’d been sitting in Clover’s house, the same spot I'd sat right before our little trip around the world. It’s strange. Not even a week has passed since I got back, but everything that had happened felt like a dream to me. Maybe that’s because the thought of me every getting off this rock was just a dream.

I’d kept my word to Clover. I came to her house an hour early, in case anything ended up going wrong, to give us time to prepare.

Clover was outside now, getting the telescope ready. I wasn’t just sitting on my ass; though I wasn’t helping either.

My mind was clouded by thoughts of Schism and his intentions. I was certain that Clover understood what they were, if only partially.

She knew who Schism was, his primary goals. Afterall, she’d been doing this for over a decade, at the side of one of the most powerful and influential people in the world.

One thing she didn’t know, and was not meant to know, I was certain, was that Schism supported me. If it was only information that she knew, then there would be no rule against her reading the letter.

There was something he wanted me to know, something he wanted to ask of me.

That’s why I was sitting on the couch. I was trying to imagine what was and wasn’t taboo to say while all of this was taking place.

I stood up. Walking over to the light switch, flicked it off. It’s funny. The impulses for SP2 hardly activate anymore. It appeared whenever I interacted with simple systems, like switches and buttons. But it had subsided, like a fickle tide going low, though the ocean still remains.

It was always present within me. That feeling that I'm afraid to put into words. That I can always use that power no matter how far from shore I travel.

I left the darkened house, the only light on now was out the back, illuminating the fenced garden just enough to see the edge of it.

I spoke up as she was shifting the telescope, “You know, I thought your place would be an absolute mess. What with there being a hole in the roof when we left.”

She looked up, her cheeks red from the cold, it was a chill summer evening, “Shit, you think I don’t have people to do that for me?? I phoned one of the scumbags to fix the place up while I was away. Could swear I told you ‘bout that.”

I nodded, “Right, one of those bastards that sat on their ass's while your enemy moved in. They were busy.”

“Our enemy,” she corrected, “Don’t you think this was for the best?”

I lifted a beer can off of the table, shifting one of the folding chairs she’d left out, “How d’ya figure?”

“Well, they’ve set up a good few operations on my turf- which is your turf too. So, when you destroy their little hideaway’s here next week it’ll be reactionary, nobody’ll have a problem with that.”

I thought about spitting my drink. This is the first I'd heard about a planned attack.

She looked over to me, understanding that I was freaking out just a little, “Well, I’m going on a trip. Up north. So if we’re ever going to do this, it’ll be then. I said ‘soon’, remember?? I meant it.”

“Hold on,” I stammered, “Can you please explain this so that a human being can conceptualise what the fuck you're talking about? You’re going on a trip? Since when? And, did you say next week?”

She was getting as frustrated as me now, “Yes, I did that’s when the trip is- Ok, let’s start over- Next week I’m going on a trip, I’ll phone you once I cross the border, or whenever I feel is best for you to level their three hideouts in town. We’ll divide and conquer. You’ll be the red herring, they don’t know what type of abilities you have, so Belfast will be cautious dealing with you. I’ll phone you a second time if something unexpected happens, or to enter the next stage of the plan.”

She came to sit with me now. The atmosphere was completely different form the day before. Compared to the luxurious room in the quarter, this felt more like a crappy cold night in a friend’s poorly cut garden.

“How fast are you Rocky? I saw you jump from the airport in Babel to the central tower in an instant. How long would it take you going from here to Belfast?? It’d be fine if you left immediately after beating the shit out of them, but the longer you’re in town the better. It focuses their attention here, on the bright green guy beating the crap out of people.”

I thought about my answer. We were allies, but the thing is- The more I told her, the more I put myself at a disadvantage. I had to decide whether or not I was going to tell her about my little ‘Mach 1’ feat when Jack punched me into the horizon, it was bad enough that the Internationals knew about it, it’d be worse if the Mountain found out.

Then there was what See-through Girl had said, that Belfast was keeping tabs on me. Clover and Attrition theorised that the North had supporters within the Ints, so they might be able to access the medical data from my hospital stays.

“It’ll take me awhile to get there, about the same time it’d take to get there in a car maybe sooner, so that’s an hour or two, right?”

Clover tipped her head, “five hours. Though, I’ll be making a few stops before I engage with Belfast... We’ll be staying a night in Dublin, then, we’ll drive up to London-Derry, where I'll stay another night. There’s a very good chance that they’ll find out I'm there on the third day, that’s when I’ve told my troops to get there. I’ll have one car following me, fake license plate just in case they’re looking out for known ones.”

All the talk of being found out or being watched made my toes curl, “Should we...” I whispered, “... be talking about this out in the open.

Clover shrugged, “I took care of it. There’s not a single thing watching us right now. I wished that nothing’d interrupt us tonight. Not. A. Thing. Keep an ear out if you don’t believe in my power.” There was a clear jokiness in her voice, but I still listened.

I was surprised to not hear a single thing. Not a passing car, or cooing bird. Clover didn’t have any neighbours, yet I still looked out into the dark for them.

Finally, I turned back to her. She was taking a drink, amused by my paranoia.

Embarrassed, I caved, “Right, so you’re planning on attacking on the third day, right?”

She shook her head, “I’m planning on being attacked on the third day. Again, I’ll let them make the first move. My guys will be looking out for me, so when Belfast’s goons start snooping around, or anyone suspicious enough to be a Unit appears, they’ll be ready.”

“And what if all five Units show?” I wasn’t buying into this plan, actually, I wouldn’t even call it a plan. It seemed like pure, thoughtless action.

Which, honestly, that shad Clover written all over it. I guess I'm the opposite. This whole time I'm reactionary, always being pushed and pulled by the current.

“Three Units. At most. See-through Girl’s probably not going to be able to get up there quickly, not with you screwing with the operation down here. And it’s most likely that he has his Units spread over the country. If I had to guess, one in keeping low in Dublin, one ruling Derry, and he probably keeps the last one close at hand.”

I thought about what she was saying, maybe more than she did, “You're passing through all of those places on your little ‘trip’. They’re going to find you out on the first day-”

“Listen, it’ll work out, luck is on our side-”

I scoffed, “Right, because that’s fool proof, right? Means that nothing's going to go wrong, right? Did you wish we’d win?”

She growled back at me, “No. The more interpretable the desire, the worse the affects. Something specific’ll work a lot better. That’s why I keep it spontaneous. How many times do I have to drill that into your fat head.”

We were both getting bitchy. I grumbled to myself about how complicated such a seemingly simple power was.

Her mind was elsewhere.

“You’ve got four hours to haul that ass of yours up when I call. Truth is, I am walking into a pretty shitty situation- but... Life’s a gamble, right? Nothing will change from sitting on your ass and thinking about whether or not somethings wrong. The only way that I’ll get what I want is if I risk everything.”

I felt askew. Like I wasn’t the right person to be saying all of this to, “Betting all on black. Right?”

She tried to get comfortable in her chair. “It’s time.”

I looked at my phone, “Two minutes to. Should I open it now, or...”

“Best not to risk it. I don’t think he’ll kill you for it. Though, if you were Mountian he wouldn’t be so liniant. I’ve only seen this three times before, with Mountain members and they waited a couple minutes after. There was a fear of the devil in them.”

After that comment she smiled, “It’s not your grudge though. You're not vying for world domination, are you??”

I laughed, walking over to the telescope. Then I gave the comment some serious thought.

What is my end goal? What exactly is it that Shamrock wants out of the world?

I asked, “There was nothing against looking through the telescope, right?”

She allowed it with a gesture.

Looking throught the thing was hard, and not because of the mask, though that didn’t help. This was my first time using a telescope.

There were a few times that I wondered whether or not I was seeing what I was supposed to see. I assumed I was going to see orange and green planets with rings around them, but all I could see was a cluster of white specks. I guess fiction has ruined my understanding of astronomy, as well as reality.

Still, was this really what I was supposed to see? A bunch of fuzzy specks?

I looked back over to Clover, who said, “Less than a minute!”

I tried to read whether she was excited or... Depressed? Lethargic? It was a hard expression to place. She certainly seemed tired, or strained.

I got the red letter out of my bag, turning it over, feeling it’s thickness. It was like getting a Christmas present. Except, the excitement came from a place of fear. I knew in that moment I would learn another fact about the world I was living in. There was an even split between wanting to know, and wanting to stay ignorant.

“That’s ten,” her voice rang like an alarm, and with a little effort, I opened the letter.

My thick gloves made it difficult to pinch the paper and tear it open, but I got there in the end.

Inside there were two sheets of paper, folded to save space. I picked one out, and it was marked with ‘part two’ on one side. I creased it back up, putting it back in. A sweat started to build up, and I looked over to Clover.

I paced over into the light, keeping her from looking over my shoulder. Though I doubt she would, it was imperative that I keep her from reading something she wasn’t supposed to.

I grabbed the page marked, ‘part one’, letting it fold out. The writing was small, and the message was long.

I think it’s best if I just type it all out now.

Don’t worry, he gave me permission.

To the up-and-coming Sam ‘Shamrock’ Burrows from county Kerry Ireland,

The following is a customary declaration of existence, I, the individual you may refer to as ‘Schism’, am writing to tell you that I do exist, that I am the greatest force to be reckoned with in our Universe. I am writing this letter to you now, during your internment with the ‘Internationals’ following the attack on Babel, in order to inform you of the laws you are now subject to- very specific guidelines that if breached, will result in termination.

Typically, this set of rules are applied at a lower bracket, and they would have been, if you had not displayed the ability to surpass that boundary in your battle with the Channeler.

I must admit, I am reluctant in writing this. It is completely and utterly shameful that I am threatening you; you who eliminated a rather pressing threat to my rule. I am one of the four Units that are widely agreed to be candidates for the ‘strongest in the world’, and as such, none of us are allowed to interact with the Channeler, or to actively use our power in his presence.

I feel I should state that while the notion that powers are subjective things, completely reliant on tactics, positioning and the user, (much like Sun Tzu’s teachings,) is generally true, within war there are moments when a civilization grows to be so advanced, that tactics, resources, and the individual, no longer matter.

Like Columbus in America, the British against the Zulus, there are entities in this world that will simply trump those weaker than them. Even today, items such as the atomic bomb are restricted in warfare due to the colossal damage they may cause.

I am the A-bomb, Sam. I am the absolute.

Yet I have no master, no restrictions are placed on me but the ones I have self-inflicted.

Very soon, at 10:20PM, you will understand that. I need you to understand, I am not a villain. I am not a drug lord, or a monster that kidnaps children from their beds- I am the man who controls the world to the best of a man's capability.

To summarise, there are rules I place on this universe to protect it. More accurately, to protect this planet and myself. If I were to die, if my power were to be lost, then all things would end. I am the border between the Mountain, the Cities, and the people of Russia. I punish beings that would seek to destroy our world without it ever coming to your attention.

I am good, yet you would disagree, I'm sure. Shamrock. The hero that you are, champion of the pour, the boy who seeks to overcome his short comings through violence, and lies, and hesitation.

To you, all murders are criminal acts. No matter what for.

I have analysed your reading capabilities; those posts you’ve been making have helped me ascertain the length at which this message should be written before you must stop to view through that telescope.

If you started reading at a later time, 10:10PM, then please stop reading now, and look to the stars. Then, read the rest of this note, and it’s second part. If you started at the recommended time, please continue reading till you have finished part one, then, before reading part two, wait for 10:20PM.

It is a measure I must make, that you see the full message I have prepared for you. It would be a terrible waste if you didn’t. Though I have chosen this time to suit you specifically, what with your recent activity, or lack thereof, there are currently seven more Units that appeared around the same time you did, who received a letter much like yours. If they have been wise enough to follow my orders, they are looking at the same cluster of stars that you will be gazing at.

Perhaps that inspires some sort of humanistic comradery in you? That people you have never met and may never meat, are starring at the same sky as you. In most people, it makes them feel small, like they are simply a drop in the ocean.

But not Units, no, and I should think you still have a youthful naivety about you. You still aim to destroy the Mountain, to ‘save’ Clover, and to be a Hero.

But you know, if I had to guess, out of those seven Units that are just like you, I’m certain that two of them are now dead. They are arrogant enough to ignore my warnings

My message is to you, and to all others that think themselves Unitary is that you are small.

Before I tell you who I am, I shall tell you my laws.

Firstly, you are never to go to China. And, you specifically Shamrock, are to never think about going to China with any real resolve. If you do, you will die. You see, I have a rather soft spot for my home country, in the same way that anyone else might. Although I think of Earth as my home and it is a place precious to me, I cannot shake the feeling in my heart. It is a worldly desire to protect my country.

Do not mistake me for a blind nationalist, however. Before I was born, there were Units among the Chinese government, and a section of the military devoted to dealing with the supernatural threats to the people.

I killed them, and those within the country that supported them. They didn’t align with my goals and desires, nor the desires of the people. They were greedy, corrupt, and though I won’t deny that there are people in high places that do not have the people's best interest at heart, they are not a threat to the world-

-As long as I stand alone against them.

When I take lives, it is because I must.

That is why, if ever you come searching for me, or seek to harm my land-

I will kill you.

Another point I wish to bring up now, and one I must get out of the way rather quickly, as time is running out, I’m sure...

Is the reason humanity has not discovered extra-terrestrials.

Within the night sky, there are an infinite number of stars. By technological advancement made by Earth-bound civilisations, it is theorized that within the observable universe there are between two hundred or three hundred, billion, trillion stars. While I admire the calculations that various groups and individuals had to make to calculate that number, it is incorrect. The number is far higher, simply within that speck of existence that they can see.

And I will tell you this much, that which is observable is nothing in comparison to the true scale of existence that I can sense.

So where are the aliens? They should have arrived by now, surely. We should have at least detected a trace of civilisations that span across infinity, no? They’ve had four billion years to contact us, and yet there is nothing but us in this universe.

Why?

You may meet elderly people in your time, those over the age of sixty, those who will recount encounters with such beings.

But I am telling you, that any encounters or UFO sightings made within the last fifty years are without a doubt false, mistaken or hoax. There is no doubt about that.

How do I know? You have been reading this, haven’t you? For the sake of posterity, I will not repeat myself. In an attempt to save myself from being crowned the genocidal master of creation, they are out there. The ones that do not anger me are still alive.

There were civilisations, conquerors, that invented methods of transportation that allowed them to cross impossible distances. Light years crossed in a fraction of a fraction of a second. I destroyed any such civilization.

There were civilisations that sought such technology, frozen eternally on the precipice of discovering such things. Though it was a near impossible system to understand, there was the occasion where a scientist would gain a Unitary understanding of such methods. And I would destroy him, his colleagues, and their work. In a manner so inconspicuous, the crack pot theorists of their worlds would dream of conspiracy's to explain the mysterious and sudden deaths of government officials and ministers of science.

There were cultures at approximately four hundred billion light years away from our star, and there on their solitary planet, over such a distance that when they looked into the night sky they would see only the birthing of our star, across that cave dwelling planet there was a single hut where a druid began to mark the stars of the night sky. Eventually, he would arrive to that dim reddish light in the sky, it was an astronomical event where space was bent just the right way for him to be able to see us on that particular night.

And it was there on that planet, where the inhabitants were small in number and stature that a legend was born. The tale of the ‘Chir-won chi-well'. The Devil star.

I let them off easy.

If they glimpsed it in there periphery, I wouldn’t kill them.

There was life within a four hundred billion light year radius of our planet, but that time was fifty years ago. And now the only light in this dark forest is ours.

It is time to look through the telescope, Sam.

I gulped. I had no concept, or scale for what he was describing, but the message was obvious, the threat was clear. Whoever he is, Schism is the being that has killed the most people- in existence.

I imagined him to be something similar to the twenty-seven outer versal gods, but the difference between the two seemed to be that they were restricted, if what he was saying was true, then...

I left the light, wandering into the middle of the garden. It took me a second to focus my vision on the cluster of specks.

There was a slight passage in time where I just stared into outer space, just waiting for anything.

Clover came up behind me, I heard her shoes squeak against the grass.

“You alright,” she asked, “Did you get to... What have you read?” She was tiptoeing around ‘spoilers’, who wouldn’t when threatened with death?

“He makes a lot of threats.”

She laughed dryly, “None of them empty. But just remember Rocky, there are obstacles he can’t overcome. He hates the Mountain, but he won’t kill Bastard. He isn’t untouchable.”

My breathe was cold, “He said he killed aliens. And he said he’d kill me if I thought about going to China.”

I was suddenly afraid, a flinch in my mind at the thought that I said something I wasn’t meant to. Well, I was still alive.

There was finally some joy in her voice, “Hey! Good for you! Somebody’s moving up in the world, huh?”

I shook my head, “Right, of course that’s a rite of passage.”

I wasn’t focusing much, the joking was taking my thought away from the lens.

That didn’t stop me from seeing it.

There was a sudden light, not dim or small, it seemed to illuminate the other spots.

“Oh, there it is,” Clover took a step back, and my eye came away from the lens as I looked up at the sky with her.

She leaned in close, pointing to the sky, whispering in my ear, “there, that one.”

I didn’t know which one she was pointing at until it went out.

“I- I don’t understand,” As I said it, I knew in the back of my head what that light was. I was too well versed in the feats of comic characters and theoretical fictional powers not to.

“He destroyed one of them. He does it twice a year, once for the western hemisphere, once for the eastern.”

I turned back, “So he can just- Blow up a star if he feels like it?”

She shrugged, “No... But... I guess he can. Whatever, just read the rest. He’ll explain it.”

I was a little puzzled, it felt exactly the same: walking over to the light to read the second part, except this time I knew the suit I was wearing was commissioned by a monster.

I returned the note to the letter, my hand a little shaky, I took the second part out again.

I already had an idea of what it was going to be about, or rather, I was hoping for an explanation as to why he was acting as my benefactor.

He’d mentioned that he was glad to see Chandler taken care of, but their seemed to be more at play here.

I unfolded the letter; it came out a little shorter than the first one.

I looked up at Clover before I started reading it in my head.

I’m sure you understand Shamrock, even without Clover’s explanation which I'm sure your reliant dynamic will demand. I caused that star to go supernovae. Or rather, I simply destroyed it and the remains collapsed. And I've been doing that for the last fifty years. To put you at ease, I should let you know the system was uninhabited, obviously. In the night sky there are no aliens.

And those are the two reasons I needed to contact you.

It’s best if I tell you my ability now. Usually, I'd give you that information in the first note, but then again, I usually only send one note. I’ll explain everything in due time, but let me first say this:

This message to you is not a rule, or law that I am laying down for you to follow. I am interested in a partnership. One that you can decline without penalty. I will not kill you, I will not disintegrate the suit, and I will ask nothing more of you.

Whether you except it or not, we have a common interest, at least this one, and you will clear things up for me, simply by using that little head of yours.

The first of my two powers is a rather simple one, whether I describe it in a word or a sentence.

My first power is omnipotence.

If that answer doesn’t satisfy you, which I'm sure it won’t, the precise mechanics of my power are easy to grasp.

With a thought, I can ‘split’ everything. Note that I didn’t say anything. Such a arbitrary word has no bearing over my power. With a thought, I can separate the space between an object. Say you have an apple. I can split it perfectly down the middle, rip the cells from each other.

Say you have a subterrainium wall, (that rather durable material you were unable to smash your way through in Babel), I could turn it into ribbons, separate the very atomic bonds.

Say you have an atom, or a star, or a planet, or a Universe.

I can rip any of the above in two with a thought.

That would be all well and good, that ability alone would allow me to destroy everything in my path. And that is why on its own it is useless. I wouldn’t be able to neutralise threats I'm unaware of, I wouldn’t be able to destroy things that move to quick for me to see. Even you would be a threat to me if that was all I had.

But I have more. Much more.

My second ability is omniscience.

At least, that’s what I say.

The source of my power, which I will not disclose to you or anyone, is capable of granting such an ability, and in actuality, I do have access to all the universes knowledge- every single deeper inner working of this world down to the String.

And yet, I cannot comprehend it. Because I am human. Are you familiar with the theory that states human beings do not perceive the physical world as it truly is, that we are limited to the fraction of it that can be sensed through our chemical receptors? I’ve seen your life Sam, there was one day where you watched a video detailing it, but you only had it on in the background, so there's a good chance you forgot.

Let’s go back to that apple, shall we? Looking at it you might say that it is red or green, but that is merely your minds interpretation of the signals sent from your eyes, which are in turn glimpsing the reflected light that is not absorbed by the apple’s pigments.

There is so much more that your eyes cannot perceive directly without the aid of other senses or scientific analysis. The smell, the taste, the elements and molecular structures present within it, the processes of energy production and the slow rot into non-existence.

That is what I aim able to perceive in everything, but my mind cannot understand it.

My abilities do not give me eyes to see the universe, nor ears to hear the plans of my enemies.

There is only one thing that it can perceive.

With your years of study into superpowers, you would call it telepathy, you might even call me a psychic. But this is wrong. My mind is no greater than the average human, although I have access to every mind in the universe, I think what they think, I feel what they feel, yet I am in no way connected to them. I don’t see what they see.

This information is not to be shared with anyone, and I'm sure you’ve already realised that.

It is time that I tell you, honestly, why I want you, Shamrock.

You’ve been told by Attrition that your brain has been altered along with your body, just to a lesser degree. You’ve been granted peak-human processing, yet only in the hyper specific case where you are figuring out powers. Perhaps influenced by your own mental state prior to becoming Unitary? I know the answer, but I'm not telling you.

I don’t need you because you can smash down a wall, or travel at the speed of sound, I need you because of your mind. I need you to investigate for me. To solve a puzzle I can’t.

There is a certain man that you are familiar with, a man you are being hurled towards by fate it may seem. Or perhaps a case of proximity and human nature.

With ‘the Sea-Threw Girl’ and the rest of this certain individuals men moving into Clover’s territory, I’m sure she’s thinking of going rogue, attacking Belfast. This is against Bastard’s wishes. The situation in Ireland is stable so long as Belfast is in power, and that’s good enough for Bastard. The effects that a large number of Unit related events within a short time frame and in close proximity can lead to what’s known as a ‘weird zone’ forming.

Bastard does not want this to happen.

Neither do I, but your country is far away from mine and of little concern. It’s on his door stop. You can see why it’s in my best interest that my enemy is kept preoccupied with more and more conflicts. Such as Egypt and Canada.

While I realise it isn’t in your best interest to destabilise the country you live in, but that isn’t what I'm asking of you.

I’m asking that you simply encounter that man from Belfast. Not that you kill him, not that you defeat him, I want you to observe his ability and come up with a theory as to what it is.

The reason I explained what my second power is capable of is because it is relevant to him.

He doesn’t know the origin of his power, or even the nature of it. As far as I can read from the minds of others, it has no origin. It simply came out of nowhere, nesting itself inside him.

To avoid growing any biases in your subconscious, I will not tell you anymore, but it is my belief that this power is one I have banned.

There is one thing you must know Shamrock; despite your persona of a good-natured hero, I don’t expect you to risk your life just because I buttered you up with a costume and certainly not because you agree with my goals.

There are things more precious to you then objects. Things you value so dearly that your current self can’t even imagine their worth. Let me set the stage for you Sam, I’m over fifty years old, and in all that time I've been living as every single person on the planet’s shadow. I’ve understood their emotions when not even they did, I’ve seen the flaws in their decisions when no one else could possibly have the experience to see where their life is heading.

So, I've seen your life Sam. I know how you got your powers, even if you and everyone else has forgotten.

I can answer the question: is it evil?

And then there’s the other thing you’ve forgotten.

That I must consider carefully how I allude to it. I wouldn’t want to give you your reward for nothing, would I?

To summarise: I'll remind you of the only time you have ever been loved, if you go North.

That’s about everything I wanted to tell you. To leave you on a less hollow note, I should reassure you that I will not reveal any information on you to others, not your abilities, not your ‘secret identity’. So long as it serves my interests, I will continue supporting you, from the shadows of course.

And by all means, post this on the internet. Nobody will read it.

-Schism

I folded the letter once I was finished, not even taking a moment to think it over. It seemed important that it be hidden from Clover at all costs. Not just because it mentioned my real name, but because he outright stated that she was going against her king’s orders by going on this mission.

There’s a chance she already knew that. Regardless, it was for the best that nothing went towards Clover changing her mind.

I put the paper away, and made an attempt to laugh it off to my host.

Thing is, the few minutes I spent there with her seemed like a haze. I didn’t take in much of what she was saying. I was trying to sort through what exactly my thoughts were on the whole thing.

There was of course, the shock that all of humanity was being watched by a trigger-happy dictator. On the other hand, there were questions buzzing around in my mind: Why didn’t he just kill Bastard? Why did Bastard just leave the man in Belfast alive? Did Belfast have some sort of plan that coincided with Bastards? What the fuck is a ‘weird zone’?

You might think I was a little hung up about his offer, but I basically agreed to it. There really isn’t a way for me to stop Clover if Bastard can’t, maybe Schism had planned things to play out like this, but I doubt it. He wrote the letter while I was in hospital, there's no way he could know Clover would plan a trip right now. Things just happened to be going his way.

And I know that Clover hasn’t been planning this for a while- I know her better than that.

Why does she want to go on a trip despite it being a huge risk for the geopolitical situation on this rock? Simple.

She wants to have fun with Sam. Can’t blame her, I was pretty depressing the last time we met.

Thinking about that now, I guess there is something I want to find out. The second thing he promised. I want to know what ‘love’ I’ve forgotten.