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.
"Doctah! Doctah Schneeplestein! Not... just 'Schneep'." He growled.
Jack sighed, nodding his head. "Sorry doctor. Just... take a breath."
Mark groaned. "Alright Dr. Iplier, that's enough. Just tell him what's wrong with them."
Dr. Iplier smiled, leaning in towards his camera. "Dying IS what's wrong with them."
"I am going to strangle him." Dr. Schneeplestein grunted. "You are lucky zhere is an ocean between us, you-"
"Fatigue." Dr. Iplier sat back.
"Vhat?" Dr. Schneeplestein huffed.
Dr. Iplier shrugged. "The first symptom is always fatigue. They all have fatigue... even Dark and Wilford have said they have less energy... and they're not really showing signs of illness yet." He yawned. "Hell, even I've been feeling more exhausted than usual."
Dr. Schneeplestein slowly nodded. "Continue."
"Continue? What if that was it?" Dr. Iplier smirked.
"Doctor!" Mark grunted.
Dr. Iplier rolled his eyes. "Fine. It starts with fatigue, and then the ones who have been sick longer..."
"Yes?" Dr. Schneeplestein leaned in.
"Their vitals are... off." Dr. Iplier shrugged.
"Doctor!" Mark barked.
Dr. Schneeplestein sighed. "No. I know vhat he means. Zhey keep fluctuating, yeah?"
"Yeah!" Dr. Iplier jolted upright. "One minute a normal heart rate, then it's going a mile a minute and then it's so slow I wonder if it's even still beating!"
Nodding his head, Schneep leaned back in his chair. "Heart rate, blood pressure, temperature... even ze respiratory rates... all vonky."
Jack frowned. "So, it's the same thing?"
"Sounds like it." Dr. Schneeplestein nodded.
"What does that mean?" Mark sighed.
Dr. Schneeplestein tilted his head. "Vell how should I know? I'm a doctor not some paranormal expert."
"He said it! He said the line!" Dr. Iplier giggled. "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor-"
"Vhat is zhis idiot on about?" Dr. Schneeplestein grunted.
Dr. Iplier's jaw dropped open. "How do you NOT know that? Your original is a walking meme."
Jack tried to stifle a laugh. "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult."
"It's just true." Mark smirked, then shook his head. "We need to focus! Clearly this is a bigger issue than any of us thought, so what now?"
"I need access to ze Ipliers." Dr. Schneeplestein shrugged. "If zhey have it as vell, it's connected. I need to be able to see if zhere are symptoms in common zat ve haven't noticed yet."
Jack closed his eyes. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"I have more! It's harder to move them!" Mark called out, putting a finger on his nose. "And they stand out less in L.A."
Opening his eyes, Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you playing nose goes? For who has to fly their clones into another country?"
"I sure am!" Mark smirked.
"Can I use your recording room?" Jack groaned.
Mark smiled. "Sure buddy. We can bounce you between mine and the Grumps' if we need to."
Jack suddenly grinned. "Oh yeah... this means I can hang out with Arin!"
Dr. Schneeplestein rolled his eyes. "By all means. Play vith your little friends vhile your egos are dying."
"Told you they were dying." Dr. Iplier crossed his arms, then suddenly grinned. "Hey! This means we're working together Schneep!"
"It's doctah- oh." Dr. Schneeplestein's eyes widened. "I guess ve are. Listen, I have ze seniority here."
Dr. Iplier frowned. "I've literally been around longer."
Dr. Schneeplestein huffed. "I am ze better doctah!"
"We'll figure it out when we get there!" Jack cut them off. "Go get ready, and start getting everyone else ready please, Sch- doctor Schneeplestein. I'll work on getting us a flight... hopefully I can get everyone on one... hopefully... tomorrow?" He glanced at his camera.
"Tomorrow?" Mark groaned. "Yeah, that makes sense. Uh, I'll get everything ready for you guys. Maybe Dr. Iplier can get some kind of facility to keep all the egos at. It'd be a pretty full house of an infirmary here."
Jack nodded. "It's a plan then."
"I'm on it!" Dr. Iplier called out. "I'll have everything ready to host you Schneep." He winked before disconnecting.
"I hate him." Dr. Schneeplestein growled, before exiting the call himself.
Mark sighed, shaking his head and Jack swallowed hard. "They'll... uh... everything's going to be alright, right?" Jack asked.
Shrugging his shoulders, Mark nodded. "I think so. Don't worry about it. Just get here. We can work it out then."
"Thanks." Jack smiled. "I'll text you the details of our flight. Answer this time!"
"I will!" Mark chuckled. "See you soon." Jack nodded, leaving the call and Mark flopped back in his chair. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and let it go slowly before he got up. "Amy!" He called, leaving the room. Somehow, editing his video seemed less important now. It never went well when they had all the egos together, and now they were going to have them all together while ill.