Well, I realized as I woke up, today I go through with it. A bit less than a week ago, I had an incredible idea, something really manipulative, something I'll never forget doing- the conclusion, on camera, will see to that. I laughed to myself when I thought of it- did I really want to go through with this? By definition it won't accomplish anything productive, and it's requiring me to declare a day that I won't be interrupted. Ah, fuck that. I want to do it, and the results will be interesting if nothing else, so I will.

This is going to require something new of me: I've never had to act before in my life. Leaving subterfuge and misdirection to the Levels, I've been bullishly straightforward, unwilling to play any games of lies or deception. It's made me a feared, respected leader, because anyone who deals with me, friend or foe, knows that I will always make good on my promises and claims, not even deceiving them in the least about my goals. I don't think the day will ever come where I have to. Like playing a reputedly impossible game or performing a supposedly impossible stunt, I just wanted to see if I could do it.

The first thing I had to do was set up the players. I was early to rise, so I quietly called Paul out of Billy's room, and called Sarah as well, and gave them a series of instructions. They didn't like the commands given them- not a bit- but they knew what I was doing and why, and they couldn't give anything away.

"That's just plain.. evil, Howard. Not mean, or cruel, but just evil.", Paul said, and I smiled.

Sarah shook her head. "I will be very surprised if he falls for it. I know you're not going to stop if-"

"Yes, I will. If he actually thinks I'm joking or toying with him, even if he doesn't remember what day it is, I'll stop." I'm evil, not terribly unfair. "Now, go back to your rooms, and start pretending like I told you." They wouldn't have to pretend very much, at least not at the beginning. It's the end part that has all the detailed stuff.

After five minutes, I walked into Billy's room with a slight smile on my face, as if I was trying to hide something dire. "Hey, Billy. Let's have some fun today.", I said to him, cordially, and he woke up. "We can keep going until 5:00."

"What happens then?", he predictably asked.

"I'm not going to tell you.", I said. That phrase clued him in that something was definitely up.

About the having fun part, I wasn't kidding. Breakfast was bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes. We played everything we wanted to play electronically, then went to the sub and enjoyed the bottom of the ocean. It's a nice place, and the dolphins are always curious about just what the heck a metal object is doing moving on its own. We watched a translated Japanese animated movie, then it was time to eat again, and I had Sarah cook an Illuminated feast of things we eat just because we can, blending rare spices and foods from opposite ends of the world. The whole time, I was acting, setting up the stage for the illusion at the end. I made sure Billy was having fun, and more importantly, I let him know it. I kept looking at clocks as well, as if utterly worried about the time.

"Are you still not going to tell me what happens?", he asked at 4:30, as we continued to play. He was worried, damn worried, not having a clue what was to befall him. I love this, I absolutely love it. The question 'Can I do this?' has almost been answered. All I need to do is a little more and finish this up.

"I'm so sorry, Billy.", I said, shaking my head, tears growing in my eyes. It's so hard to do that! "You don't have to worry about it. C'mon. Let's go play outside one more time, all right? We've got a bit more than twenty minutes. All the time in the world." The statement was designed to freak him out, but I wasn't done yet. "But only if you want to."

"What?", he asked. He understood, he was just shocked.

"Do you really want to play with me, Billy? You can answer that however you want. It's up to you." That question had two purposes; it was part of the act, but I really did want to know the answer.

He thought about it. "Yes. Yes, Howard, I'll go outside and play with you." I smiled and giggled, crying a bit more.

"Thank you. I'll always remember that you said that.", I told him, and that was true. "We'll go anywhere on the island you want." Billy led me to the stream, which, at the bottom of the waterfall, was wide and deep. Naked, we swam in the cool water, enjoying the constant pitter-patter of the steadily draining stream above our heads. There are fish in here, eating bugs walking on the water's surface. Plop! There goes another one. I shook my head, as if trying to pay attention to the scenery and not to think about the horror at 5:00.

Time passed quicker rather than slower and I knew when about twenty minutes were up. "It's time to go in.", I said, and we put our clothes back on and headed back. I could feel the worry and the fear dripping off him like the water from his hair. I forced my anticipation down- he's gonna go absolutely nuts when he finds out what it is.

"Paul, Sarah. Come here, please.", I said over the intercom. I wasn't looking at Billy, but I knew that he was freaking out- what the hell could possibly cause me to say 'please', especially to servants? Paul looked kind of nervous, which is fine. It's the source of the nervousness that Billy doesn't know about. Sarah acted as she always does. To her, pretending anything is easy. Commands time.

"Paul, stand right there, facing the camera, and then don't try to move anything below your neck.", I told him, pointing to a spot on the floor in front of the camera the nearby Enforcer had set up. "Sarah, stand right there, same command I gave Paul.", I said, pointing to another spot. "Billy, stand right there, same command I gave Sarah." I hesitated, as per the script. "And.. Billy? I forbid you to look to your left."

Paul's cue happened just as Billy freaked. "What the hell is going to happen?!", Billy shouted, as Paul yelled, "Howard, what's going on?!"

Now it's my line again. "You know how I can't stand up to all of them at once? I should have been watching. I should have made sure nothing like this could happen. But now I'm either going to do this on camera.. or I'm dead. And no, I can't fake it. I'm sorry, all three of you. Especially for you, Sarah. I won't be able to save the baby, either." She gasped, on cue. This is stretching believability indeed. Even though I'll never act like a parent for it, the child is from two of the most biologically superior beings on Earth. There's no way in hell I'd let it die before it's even born.

"No way- you're going to fucking kill us!", Paul shouted.

"I don't want to. I don't even want to think about it. This really is the way it has to be. I got the biggest threat I possibly could with the most amount of people behind it. It's pretty much you Billy, they don't want me in two places at once. The two of you are just to die pretty much for their fucking pleasure."

I didn't expect Billy to take this silently, and he didn't. I was expecting him to be louder and more disbelieving, but he used steady, solid logic instead. "Bad decision, Howard. Very bad. You're losing your best assets, and you know it. This is one of the worst things you could possibly do, and you even said you'd never do it. This is foolish and stupid. If you let them make you kill us then you'll be easier prey for them, you know that. Tell them to go fuck themselves and start making examples. You've done it before." He was right, of course, on all counts, making my next act unbelievable indeed.

"I can't, Billy. Not this time. You think I haven't thought about this?" If he was going to say 'You would have never come to the conclusion to do this. This is fake. You're playing a joke on me.', now would be the time. He didn't. "Uuuggh... Shit, Billy. It's been fun. I wish I could have had you longer.", I said, giving him a hug. He was in silent disbelief- on some level he knew this couldn't be happening- but he never vocalized it.

"NO WAY man! No way! No fucking way!!", Paul shouted, as I turned on the camera. I'll give him one thing- he remembers his lines well.

"Paul, be quiet.", I commanded him, silencing him until the end of the joke. I walked in front of the camera, and faced it. "It is Thursday, 4:55 PM. This is Howard... the Dominator. Termination of servants is continuing, as per the mass request."

"Howard, you don't have to do this.", Billy told me bluntly. If I was actually doing this (a thing I can barely consider), I would have silenced him then, but I wanted to give him the chance to call me out until the end of the joke. "You really just don't." In that, he is utterly correct. I'm doing this because it's fun!

"Do it to Paul.", I commanded the Enforcer, sniffling. Bang! The sound was very realistic, and Paul's crumpling to the floor was good enough.

"NOOOOOOO!!!", Billy screamed, desperately, his face a horrible mask of pain and despair. It was all I could do to keep from grinning instead of my sorrowful act. He's going to be so pissed in a few seconds.

"Enforcer... do it to Sarah." Although her falling down was completely uncontrolled, she was almost silent anyway.

I gave Billy just a bit of time. His brain was thinking desperately, just not in the right direction. He was looking for something to say, but I'd already 'killed' the other servants, and he knew I wouldn't start something like that I didn't finish. His next words were something I had never expected to say. "Howard.. I forgive you.." I've never cared about anyone's forgiveness or lack thereof before, but from him it was different, even if originating from a carefully orchestrated sham. I smiled at him, just a bit.

I pointed at him. "Do it to Billy." Bang. He didn't move at all, just stood there, wondering why he wasn't dead.

And now to drop the hammer. "Billy, what's today's date?"

Totally bewildered, he thought about it. The look on his face was priceless as he realized what had really just happened. "April first.", he concluded. "You son of a bitch!!" I laughed and laughed and laughed, bending over and holding my sides. Perfect! Flawless victory! For a moment I was amazed that I had actually managed to pull that off. The question 'can I act?' has been answered, and distinctly in my favor. "That was a- holy shit, you just made that whole thing up-"

"That was the greatest, the absolute greatest. Even I am never going to top that, Billy, never. I'll be watching this one every once in a while forever." The camera, although rather large by our standards, was quite real. And it's still going. "You can move and look to the left again. Joke's over." That phrase ended the joke for Sarah and Paul; Sarah got up, and Paul just laid there, as if dead.

"Paul, get up.", I commanded him. "I know, you wanted to at least fool me a little bit back. Nothing doing." Paul sighed. "Howard.. I forgive you..", I imitated Billy, and laughed again. If he had only known!

"Shut the fuck up, you goddamned asshole!", Billy shouted, completely pissed off. "You were the one who looked like you were going to cry!"

"Yes, I was, wasn't I? You have no idea how tough that is to do. It was worth it just to see the look on your face. I've seen you that scared before, but I've never got it on tape. And I don't ever think I've seen you this livid at me before, either.", I said. He wasn't enraged- I'd know immediately if he was- just in the ultimate state of aggravation.

"Fuck you dude, of course I'm pissed! How the fuck could you DO that to me?!" Have you forgotten who I am, Billy? It was easy! "You weren't just playing with me- you were fucking.. PLAYING with me!" I laughed at that. I think the right word would have been 'toying', as that kind of is what he is. His embarrassment and humiliation (wow, I didn't even know that was possible) were lightened off his face by a slight smile. "But you know, Howard.. I'm actually honored. You did all that pretending, all that hoaxing, just to play a really devious joke on me." I grinned at him. Doing this was, indeed, worth it.

I turned the camera off, giggling. "Billy... I think even you are going to laugh at this someday.", I said, smiling, gently patting him on the head to show that I meant this in fun, not to hurt or humiliate him. He smiled in spite of himself.

"I can't believe you fell for that.", Sarah said to him. "Seriously. You knew better than that. You even said so yourself at the end."

"If you would have determined that this was a joke, Billy, I would have ceased it.", I told him, and that got him more- he knew I was telling the truth. "A couple of times I thought you were going to get it, especially near the end." He so easily could have. "The real reason I didn't want you to look is because I didn't want to bother with fake blood. Had to use a fake gun, though."

"So Sarah and Paul..", Billy began.

"Unwilling actors. Completely.", Paul said. I couldn't have done this without their cooperation, and that's one thing I'm always assured of.

"I had no idea he'd even consider something like this. I had even less of an idea it'd actually work.", Sarah said.

"Sarah was right, Billy. You know I wouldn't even consider just capitulating like that.", I said. If I was actually asked by the Levels to do that, I'd pull the strongest weapons I own and engage in a three-engineered rampage against whoever suggested it, and continue to whoever supported it. I'd be furious if they asked me to destroy my jet or my home, and my servants are worth more to me than either of those things. "But now there is one thing I would like to know."

"Yes, Howard?"

"Do you actually forgive me?", I asked him.

"Now? Hell no." I was too unsurprised to be disappointed.

"That's what I thought." I phrased my next statement carefully. "Billy, you have permission next April Fool's Day to use deceit to attempt to play a harmless joke on me." I wanted to see what he'd do, if nothing else. Maybe I won't even remember it next year, and he'll have the element of surprise, as I definitely won't be expecting deceit from someone who's commanded not to delude me.

"Do you consider what you just did to be harmless?", he asked.

"Yes." It didn't hurt him, did it?

"Good." It sounded like he had a plan or intended to formulate one. I certainly hope so. I know he's more than capable of it. For the moment, I invited him to try to kick my ass in fighting games as revenge; naturally, the results were the same as usual.