
Kyle Reese vs. Dr. Silberman: The Wolf in Sheepโs Clothing
Kyle Reese vs. Dr. Silberman: The Wolf in Sheepโs Clothing
The fluorescent lights of the police station buzzed like insects trapped in glass. Kyle Reese sat handcuffed to the metal table, his knuckles scraped from the struggle, sweat dripping from the stress of two timelines pressing against his skull. He wasnโt supposed to be hereโnot in a chair, not in chains, not trying to save the future while some smug doctor scribbled notes about his โdelusions.โ
Dr. Peter Silberman walked in with his soft footsteps and his softer smileโthe smile of a man who thought he understood human nature because heโd read a few textbooks. He sat across from Kyle like a priest hearing confession.
โWell, Kyle,โ Silberman said, uncapping his pen, โyouโve had a very traumatic night. Iโd like to help you. We can start you on something mildโan antipsychotic. It will take the edge off theseโฆ stories.โ
Kyle stared at him, eyes blazing with a fire only survivors of Judgment Day carried.
โStories?โ Kyle whispered.
Silberman nodded, leaning forward as though he were comforting a wounded soldier. โHallucinations of machines, time travel, nuclear warโtextbook cases of paranoid delusion. Youโre under a lot of stress. These medications will help stabilize your thinking.โ
Kyle exhaled slowly, the kind of breath a fighter takes before throwing the first punch. His voice roseโnot with madness, but with the gravity of a prophet who has seen the world end.
โYou want to sedate me? Drug me? Slow me down so I canโt warn them?โ
โKyleโโ
โYouโre a wolf in sheepโs clothing, Silberman,โ Kyle snapped, leaning forward until the cuffs bit into his skin. โYou pretend youโre helping, but you serve the same system that sleepwalks humanity straight into its grave.โ
Silberman blinked. โThatโs not rational.โ
โI come from a world where machines harvest human skulls like crops,โ Kyle said, every word sharp and trembling. โWhere people hide underground like animals because Skynet poisoned the sky. Iโve fought metal monsters that donโt stop, donโt feel, donโt blink. And I am telling youโyour drugs wonโt save anyone. They only make people docile. Blind. Easy.โ
Silberman paused, his pen hanging in mid-air.
Kyle continued, lower nowโcontrolled, deadly sincere.
โIn my time, there were men just like you. โExpertsโ who told people not to question anything. To trust authority. To swallow whatever pill they were given. It made them weak. It made them obedient. And Skynet used that weakness to wipe them out.โ
Silbermanโs calm faรงade flickered for just a moment.
โYou think youโre helping,โ Kyle said. โBut youโre helping the wrong side. Humanity needs people awake. Aware. Ready to fight. Not drugged into smiling while the world burns.โ
Silberman straightened his glasses. โKyle, this is paranoia.โ
Kyle shook his head. โNo. This is clarity.โ
A sound echoed down the hallwayโheavy, metallic, growing closer.
Kyle smiled, not because he was happy, but because it vindicated everything heโd said.
โHere comes your rational explanation,โ he said. โLetโs see your little pills stop him.โ
Silberman turned toward the door, and for the first time in his career, the doctor felt something like fear coiling in his stomach.
The wolf in sheepโs clothing had finally heard the howl at the door

