I Can Live With It

Now, since The Real Test for any choice is having to make the same choice again, 

knowing full well what it might cost.... 

I guess I feel pretty good about that choice,

’cause here I am –

At it again.

Syd :

David.

What did you do? 

David? 

LEGION :

It's Me. I didn't want to scare you.

Syd :

I'm not afraid.

LEGION :

For the record, I wasn't bothering anybody.

We just wanted to be left alone.

To find peace.

Syd :

"We".

LEGION :

My People.

Syd :

Your Commune.

You're talking about Your Commune, 

where you seduce teenage girls 

with Daddy Issues.

LEGION :

You jealous? 

I mean, "No, that's not What I Do."

It's about Love.

I help people, open their minds.

I teach them how to care about each other.

You know? Flaws and all.

'Cause people make mistakes.

We make mistakes.

We do things we can't take back, and then we stop loving ourselves.

And if we can't love ourselves --

Syd :

Oh, is that The Problem? 

You stopped Loving Yourself? 

LEGION :

Baby, I am so sorry.

Syd :

No.

LEGION :

I am.

Syd :

"I, I, I".

You have no idea what it's like to be Me.

My Problems, My Life.

You the mind reader.

You Don't See Me.

You never really did.

HE TURNS ON THE LOVE-VISION

Syd :

Don't-don't don't do that! 

LEGION :

Sorry.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

I'm just trying to tell you, 

Trying to Show You, 

You are All I See.

It's called Love.

Syd :

Have you ever heard The Saying, 

"Men are afraid women will laugh at them; 

women are afraid men will kill them"? 

LEGION :

No! That's awful!

Syd :

You need to turn yourself in.

So you can Treat Me? Or Kill Me? 

Like you did yesterday, twice? 

I saw. She showed me.

The Time Traveler.

She Saved Me from You.

Syd, how could you do that? 

Without a word.

We....

Syd :

Don't say "Love each other".

LEGION :

Lenny said not to come, 

but I had to know.

I had to know.

I am a Good Person.

I Deserve Love.

I Deserve love.

Syd :

You Deserve Love? 

LEGION :

I know, but --

Syd :

You did bad things to me.

You drugged me and had sex with me.

LEGION :

What if I could change that? 

The Timeline.

Syd :

You would still be 

The Man Who Tricked Me.

Who took advantage of me.

I just wouldn't know.

LEGION :

No, no, I-I mean before.

Go back before.

You pick the time --

Syd :

It doesn't matter What You Did.

It's Who You Are, David.

And all of this, your undoing project, 

it's just another trick.

LEGION :

Well, fine.

Then- then let me go.

Disappear.

I won't bother you.

I won't bother anybody.

Syd :

I can't.

LEGION :

Why? If you hate me so much.

Syd :

Because You End The World.

*”DID YOU THINK YOU’D GET AWAY WITH IT....? 

DID YOU THINK •I• WOULDN’T KNOW...?”*

And of course, that is indeed *precisely* what The Shadow (the Jungian-Tibetan Pulp Superhero, The Shadow) *does* say whenever he manifests, in order to drive Evil Men out of their minds and make them utterly destroy themselves

Immediately after he restates for the second time “I *Can* Live with It.” and tries to assume a “relaxed” pose on his couch, the fact of his crossing his legs puts me in mind of The Hanged Man of the Tarot, denoting one with the gift of prophecy and foresight, engaged in an act of self-sacrifice and voluntary suffering for the Greater Good of his tribe and the community.

This is not a natural or comfortable way for a man to sit, and it speaks to  his vulnerability and continuing discomfort.

SISKO: 

At oh eight hundred hours, station time, The Romulan Empire formally declared war against the Dominion. 

They have already struck fifteen bases along the Cardassian border. 

So, this is a huge victory for The Good Guys. 

This may even be the turning point of the entire war. 

There's even a 'Welcome to the Fight' party tonight in the wardroom. 

So I lied, I cheated, I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. 

I am an accessory to murder. 

But most damning thing of all, 

I think I can live with it. 

And if I had to do it all over again, I would.

Garak was right about one thing. A Guilty Conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant, so –

I will learn to live with it. 

Because I can live with it. 

I can live with it. 

Computer, erase that entire personal log.