From the desk of The Capo.
We talk a lot in the Safe House about holding the line. We talk about strategy, about weaponry, about the daily grind of warfare against your own wiring. We expect strength. We demand resilience.
But every made man in this Family knows the ugly truth, even if we don’t speak it over cigars in the Social Club:
Sometimes, the enemy brings more firepower than you can handle alone.
Sometimes the darkness isn’t just whispering; it’s screaming. Sometimes the walls of the trench start caving in, and you realize you are buried alive, and you cannot dig your own way out.
In the civilian world, they give you pamphlets and platitudes. They tell you to “reach out.”
In this Cartel, we have a protocol. We call it The Red Phone.
What is the Red Phone?
In the old days, there was always a direct line on the boss’s desk that bypassed the switchboard. It didn’t ring for chatter. It didn’t ring for business deals. It only rang when the house was burning down.
That is what the Red Phone button on this chassis is.
It is your immediate signal flare. It is the panic button on the dash. It is a direct link to crisis resources outside the wire—professionals equipped to handle a psychotic break, a severe manic episode, or the darkest suicidal ideation.
It’s not for venting—we have The Confessional for that. It’s for survival.
The Protocol: When to Pull the Trigger
A lot of men hesitate. They think calling for backup makes them weak. They think they should be able to white-knuckle it through the night.
Listen to me: Dead men don’t win wars.
There is no honor in letting the enemy take you out because you were too proud to signal the crew. You need to know exactly when to use it.
You hit the Red Phone when:
- The panic attack has lasted too long and you feel like you are physically dying.
- The noise in your head turns from general negativity into specific plans to check out early.
- You have lost your grip on reality and you know you are a danger to yourself right now.
If you are debating whether things are “bad enough” to use it… they are bad enough.
The Oath
The Coping Cartel runs on loyalty. We don’t leave a made man bleeding out on the field.
The Red Phone is our guarantee to you. It’s a reminder that no matter how deep in the hole you are at 3:00 AM, you are not isolated. You are part of a crew that demands you stay alive.
Know where the button is. It’s usually floating in the corner of your screen, or highlighted in red on the menu.
Hope you never have to use it. Train hard in The Armory so you don’t have to use it.
But if the night gets too dark to navigate alone… make the call. Survive the night.
We handle business in the morning.