Chapter Text
(Recorder clicks on.)
(There’s an air of quiet tension. People shifting around a small room.)
Basira: “Jon, I don’t know if this is the best idea. He’s made his position clear. Not to mention you said yourself you wanted to trust him. What’s changed?”
(Quiet thud as a solid object hits a desk. A mug?)
Jon: “I spoke with Peter Lukas.”
Basira: “…And?”
Jon: “And he’s a smarmy bastard. (Sigh.) I think he’s up to something, more than we first thought. More than the obvious, of course. Him and Elias have some sort of bet.”
(Quiet static fades out.)
Jon: “Oh. Yes. There was a bet about what Peter could convince Martin to do, I hadn’t realized.”
Basira: (Clipped.) “Jon.”
Jon: “Yes, I apparently just Know that now. There’s something going on and we need to get Martin away from it before he gets in too deep. There’s still hope for him.”
(A tense silence.)
Daisy: “Unlike you, Jon?”
Jon: (Snapping.) “Yes, unlike me. A heavy addiction to this place and the suffering of the people hurt by it is too deep for me to get out. But Martin isn’t there yet, trust me on that. And anyways, he’s coming back. We can ad nauseum this later.”
(Footsteps approach from behind the door, slow and tired. A creak.)
Martin: (Sighing.) “What’s all this then?”
Jon: (Urgent.) “Martin. We need to talk, there’s…”
Martin: “Jon, please don’t start. We’ve talked about this.”
Daisy: “I really don’t think we have, Martin. You’ve done your best to run us off, but I think your heart isn’t in it. That doesn’t matter anyways, we have new intel.”
Jon: “Martin, I think Peter has an ulterior motive, he…”
Martin: (Interrupting.) “New intel? (Scoffing.) This isn’t telly. You think I don’t know that working with these dark, corrupting forces isn’t a bad idea? Obviously it is! But I have my reasons, and honestly, it doesn’t involve any of you.”
Basira: “We all get mixed in whenever any one of us interacts with these powers, Martin. He may be isolating you, but he’s also vanished people here. We need him out. Permanently.”
Martin: (Sighing again, reigning in his earlier anger.) “Peter is gone. He only very rarely visits me, and I’m the one taking care of the daily running of the Institute. Or hadn’t you noticed that no one has vanished in months? It’s honestly too chummy here for Peter. (Quietly.) I’m starting to think it’s too chummy here for me.”
(A creak of the door, Martin’s footsteps leaving.)
Jon: (Urgent and slightly panicked.) “Martin, wait.”
Martin: (Impatient.) “What, Jon? I really don’t have time for this.”
Jon: “What if I could show you there was a reason to stay?”
Daisy: (Quietly.) “Jon.”
Basira: “I think we have our answer, Jon.”
Jon: “No, give me a chance. Martin, we need you here. There’s so much darkness and danger, we already lost so many of our team. Don’t make me lose you too. (A static begins to build.) I know it’s easier to isolate yourself and distrust that the people you should be able to rely on won’t be there when you need them. I know it’s easier to take that power away from them, but please. Give us a chance. Your life has been lonely…”
Martin: (Tensing.) “Jon, stop.”
Jon: “No. I know that a lot of people have let you down, and you feel like it’s your lot in life to be left behind, to watch others walk away. (The static increases in urgency.) And I know that I have often been the one to make you feel that way. Especially after the Unknowing, with almost everyone gone, and your mother dying. But we...”
(There’s a sound of a single footstep, a light rustle of fabric, and the static crescendos, quickly followed by a cracking tear of a vacuum ripping the air out of the room.)
(Then silence.)
(Very quickly the silence becomes general uproar. Many voices speak at once.)
Daisy: “Jon? Jon!”
Basira: “Where did he go?! Martin? Did you do that?”
Martin: (Confused.) “Wait, no… I can’t do that. Jon?”
Daisy: (A hint of growl entering her throat.) “What did you do with him, Martin?”
Martin: (Apathy gone.) “No! No, I can’t do that. Where did he… How did I… Jon!”
Daisy: (The growl is no longer hinted at.) “You’ll bring him back right now, boy.”
Basira: (Alarmed.) “Daisy, stop! Step away from this right now. Martin and I will talk about this. Go stand outside until you get this under control. If he sent him away we need him to bring Jon back. Go breathe.”
Daisy: (Panting and shaky, but beginning to regain control.) “Yes, yes ok. (A pause.) You watch him, Basira. Don’t let him get away.”
Basira: “I won’t. He’s going to answer some questions for me.”
(Footsteps and the door closes.)
Basira: “Now. Where did Jon go?”
Martin: (The beginnings of a panic entering his voice.) "He's... he's gone. I think the way Peter sent those researches away. But that's Peter. That's not something that I'm ever supposed to be able to do!?"
(Martin is openly panicking now.)
Basira: "Ok, calm down. We'll figure this out. I'm going to check on Daisy and you are going to sit here while I do that. I want you to think very hard about how this works and how we can get him back, alright?"
Martin: "Yes... yes alright. I can do that."
(Door opens and closes again. There's a sound of a body making a boneless impact with a chair. Martin sighs heavily.)
Martin: "This... this wasn't supposed to happen."
(More silence.)
Martin: "Wait, hang on!"
(Scraping noise of plastic on wood.)
(Recording clicks off.)