Chapter Text
The next morning, Martin stood before the door to Peter’s office. He idly played with his hands in a self-soothing motion. It had been a habit he’d done since he was a child. He hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Come in!” He heard Peter cheerfully call out.
Martin opened the door and stepped in. He closed it behind him.
“Ah, Martin my boy! What brings you here? Having a tough time running the budget?”
“No. No. I…” he sat down, “I’ve thought about it.”
Peter sat forward, “Oh. Have you?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I’m…okay. I’m willing to do it. On the one condition, you promise me that I will be allowed to go. I want to leave the institute. I also want you to continue to protect everyone here. I want them all kept safe.”
Peter folded his hands on the desk and beamed a smile at him, “Brilliant! You have my word, Martin, that stopping this power from forming, will save everyone, and I will continue to protect your colleagues. With your help, we’re going to save the world. Isn’t that something? I also promise, you will be free to go. Although I will be very saddened by that. You’ve been a great assistant.”
Martin sighed, “Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just…what do we do, and when do we start?”
“In a hurry are we?”
“No, but, yes. I just want to get this over and done with and continue on with my life.”
“Tomorrow. Meet me down in the tunnels.”
Martin raised an eyebrow, “The tunnels?”
“Yes! I told you, I need this place. What we need is here . You remember the old prison right?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, good news for us! The institute is built on those very same grounds!”
Martin raised an eyebrow, “What?”
“Yes! What better place to build the Institute than on the grounds of one of Smirke’s best ideas? What we need, lies at the center in what remains of the prison.”
“What’s there at the center?”
Peter smiled and Martin shivered. He didn’t like that smile at all, “You’ll see. Now, I need to get to work preparing the last of what we need. You should go on and prepare yourself as well. We have a big day tomorrow.”
“Right. Okay. Yeah.” Martin stood.
“Oh, and Martin?”
He turned back around and looked at Peter, “Don’t be late.”
“Right.” Martin opened and door and stepped out into the hallway. As he closed the door he heard footsteps. He turned and gasped at who was coming towards him,
“Martin!” Jon called.
Martin panicked and shushed him. He ducked into an empty office down the hall where Jon caught up to him, “Martin we need to talk.”
“Shhh. Goddamnit Jon! Peter is in his office. He will hear you.” Martin crossed his arms and glared at him, “Didn’t I tell you to bugger off?”
“Yes, but, please. Let me explain. I need to tell you that what you’re doing is going to get you killed. I—”
“Stop. Jon please. Please. Leave me alone. I don’t know how many times I can say that before you get that through your thick skull.”
“I didn’t mean what I said with Elias. I was a jerk then. I was scared. I was lost. I was just trying to hide the fact that I have feelings—”
Martin held up his hand, “I don’t care, Jon. I really don’t. Come tomorrow none of this will matter. After I help Peter, I’m leaving the institute for good. You lot will still be fine, but I will get to go free. I can finally live my life the way I want without my mother, without reading another goddamn haunted statement. Without living in fear of another monster trying to kill me just because I work here. I’ll finally be free from you.”
That last one stung Jon. He flinched slightly, “Martin…please just…listen to me for five goddamn seconds. Do you really think Peter is going to let you go? Do you really think this will solve everything? Do you even know what his plan entails?”
“I believe Peter.” Bold faced lie, but Martin had learned to keep a strong poker face in the last few months, “I trust him. With my life.”
Jon laughed, “He’s really got you, hasn’t he? He’s an avatar of the Lonely, Martin. He pulled you into that forsaken place, and made you believe that you’re better off without us. He’s using you.”
“Wow. That sounds just like what you did.”
Jon growled, “No. Martin. I never used you. I—”
“Jon! What are you doing here?” Peter poked his head into the room.
Martin’s heart practically stopped as his eyes went wide, “Oh! Jon was just leaving. Sorry, Peter. He was looking for me to ask me about a statement I requested.”
Jon glared at Peter, “Yeah, right. I saw the request for a statement about another power….wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up and there wasn’t anymore problems coming our way.”
“Oh, yes. Everything is going exactly to plan. Nothing to worry about, Archivist. I’ve got it all handled from here. Do you need anything else?”
Martin looked back at Jon and gave him a pleading look to just drop it.
“No. I suppose not. Do you need anymore information, Martin?” he eyed Martin.
“No. I’m fine. Just go, Jon.”
“Right. Be careful.” Jon said, as he gave Peter one final glare before leaving.
Peter waited until he couldn’t hear Jon’s footsteps anymore, “So, did you tell him anything?”
“No! I swear, Peter. I didn’t say anything. He wanted me to tell him what was going on and he wanted to tell me that I shouldn’t trust you.”
“Do you?”
Martin hesitated and Peter answered for him, “Well, it won’t matter tomorrow anyway, will it, Martin?”
“No.”
“I need to get back to my office. Remember. The tunnels tomorrow.”
“Yup.”
Peter disappeared leaving Martin standing alone.
****
Later that morning, Jon was pacing in his office, “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.”
Basira was sat on the small couch in Jon’s office, with Daisy standing against the wall, “I don’t like this either, Jon. Helen really didn’t tell you anything else?”
Jon looked up at Basira, “No. All she said was that what I’m looking for lies in the center. I explored the tunnels, and I never found the center. It didn’t help that Leitner had been changing them, but I think I’d remember seeing something off.”
“We can maybe try to pull some blueprints. There’s got to be some somewhere, right?” Daisy said, looking at Basira.
Basira shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. I haven’t come across any. Can’t you use your Knowing and look?”
“That’s not how this works. I don’t…”
“That’s not what I mean, Jon. Why don’t you look into his head?”
Jon finally stopped pacing and sat at his desk, “Basira, I told you, I don’t want to look into his head. I can’t in all good conscious do that.”
“Why? This would be a good enough time, and a good enough reason, to use your power. I think he’d forgive you in this circumstance. We don’t really have a lot of other options here. Helen was almost no help, and he won’t tell you himself what’s going on.”
Jon closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, “Fine. Fine. You’re right. This is a life or death situation and…he’s mad enough at me.”
Jon kept his eyes closed as he zeroed in on Martin. He could see him. Working away at his desk. His mind was…cloudy? Fog. That’s what it was. Sadness began to overtake Jon, and he felt tears slipping down his face. He pushed through the fog and found himself on a beach. A large lighthouse sat just ahead of him, the light casting a soft glow through the haze. It was cold. And he wrapped his arms around himself.
“Hello? Martin?” Jon called out into the nothingness. His voice echoing.
The fog wrapped around him, in a way it felt gentle. It was almost comforting in it’s grasp. Jon let it tug at him, as he tried to search deeper for Martin.
There was the faintness of a voice that he recognized as Martin’s. He realized he was hearing his thoughts.
“Does Peter actually want to save the world, or is Jon right? Am I just being used? Jon…he can’t have meant those things, right? What if I just heard him out? Would it really hurt at this point anyway? No. I’m so stupid. So bloody stupid. Of course he did. I can’t pretend anymore. It won’t matter anyway come tomorrow. They’ll all still be safe, as long as I help him, and in the end, that’s all that matters.”
“Martin! Please! Listen to me! I—I was lost. So lost back then. I tried to hide the way I felt about you through anger. Through pushing you away. I never thought you were useless. Everyone loved having you around—”
He pushed harder into Martin’s mind and took a few steps before the beach was ripped out from under him. He felt himself being slammed back into his body, “Jon!” Basira was shaking him.
Jon gasped as he came to on the floor. Basira and Daisy were standing over him, “What…what happened?”
“Jesus, Jon. You…you freaked out. You were fine one minute, and then suddenly you were on the floor whispering, your eyes were glowing and it was….Christ.” Basira took a steady breath.
Jon stood on shaky legs. He held onto his desk for support, “Martin is so wrapped up in the Lonely, his mind is totally fogged by it. I tried to reach further into his mind, to get him to hear me, and…”
“And that’s probably when I slapped you to get you to come to your senses.” Daisy said.
“Yeah. The Lonely feels stronger. I didn’t feel that pull with the Buried. I could find my way out of the Buried, but this…this felt different. It has to be because of Peter’s influence here.” Jon found his chair and sat down, “Thank you. For pulling me out. I honestly don’t know if I could have pulled myself back out. That place is…it’s cold. There’s nothing but the quiet sounds of the beach. The fog surrounded me immediately and I could feel it trying to take me.”
“Were you able to see anything from Martin?” Basira asked.
Jon sighed, “He’s hesitant. If he’d only hear me out, I could talk him out of it. I really could. We know everything is happening tomorrow, but that’s it.”
Basira sighed, “So, we have less than 24 hours to figure out what’s at the center of the tunnels, and stop Martin from killing himself. Great.”
“What if you make a statement?” Daisy said, causing Jon to raise an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Make a statement on tape. Leave it on Martin’s desk when he goes to lunch. That will maybe buy us some time to research. If you tell him all the things you want to say on tape, he’ll have to hear you out then. Maybe he’ll reconsider, and we can figure out how to stop this ritual without Peter’s help, and without Martin getting hurt.”
“That’s…yeah. Okay. Good idea.” Jon reached for the tape recorder, “You go and do your research. We’ll reconvene around 4 and figure out the next step.”
Daisy and Basira headed for the door, “Alright. Sounds good.” Basira said, leading Daisy out of the office and shutting the door.
Jon cleared his throat. He had to lie to get Martin to even begin listening to the statement. If he started out with what he wanted to say, Martin wouldn’t hear it.
He had an idea.
****
Martin came back from the employee lounge. He wasn’t really hungry, but tea and a nice chocolate croissant sounded good enough for him. He had managed to avoid running into anyone, taking lunch a little later than everyone else helped, and he was just glad that Jon wasn’t hanging around.
He walked into his office and shut the door. Walking over to his desk, he paused.
“What is this?”
He set down the mug of tea and his croissant and picked up the tape. There was a note: “Martin. Peter wanted me to give this to you. It’s the last statement we have regarding the new power. I was hesitant to give it to you, but he thinks this will help you in your studies. Make sure to listen to the whole thing. Peter insists on it.
Be Safe.
-Jon”
Martin sighed as he sat down, “Great. Do I really have too? I mean, if we’re doing this tomorrow, what would the point be?”
He pushed the tape to the side and picked up his tea. Gently sipping at the hot liquid he contemplated. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the smooth taste as he swallowed.
“Goddamnit.” He set the mug of tea down and reached for the tape. Putting it in the recorder he pushed play.
“Statement of Jennifer Blum. Regarding the rise of a new power, The Extinction. Statement given by subject date 16/02/1916.
Statement recorded by Jonathan Sims, the Archivist.
Statement begins.
The new power forming will be the end of life. The Extinction will seek out ways to destroy all life and the universe as we know it. It is different from the End, in that the End will get what it wants eventually. The Extinction will take what it wants. It will win no matter what, in the quickest way possible. It’s possible this new power is an offshoot of the End, but I’m not entirely sure.”
There was a pause and Martin almost thought the recording was over. This wasn’t new information to him. Why did Peter want him to listen to it so badly?
“Hello, Martin. Apologies for the deception, but I wanted you to start listening to this. Please don’t turn the tape off. Listen to me. I’m begging you.
Statement of Jonathan Sims, regarding his feelings for Martin Blackwood.
Statement begins.
I’m sorry. I’m so bloody sorry for how I treated you. I was scared, Martin. I was so scared for how I felt about you. I was scared for you to get too close.
Everyone loved having you around. You were so kind, and caring. A genuine light in this manky old place. When I’d run into you in the library, you always had this aura around you of just pure…sunshine. You were gentle and always had a smile on your face.
I knew then I felt something for you. When Elias wanted to promote you to archive staff, I didn’t want you to come down here and get involved with this. The statements I read were…horrifying. I couldn’t put you through that. I tried so hard to make everyone believe I was some skeptic. Some hardass who wasn’t spooked by anything.
When you called me out on it during Jane Prentiss, I told you the honest truth then. I was scared of what the statements were doing to me.
The second time in Elias’ office I was trying to convince myself that someone like you would never have a future with someone like me. So, broken and scarred. Georgie and I ended things badly, as I’m sure you know by now. I couldn’t risk things ending like that with us. I didn’t want to be the one to dull your light.
I sent you off to Carlos Vittery, because I was certain that it wouldn’t go anywhere. That you would go, comeback with nothing, get fed up with being sent out on follow ups, and quit. That’s why I constantly sent you out into the field for research. Not only that, but to get you away from this evil place. I never thought for a second that would lead to you being stalked by Jane. If I would have known, I never would have sent you.
When I found out you had to begin reading statements in my absence before the Unknowing, I was genuine in my concern for you. I never wanted you to start reading them. I never wanted what was happening to me to happen to you. I knew you were scared reading them. I heard your recordings. I’m sorry. It was because of me you had to be put into that position.
I had no idea about what happened to you when you were 17. I only knew what you told me about your mother and lying to get this job. What that boy did to you is awful, Martin. And I’m so very sorry it came off like I was doing the same.
I’d always wanted to tell you, that what you did for us to Elias was incredibly brave and selfless. If I didn’t already know I had feelings for you before, that would have solidified it.
Please. Please. Don’t go through with this with Peter. Please. I’m begging you. He’s going to kill you, Martin. We are certain of it. We’re working on a plan to get this all sorted. You cannot trust him. He’s lied to you and led you along like a sheep to the slaughter. The Lonely is the most insidious of all the powers, in that it let’s you do the work for it. It gets into your head, and let’s you believe all the self doubt and pain is real.
Whatever deal you’ve made with him isn’t worth this, Martin. I promise you we can fix this. Together.
You have people who care about you. All of us want to help you. We want to get you out of this situation alive.
Martin could hear a small hiccup in Jon’s voice. Was he starting to cry?
I…I want you to know, I’m yours if you’d still have me. You’ve always had me, Martin. And I’m a bloody fool for not telling you sooner. For allowing this to go as far as it has. For even thinking for a second that Elias wouldn’t use me against you, and twist the actual truth into something so awful.
If you made it this far, and you change your mind, I’ll be waiting for you in my office. Please, reconsider. I want a future with you.
I—I love you, Martin.
Statement ends.”
Martin barely registered as the tape clicked off. He wiped at the tears running down his face. Jon never hated him. Jon cared about him. Jon wanted a future with him.
Jon loved him.
“Christ, Jon. I…goddammit.” He said out loud to himself.
“Hm, He puts on a good show, doesn’t he?” Peter said out of no where.
Martin jumped, “Peter.”
“Martin.”
“Is—is he telling the truth?”
“About which part?”
“All of it. Are you really…did you lie to me?”
“Not at all! Everything I’ve told you has been true, Martin. The Extinction will kill everyone, that’s just a fact. An unfortunate reality. One that I don’t want to see happen, and I assume you don’t want to see happen.”
“But you have lied to me. I’m not coming back from this am I? You said I’d be free to go, but that’s not really what’s going to happen, is it?”
“I haven’t lied to you. Yes, you will be free to go, if everything goes according to plan. I don’t intend on killing you.”
“So, Jon's not telling the truth?”
“You can choose to believe him, if you like, but understand, I can’t protect them if you back out. There’s plenty of other beings out there that have been waiting to sink their teeth into your colleagues.”
“Friends.” Martin said defiantly.
“Friends? Well. That certainly is a change. But, regardless, backing out now would put everyone in danger.”
“So, you’re blackmailing me?”
“No…but, I’m just telling you what the stakes are. If you don’t hold up your end of the deal, I can’t hold up mine. That’s not fair, now, is it?”
Martin sighed, “No, I suppose not.”
“So, after hearing from your dear Archivist, are you still in or do I have to look into hiring a new archival staff after whatever entity decides to attack first, kills them all?”
“No…I’m…I’m in.” Martin said, defeated.
“Brilliant! Well, I have some good news for you then! We are ready now!”
“What? Right now?”
“Yes!”
“I thought you said you needed to prepare?”
“I’ve been busy all morning combing through Elias’ office to find what I was looking for. He had what I needed hidden right in plain sight, cheeky bastard. Anyway, I think it’s best, given what’s just happened, if we go ahead and get things going now. The quicker we get this done, the better.”
“Oh…okay…I guess that’s alright.”
“Wonderful. Come now, Martin. Let’s head into the tunnels.”
Martin followed Peter out of his office. He held on to some small hope, that Jon would come for him. If he kept playing along, it could give Jon time to figure something out, and save him.
Jon had to. If what he said was true, Martin believed that Jon would fight for him.