[PSL] time travel, time travel

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Martin had always known that Lukas would kill him in the end. If not along the way, then surely at the end, once he'd gotten what he wanted out of Martin, whatever that turned out to be. When the Lonely rose up to swallow him, he'd accepted his impending death with ... what?

What did he have left, really? Numbness, mostly. A hallucination of Jon in the Lonely, looking for him, but - but that was impossible, ridiculous. His mind playing cruel tricks. He settled himself down in the frigid surf, knees drawn up close to his chest, unshed tears frozen to his cheeks and lashes.

And then. A door. A door that shouldn't exist, that couldn't exist. That he shouldn't take at all. The Lonely was terrible, yes, but it was quiet, and it was peaceful. Martin was aligned enough with it by now to very nearly enjoy it, in a strange and terrible way. The Spiral would be infinitely worse than this quiet beach.

But ... it was hope, too. In a strange way. Hope enough that Martin found himself turning the door handle and stepping through, leaving the false comfort of the Lonely behind him.

The transition was unpleasant. Long. But Martin couldn't remember it after; he only remembered stumbling out through the door of a supply closet somewhere deep in the Archives, blinking up at the dim bulbs that pretended to be sufficient. What time was it? Had he escaped? Where were Lukas and Elias now?

And where was Jon? ]

Comments

[curriculum_fictae]

[ It at least doesn’t seem to be a recurring problem here, given that Algric had frankly drunk less than Jon and Tim in this situation. Another topic. Truly not relevant this time.

He nods in response to Tim’s conclusion. ]

Yes. One of his - one of his monsters. Yes. It reached out and just ... unraveled me.

[ He blinks slowly at that, and has to mentally rewind a moment. ]

Oh! Oh, right, she hasn’t - she hasn’t joined yet. That’s good. She’s from that What the Ghost? podcast. Came in for a statement once already? The one about the camerawoman peeling back her skin.

[ And another blink as he realises something else. ]

She - she could see through the Not-Them. And she could probably tell you what Sasha really looked like.

[kayakking]

Ah. [It comes out soft.

There's something near fear and something next to hope and neither of them exactly at that. He treats that with care, as if it could vanish at any second.]

Okay.

I'll. I'll get in contact.

[curriculum_fictae]

Yeah. If - if it will help -

[ He wants to do one good thing for Tim in this. Since he’s clearly already ruined it. ]

A-anyway. My. Mum had just died too, so it was just. When Peter offered ... I didn’t have any reason to say no. He’d already disappeared Tobias Fisher in Research. And I didn’t like the man, but -

[ He looks down at his hands. ]

I agreed to become his - his assistant. In exchange for no one else getting eaten. And for - for him protecting the rest of the staff.

[kayakking]

[Fisher... Fisher. OH. Toby.


... Right. Well.

Of the choices....

But he winces sympathetically. A family death can spur the best and the worst of decisions alike... And Martin has always cared too much, and shouldered responsibility that wasn't entirely his.

It's just, the most difficult sources they'd had recently was explaining off Jon's behavior...]

... And he started feeding you to the Lonely, the way Elias did with Jon and the Eye? Or ... more dramatic than that?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Algric nods at that, shoulders tensing. ]

Mostly. Yes. He - well, obviously he isolated me from the others. Changed my hours. Or just made these little passive aggressive comments about not holding up my end of the deal. He was always so nice that I felt strange complaining about it anyway. What - what could I really complain about? Even if I could talk to Jon, what would I say? He only ever hurt me once before the end, and that was - I think mostly just to. Keep me paranoid that he might do it again.

[ He takes in a shuddering breath. ]

Months of that. He - he wore away at me, until it was more comfortable to just. Not engage.

[kayakking]

[Why is it surprising to find the MO of the lonely is a domestic abuse? It shouldn't be. But somehow it just.. wasn't what he thought. God it fits.

But the turning that over breaks into a snarl.]

Hurt you, how?

[curriculum_fictae]

[ Doesn’t it though? Another link in a terrible chain for Algric, at this point.

He jolts a little at that snarl, surprised and a little grateful. ]

He - he just -

[ A gulp of fresh air. ]

I’d stopped to make small talk with Rosie on the way in. Just, you know. Checking on how everyone was doing. If the deal was actually working, you know? Invisible bastard must have been following behind me. Th-that was part of it too, I had no idea when he was or wasn’t there, so I had to assume he always was, and —

[ His fingers tighten on his knees. ]

When I opened the door to his office, it ... wasn’t. It was this awful frozen beach, misty and terrible. I - I can’t have wandered there for long, but it felt like. Much longer. He showed up after me, casually, and asked me how I’d liked my conversation with Rosie.

I s-stopped trying to talk to people after that.

[kayakking]

Christ. ... Yeah I'd stop too...

[He can imagine it. There were enough statements, laying it out in precise, horrifying detail. And his own experience with Prentiss and the Circus. What it's like to be in a realm so controlled, so inhuman it threatens everything you are.

He hardly notices his fist clenched, but his voice is tight with its own anger.]

Right. So if we find a way to take him down too. On the list.

[curriculum_fictae]

Tim.

[ He sounds so very fond, but - a little exasperated too. He appreciates you, and yet. ]

He hasn’t done that yet.

[ To Algric, anyway. He doesn’t know what Peter’s done to Martin. ]

[kayakking]

Look. I don't care. He signed up for supernatural bullshit. He's also just going to have to deal with deadly grudges from alternate hims.

[curriculum_fictae]

Tim. Please. I’d really rather we not go after anyone we don’t have to. I-it’s dangerous.

[kayakking]

[He. Settles a little.]

So, at least tell me he has no hold on you.

[curriculum_fictae]

Nothing - nothing like that. I’d prefer to never see him again, of course, but I’m not bound to him.

[kayakking]

[He watches for those little ticks and tells of Martin trying to lie and..]

All right. That's the goal then.

[curriculum_fictae]

[ No lies this time, and no obvious hidden information. ]

I-I’m more surprised I haven’t felt poorly for not having gone back to the Institute yet. Pretty sure I’m still bound to it like you are.

[kayakking]

Huh... I mean, it's only been a week and change, and you said there was three?

[Of course, this doesn't take into account how bloody-minded stubborn Tim would be at that point. How really close it probably came.]

[curriculum_fictae]

Closer to two now. And - I mean, we never discussed it, but knowing you, I’m certain that three weeks was the absolute limit.

[ Yep. Algric is definitely considering that. ]

I should feel something by now.

[kayakking]

So... there might be some kind of work around?

[curriculum_fictae]

... Maybe. Or - or there’s something I don’t know, or ...

[ He’s thinking hard. ]

God I hope it’s not a. An alternate timeline thing. I mean, great for me, but not for you.

[kayakking]

...

I'm going to go with the 'the terrible answer is the true one' thing we established earlier.

I mean, I guess we can prove it empirically, but none of us are quite up for holiday yet.

[curriculum_fictae]

Right. That would be our luck.

[ Algric sighs a little. ]

I-I’d say come back to mine somehow, but it’s worse, so.

[kayakking]

Also the legitimate suspicion that would come from, oh hey, suddenly alive again.

[curriculum_fictae]

Yes. Elias would immediately - take issue there. Or try to use you. Or both?

[kayakking]

So, like now, only more.

[curriculum_fictae]

Right. Worse, like I said.

[ He just hangs his head a bit. ]

There is - there is so much going on. I haven’t even told you about things like - like Jon giving the Boneturner two of his ribs.