Chapter Text
[CLICK]
SASHA
You’re sure you want to do this right now?
ARCHIVIST
It’s best to get everything on the record while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind.
SASHA
All right. I won’t stall you, then.
ARCHIVIST
Statement of Sasha James, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, regarding the invasion by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss. Statement recorded direct from subject, 29th July, 2016. In your own time.
SASHA
Right. I’m guessing you don’t need my account of the couple hours we all spent holed up in storage?
ARCHIVIST
That is correct. If need be, I can describe what happened myself. And we still have the tape from the storeroom.
SASHA
…I really am sorry about that.
ARCHIVIST
It’s fine, Sasha. From what I heard, you acted in the way that seemed best at the time. And you’re alive, and I daresay I prefer having you and not the tape to the alternative.
SASHA
All right.
I don’t remember if you were recording when I left the storeroom, but I pretty much just booked it from the moment I was out the door. There was a tape recorder on the floor, and there didn’t seem to be so many worms out that I was in immediate danger, so I picked it up just in case before running off. What you said, about not wanting to become another mystery… I think it stuck in my head, a bit.
It didn’t take too long to find the fire alarm, and as soon as I pulled it I ran to the nearest door out. Of course, being in the Archives, I was still far from the first person to evacuate, and I think the worms might have made it to the upper floors even before then, given how many there were when I went back in.
The fire alarm was going off, but once outside it occurred to me that I hadn’t actually seen the fire suppressant system start up. According to Elias—sorry, I ran into Elias outside and we talked, he probably mentioned that already, though—the fire system was a separate thing from the fire alarm, and could only be manually activated through its own switch in the boiler room, which is frankly horrible design—I’m getting off topic.
The point is, Elias and I went back in, but we ran into this… wave of worms, or it ran into us, and we must have gone in different directions. I ended up on the first floor, which was where I found Michael, and I suggested we hide in Artefact Storage.
It… wasn’t fun, being back in Artefact Storage. I mean, it was fine at first, since I wasn’t alone and it was the only alternative to being outside in the worms, but… what happened next was a pretty nasty reminder of why I quit working there.
I found that table. You know, the one from the Patel statement, the one you said was brought in a few weeks back. It… it didn’t really compel me, actually, not like the statement made it out. I just remember thinking it looked like a pretty basic optical illusion. I asked Michael what he thought of it—I was trying to distract him, since he seemed pretty shaken up by the whole situation—but before he could say anything, this thing showed up.
It did look like the statement described it, at least the parts of it I could see. Dark grey hands with long arms and sharp fingers, and it was fast. I panicked, and threw the tape recorder, and Michael and I managed to flee through the door before it could come after us.
We just… ran, I think. Sorry, my head’s been a little fuzzy for a while, and I can’t tell if it’s from adrenaline or CO2 poisoning or what. But we made it to an exterior door without running into any worms, and that’s when I saw them loading you into the ambulance.
Is that good?
ARCHIVIST
Yes… yes, I think that’s all I need from you. And you’re doing all right, after… everything?
SASHA
Don’t worry about me, Jon. I made it out with far fewer injuries than you.
ARCHIVIST
Just the one in your shoulder, right?
SASHA
Just the one in my shoulder, yeah. No idea how it got there—must have dropped from the ceiling or something. But we managed to get it out pretty cleanly, so I’d say I got off fairly light, all things considered.
ARCHIVIST
All right. Still, you should get some rest.
SASHA
I will as long as you promise you will. You look awful.
ARCHIVIST
I’ve been told.
[CLICK]
[CLICK]
MICHAEL
I, I’m just, ah, I’m, I’m, I’m not sure, um, how—how much I, ah, I’d have to add? I mean, I-I-I was with Sasha for, for pretty much the… I mean, everything that wasn’t, uh, wasn’t, wasn’t just… wandering around… killing worms, and she’s already been in, so…
ARCHIVIST
Still, I’d like to hear your version of events. Fill in any gaps. From what I understand, things got rather… hectic.
MICHAEL
…R-right.
ARCHIVIST
Statement of Michael Shelley, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, regarding the invasion by the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss, recorded direct from subject 29th July, 2016.
MICHAEL
She’s still Jane Prentiss, though, ah, isn’t she? Just because she, um… maybe wasn’t human anymore, it doesn’t mean… I mean…
ARCHIVIST
Is it really that important?
MICHAEL
…No…
ARCHIVIST
Then let’s skip to the statement, please. I can feel the painkillers wearing off, and I’d like to be done with this as quickly as possible.
MICHAEL
Then why not… um… w-what, what I mean is, is we, w-we can maybe ddo this do this another day?
ARCHIVIST
You’re here now and by the next time we get the chance to record this, your memory of the events might have faded. Now, please, your statement.
MICHAEL
…Right.
Well, like I said, between getting back from lunch and running into Sasha it was really just wandering around the upper floor killing worms. I’d managed to catch myself before going into the Archives—I saw the worms—so I was just, um, hiding out? Except it wasn’t really ‘hiding,’ given the worms were… well, everywhere.
Except for Artefact Storage, which I didn’t even think of until Sasha suggested it. It was a good idea—I guess it makes sense for them to have the best security in the Institute, ha. The worms couldn’t get through the door, so we just… waited. I’d had to get a worm out of Sasha’s shoulder, but the wound didn’t seem too bad and I wasn’t injured myself, so we didn’t have a lot to worry about, and we got to talking.
That’s when Sasha pointed out the table. I’d… heard about it, but I didn’t know we actually had it. Anyway, I got a bad feeling about it, but before I could say anything…
It was the creature from Amy Patel’s statement. Exactly as she described it. We both kind of froze, I think, but I managed to snap out of it enough to yell at her to move, and we escaped through a door. The creature couldn’t get through, and there weren’t any worms, so we caught our breath for a moment before going outside.
She, ah, threw the tape recorder then. I don’t think you’re going to get it back.
ARCHIVIST
It’s fine. That’s what these statements are for. Is there anything else?
MICHAEL
Ah, no, I don’t—don’t think so, unless—unless there’s anything else you wanted to ask?
ARCHIVIST
No, not… you didn’t happen to run into any strange corridors on your way into the Institute, did you?
MICHAEL
(suddenly higher-pitched than usual) Strange… corridors?
ARCHIVIST
Yes, it’s just something Tim mentioned. Since both of you were outside the Institute when the attacks started, I thought I’d follow up with you as well.
MICHAEL
Oh! Oh. Ha. No, I, um, don’t recall any, um, any strange—strange corridors going in-into the Institute, ah, but… I’ll, ah… keep an, keep an eye an eye out? Hah.
ARCHIVIST
Very well. I’ll let you go, then.
[CLICK]
“That went… well?”
Michael hummed noncommittally, eyes focused on something in the distance that Sasha couldn’t identify. “As well as it could have.”
“I guess so.” Sasha frowned. “When I was talking to Jon, I… I’m not really sure how to describe it, it just felt like… I was trying to leave out pieces of it, but I couldn’t actually lie to cover them up. Every time I tried to say something that wasn’t true, the words just… wouldn’t work.”
“That would make sense.” Michael finally looked at Sasha. “Your Archivist is… fighting against his own nature, but he is already on the path to becoming what he will become.” Its expression was downcast. “That’s… a good thing, probably. It depends.”
“You don’t… look like you think it’s a good thing.”
Michael dropped his gaze. “It… would be, ah, easier if it weren’t. If the Archivist were something to oppose. This is… complicated.”
“Right.” When Michael didn’t say anything, Sasha continued, “Jon’s a good person, though. He’s doing his best.”
“He is,” Michael agreed. “Both of those things.”
Sasha nodded, not quite sure what else to add. “See you whenever they deem the Archives fit for human habitation again, then?”
“I suppose so.” Michael reached out to a door that had not been there a moment before and wrapped his fingers around the doorknob. “Good-bye, Sasha.”
Then he stepped through, and the door once again had never been there.