MAG 158: Panopticon

Original recording of the events leading up to the disappearance of Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood, Alice Tonner, and Peter Lukas.
== Recording ==
A recording begins with Martin Blackwood walking in the tunnels below the Magnus Institute, accompanied by Peter Lukas.
Martin expresses how uncomfortable he is about being there, and Peter mentions Tim, a conversation topic that Martin quickly dismisses. Peter then reveals that he has The Seven Lamps of Architecture, a Leitner that allows him to control the tunnel pathways. To demonstrate its power, against Martin's concerns, Peter releases the NotThem that Jurgen Leitner had trapped in the tunnels. The NotThem insists they have some "unfinished business to take care of," and scurries off. Peter tells Martin that it will preoccupy the others and, if he wishes, Martin could leave the tunnels to help his peers. Martin says nothing.
A new recording begins. Daisy and Basira explain to John that Elias is no longer in jail and has walked out of his prison cell with little effort, which both overwhelms and bewilders him. John believes that Elias' disappearance coincides with the tape that was left on his desk and that Elias will be making a return to the Institute.
A new recording begins, joining Martin and Peter back in the tunnels. Peter tells him that they are now in the Panopticon of Millbank Prison, a significant site of power for the Beholding, and that he needs Martin's connections to both The Lonely and the Watcher in order to learn more about The Extinction. Before any of this can occur, though, Martin needs to "dispose of the current occupant". Martin spots Jonah Magnus' body and realises, to his horror, that he is to kill him; Peter has a knife for him. Martin questions, shakily, where Jonah's eyes are. Elias appears and declares that Jonah's eyes are exactly where they've always been: "watching over my institute."
A new recording begins. Basira, Daisy and John are discussing the emergence of a new tape recorder on his desk, labelled 'play me!' and accompanied with a key to the tunnels. John wants to listen to it. Basira insists that they do not have the time, but Daisy agrees with John that it could be important. They play the tape.
It begins with the sounds of sloshing liquid, presumably gasoline. Elias Bouchard, catches Gertrude in an attempt to burn down the Archives. The two confirm that Gertrude knows that Jonah Magnus can take on different host bodies, and that Elias is Jonah; she became aware some time after Jonah became Elias, but it took her a decade to find the location of his body. Gertrude's plan was to set the Archives on fire, distracting Elias, then to go after Jonah's body. She had planned to survive the attack on her own patron by destroying her own eyes, as she learned from Eric Delano. However, Elias was not distracted by the ritual of the Dark as she had hoped. Elias cocks a gun. Gertrude insists that he make a move, whether it be killing her or something else, and before she can finish her sentence, a gunshot rings out. Gertrude Robinson's last words are her acknowledging her death and claiming that she thought it would have hurt more. The recording ends.
Basira and John come to the conclusion that Elias Bouchard is, and perhaps has been, for a very long time, Jonah Magnus, and acknowledge his ability to 'body hop' like Maxwell Rayner. John wonders if Peter wants to help Elias or stop him. From afar, heavy footsteps and many screams of terror and confusion can be heard. Basira checks it out.
A new recording begins. Peter asks Jonah what he is doing in the panopticon and Martin, baffled, asks for silence, before asking what would happen if he were to kill him. Jonah says he is honestly not sure: he can guarantee that the experience will be unpleasant for Martin and his peers at the Institute, and they may or may not survive depending on the strength of their connection to the Institute or other entities. He questions whether or not Martin genuinely cares about other people anymore, due to his new connection to the Lonely. Laughing, Martin expresses that he would like to kill Jonah. Peter says that Martin and himself are the same, wanting to be alone and unjudged, and insists he will like the Lonely, and Martin agrees. Peter urges him to kill Jonah, to help save the world. Martin says no.
A new recording begins. Basira tells Daisy and John that Trevor and Julia have made a return and, at the same time, Not-Sasha appears in the Institute. John's thoughts immediately jump to Martin in the tunnels, and rushes away to search for him upon Basira's request. Daisy allows The Hunt to overtake her, and requests that Basira come and kill her when "it's all over". Basira promises that she will and runs. Trevor and Julia come to kill Daisy, but are taken by surprise as she snarls at them.
Back in the panopticon, Martin reaffirms that he will not kill Elias. He confesses that at first he only came to Peter because he felt like he had lost everything -- his mother and John, namely. For awhile Peter had him convinced that only he could stop the Extinction, but it never sat right with him because Martin does not consider himself a chosen one. After acknowledging these suspicions, Martin began to pretend that he was devoted to the Lonely, telling Peter what he wanted to hear to distract him from harming John.
Martin has been playing Peter, and refuses to cooperate and kill Jonah now. Elias gleefully mocks Peter for losing their bet, and Peter grows enraged, before he fulfills his obligation and casts Martin into the realm of the Lonely itself. Elias tells him to leave the door open.
John enters the Panopticon, where he is met by Elias, who informs John that he found his way through the tunnels because Elias called him. Elias reveals that Martin has been taken into the Lonely by Peter; John determines that he must follow and attempt to bring him back, although Elias advises that it is unlikely he will return from willingly walking into the Lonely. He instructs John to know and follow their route. When asked, John confirms that he is scared, and static overtakes the recording.
==Continuity==
*Related Entity: The Eye, The Lonely, The Hunt, and The Stranger
Category:The Magnus Archives Episodes