Chapter Text
Gerry walked the final bit of the way with determination and almost a bit of dance in his stride. He was ready. There was nothing left to do, nobody he needed to say goodbye to. Nightwish was prancing along like she owned the world, invigorated by her friend's good mood.
They passed through the shadow of the panopticon, under its watchful eyes. Gerry knew that the watcher's attention, as much as that was a thing at all, was focused elsewhere at the moment.
He said farewell to Nightwish at the bottom of the tower. She probably didn't understand his words, but she understood scritches and cuddles, and Gerry gave her plenty of that.
While the cat wandered off into the desolate city of London, Gerard began to ascend the stairs. His many eyes gave him a good idea of what was going on up there, the great revolution, the shattering of the pupil. He quickened his pace.
Tightly, he gripped the knife Anthrax had given him. The silver letter opener Gertrude had left for him had been lost when the world had changed, so his capacity for stabbing had been severely lacking.
When he reached the top of the panopticon, he barged into the room of the pupil. He found the scene just like he had hoped. The Archivist, already turnt into the pupil. His lover, cupping his cheek with one hand and gripping a knife with the other.
For just a moment, the Archivist’s eyes focused on Gerard; then his beloved plunged the blade into his stomach. The world around them shattered, and as the gas main beneath the tower ruptured, the great rift between worlds began pulling them into itself.
Gerard charged at them, knife pointed forwards, and lodged it in the archivist’s shoulder. He managed to blurt out a ‘sorry… I need a ride’ before the void between universes swallowed all of them.