Chapter Text
There’s a method to Brian’s madness. Knowing when to watch and when to interfere is crucial when everything is on the line. Jay and Tim need to know just enough so they can stop Alex but not too much or they might lose themselves.
On some level, Brian knows he’s already lost parts of himself and will likely never get that back. He’s made his peace with that— it’s hard to care about who he used to be when there’s so much to be done. Besides, he’s efficient enough, he doesn’t need to be Brian Thomas, star actor of Marble Hornets, college student, and friend of many. He needs to be better than he was, because Brian Thomas was naive and paid the price for it and he can’t let that happen again.
So he plays a specific role. Keeping an eye on everyone, leading them where they need to be, and preparing to set the stage. Alex has proven that no matter what Brian tries, the Operator will come to his aid if his life is in danger. It needs him alive and if he wants to get rid of him, Brian needs help to do so. Help from both Tim and Jay.
Problem is that they don’t hate enough. They don’t want to kill Alex, only subdue him and get him some help. They don’t realize that Alex is beyond help but Brian will show them. Feed them information so they realize what needs to be done. They’ll get there— if Brian did then they will too. Tim already felt the same at one point back when they teamed up but he’s grown softer. His memory loss has made him forget that anger that Brian needs.
He’ll remember it again one day. Then maybe they can work together again like they used to. The Twins, ToTheArk had called them. Back when they shared the same goal with seemingly no secrets between them.
Then he learned that Tim lied.
In his anger at the revelation, Brian was unwilling to bring him back like he had countless other times before. A mistake that had cost him a partner because he missed his shot and clearly the Present Tim wasn’t as cutthroat as the one he needed. He wasn’t willing to cross certain lines so unless Brian could fix that, he was out a partner.
Tim was Jay’s partner now. He now believed that there was a better way to end this than with Alex Kralie six feet below the ground.
(Brian wasn’t bitter. Not at all. He brought this on himself— he pushed them to work together.
But if he was harsher on Jay after realizing that he ensured Brian could never have His Partner back, then that was his business.)
His role had always been less hands on than Tim’s. He preferred it that way. Brian didn’t interfere unless he had to. That day, the most he had planned to do was lead Jay and Tim to the tape he hid and lose them in the woods. It almost worked but Tim decided to throw away stealth and sprint after him when he left the hospital and Jay followed in fear of losing sight of them.
Then the Operator showed up and static filled his mind before he found himself in Rosswood. The darkness made it obvious that it was now the dead of night but Brian noted that it had brought Tim and Jay along for the ride too. But while Tim and Jay were disoriented by the sudden jump, Brian was not. He had been through enough of those to shake it off and promptly escaped into the woods, out of sight.
That should’ve been the end of it.
Unfortunately, he now had to step in. Otherwise the only two people he could keep track of and could help him stop Alex would die.
Because the Operator didn’t just take them to Rosswood at night, it took them not too far from Alex and his gun. Last Brian checked, he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near Rosswood but no doubt the Operator had a hand in that too. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter how it all was orchestrated because Alex showed up and nearly ruined everything.
Because Brian didn’t want to interfere anymore than he had to but the more he kept himself out of it, the more it all seemed to go to hell. The details of how it all went down were a blur now, lost in the adrenaline, so Brian focuses on the end result.
Jay was knocked out and on the ground and Tim was masked and not quite recovered from being under the Operator’s influence.
Even while not in complete control, Tim did have some natural self defense as he tended to tackle anything that was a threat but considering Alex had a gun, Brian didn’t like his chances. Alex was closing in and if he caught them now, both of them would almost certainly be shot.
Brian was the only one here who could get them out of it. He wasn’t particularly happy about that but like it or not, he needed those two. With ToTheArk being MIA, they were the most tentative but only ‘allies’ he had.
Albeit reluctantly, Brian stepped out of the shadows of the foliage where he hid and made his way over to the pair.
The crunch of sticks and leaves under his foot made Tim swivel his head towards him. Fortunately, Operator controlled or not, Tim didn’t view him as a threat at that moment. His head cocks to the side curiously, never taking his eyes off of him for a moment.
Brian motions to Jay on the ground then beckons him to follow. He immediately understands, scooping up Jay and throwing him over his shoulder. Brian picks up Jay’s camera from where it fell and sure enough, the red light is still blinking. While Brian leads them away, Tim is only a step behind, never once questioning where they’re going.
It’s useful to have someone who does what they’re told. Brian has worked with Tim enough that even while the Operator has some semblance of control over him, Brian’s hooded disguise is seen as a leader. Someone he can trust. Though even now, Brian can’t say he prefers it to having a partner he can rely on.
Luck decides to have some pity on Brian as they manage to make it out of Rosswood and to Jay’s car without a hitch. However that’s where his luck ends because the second Tim dumps Jay in the back, he promptly decides to pass out himself. Brian groans to himself, sitting the camera on the dashboard, stuffing Tim’s mask into the glove box, and weighing his options.
He would rather not be the one to drive considering what he’s wearing and the fact that if either of them wake up while he is, it won’t be a pretty picture. But the situation leaves him no other choice as Alex bursts from the tree line and bolts right for the car.
Brian curses and snags the keys from Jay. The car roars to life and he wastes no time backing up and hitting the gas to get out of there. The Operator appears in the corner of his eye as he leaves and Brian suppresses a cough. With one hand, he manages to pull out a bottle of pills from his pocket and get one out to swallow dry. His supply is running low but it’s fine— he’ll get more.
For now he drives into the night and tries to piece together where to go from here.
—
He almost drops them off at a motel. Key word being almost because he knows Alex is gonna be on red alert all night looking for them and that Brian really doesn’t want to take off his mask in order to book a place. His best option in order to face neither is to keep driving, so he does.
Besides, the more he thinks about it, the more the idea of an… Alliance with Tim and Jay becomes appealing. Brian isn’t certain it’ll work but seeing how things are spiraling out of his control, he needs to at least take a shot with it. It could have some benefits, he just has to find a way to make them listen.
His only companion through the night is the camera with an ever blinking red light.
Brian loses time while he drives. Thirty minutes turns into hours as the sun peeks over the horizon and leaves him to realize that he’s been on autopilot for who knows how long. He doesn’t know exactly how far he’s gone or even where he’s going but he appreciates the small miracle that somehow he hasn’t crashed. A long puff of air is exhaled from his lungs and Brian rolls his shoulders so they don’t feel so stiff. The lack of sleep weighs on him but he’s dealt with worse so he shrugs it off.
Brian doesn’t notice the movement in the backseat until it’s too late. Then as Tim locks onto him and freezes, Brian regrets not dumping the car in a parking lot and leaving.
Fight or flight kicks in for Tim and unfortunately for Brian, he’s rarely been one to pick the latter. Tim lunges, nabbing a fistful Brian’s hoodie and causing him to jerk. The car swivels enough to through Tim off and Brian thanks whatever higher power there is out there that they’re on an empty country road and didn’t just crash.
The commotion rouses Jay, who sits up in the blind panic. “Tim? What are you—” he cuts himself off when he lays eyes on Brian’s mask and flattens himself against the car seat. “What are you doing? What do you want from us?”
The questions seemingly fly out of his mouth hurriedly as if that’s the only thing he can think to do in a situation like this. Considering past encounters with Alex, Brian silently wonders how he’s even made it this far without dying. Dumb luck and help from himself and Tim is his guess. Though, Jay is a fast runner when he wants to be, that has to help.
“Did you kidnap us?” Tim bares his teeth like a stray dog that’s been cornered.
Brian glances around for some way he can communicate without talking before he spots the camera on the dashboard. How it’s still recording even now, Brian has no idea, but he blindly shoves it into Jay’s hands hoping he’ll get the picture.
The second he has it, Jay doesn’t even question what to do with it. His instinct is to check what’s been recorded on the current tape and Brian breathes out a sigh of relief that it’ll keep them occupied for a little while.
While Jay and Tim huddle around the camera like it’s a campfire keeping them warm, Brian scouts for a good place to park that won’t block the road. He manages to find one after a bit and comes to a stop, getting a wary look from Tim that he ignores. Then it’s a matter of scouring the front of the car.
The glove box yields no results for what he needs. Not a single speck of paper for him to write on, which means no easy way to communicate without speaking. Great.
He could run. It would be simple enough— he knows he’s faster than Tim and if he throws the keys in the opposite direction, Jay will dive for them instead of him. He could escape into the woods and figure out his next steps without too much trouble, other than the fact of having to travel on foot.
But the passing days on his own have made it increasingly obvious that Brian can’t do this alone. He wishes he could but the Operator seems to have latched onto Alex like a violent parasite and all of his attempts to take him out have been thwarted thus far. He’s always known he needed Jay to aid him but Brian was hoping he could keep his distance.
Now with the most recent incident, that’s not looking like the case.
He needs Jay and Tim alive if he wants this nightmare to be over. Watching from a distance isn’t doing the trick anymore— he needs to keep them close.
The issue lies with convincing them that he’s not a threat without his voice.
Convincing two already paranoid and distrusting people to work with someone they already see as a threat.
Brian does not have high hopes but he’s running out of options. As he waits for Tim and Jay to finish watching the tape, he tries not to grip the seat too hard.
“Is everything after you getting in the car just you driving?” Jay breaks the silence, finally looking up from the camera. Brian nods and while he hesitates, Jay decides to tentatively trust him and pauses the tape.
“You… Saved us.” Tim says slowly as if not even he can believe it after watching the tape. “Why? What do you get out of this?”
Brian really wishes he learned ASL. Or thought to bring anything with him that could help but he really wasn’t prepared for this to happen. He’s forced to stay silent, unable to think of a gesture to communicate.
“…You’re not gonna talk, are you?” Tim asks with a huff, already knowing the answer. Brian still confirms this anyways. “Great. The hooded guy with all the answers won’t give us any of them.”
There’s a spark of an idea in Jay’s eyes and he fishes through his pocket until he pulls out his phone. After fiddling with it for a second, he holds it out to Brian. The moment he sees the notes app pulled up, he’s quick to take it and start typing. The gloves would ordinarily give him trouble but Brian recently bought— well, stole really— a new pair with tips that can interact with technology without needing to take them off.
Once he’s written a simple answer, he shows it for the other two to see. They both squint to read and Brian makes a note to type in a bigger font for convenience if this is how they’re gonna be communicating.
‘NEED YOU ALIVE.’ is what’s written.
Both are somewhere between relieved and wary of the answer.
“Why?” Tim decides to ask.
‘ALEX.’ is what Brian writes back. A scoff escapes Tim when he sees it.
“What? You scared of him?” The tone is taunting, purposefully trying to get under his skin. Even knowing this, it still works and Brian grits his teeth from under the mask.
‘NOT SCARED. NEED HELP TAKING HIM DOWN. THE OPERATOR GETS IN THE WAY.’
“The Operator?” Jay echoes with a furrowed brow. It hits him a moment later. “Wait— is that what that thing is called?”
Brian nods.
“Why ‘The Operator’ of all things?”
Brian makes it a point to face Tim as he shows off the next message.
‘IT CONTROLS.’
They get the message, exchanging a silent look between each other.
“If you need our help so badly,” Tim says as he turns back. His eyes are narrowed again, watching his every move for some kind of reaction that’ll give him away. “Why didn’t you come to us directly?”
‘DIDN’T TRUST.’
“You’re one to talk— you run around with a freaky mask!”
‘EVERYONE HAS SECRETS.’
“Some of us more than others.”
‘MY SECRETS KEEP ME ALIVE.’
“Care to share any?”
‘NEED TO KNOW BASIS ONLY.’
Tim looks like he’s contemplating leaving the car right then and there. Jay steps in first. “But if you need us to help you with Alex then doesn’t that count as a ‘Need to know’ situation?”
‘YOU ONLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS NECESSARY. TOO MUCH IS DANGEROUS.’
“Dangerous how?” Jay presses.
‘YOUR LIVES WERE FINE UNTIL YOU SAW WHAT WAS ON THE TAPES. INFORMATION CHANGES YOU.’
The protest in Jay’s eyes dies. Beside him, Tim shifts uncomfortably.
Jay clears his throat awkwardly after a pause. “He… Might have a point about that. I’ve always felt the least paranoid when I was furthest away from this whole Marble Hornets business. If I knew everything—”
“—You might be running around trying to kill people or stalking them. Or both.” Tim finishes, never taking his eyes off of Brian. “This guy and Alex are the only two who seem to know what’s going on and if it means not making cryptic messages all day… Maybe we’re better off.”
‘I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. TOTHEARK KNOWS TOO BUT HE IS MISSING.’
“Are you not ToTheArk?” Jay asks. “Was I right? There were two of you uploading?”
‘MOST OF THE TIME. OCCASIONALLY A THIRD WOULD AS WELL.’
“What happened to these other two people then?”
‘THE FOUNDER HAS GONE RADIO SILENT. MY PARTNER HAS FORGOTTEN WHO HE WAS.’
Tim catches on before Jay does, a scowl forming on his face. “Oh fuck off. I was brainwashed by that thing, I was never your partner.”
Brian has to stop himself from correcting him. Because once upon a time Tim knew just as much as he did and they were partners. The Twins— terrors in the night and reminders that Alex couldn’t get away with what he did. Tim has only been influenced by the Operator so heavily that his memory slipped a handful of times. He was his partner before— his willing and trustworthy partner.
And then—…
It didn’t matter. The past was in the past.
No looking back, no regrets.
“So you lost the people you worked with and need new ones then?” Jay pauses. “Listen, I’m… Willing to help if it means we get extra help too.” Tim shoots Jay a look but Jay mouths ‘Trust me’ before he continues. “But you need to actually stick with us. Work with us— not running off all the time. I speak for both of us when I say that we’re not just gonna sit around waiting for orders because we’re done with that. Either we’re on the same level or we don’t work together at all, deal?”
Despite having the very same idea, Brian still hesitates. He knows how much this changes things and anxiety gnaws at his gut at the idea of losing his tactical advantage of being the eyes everywhere, something that’ll be a lot harder to do if he's stuck with these two.
But with ToTheArk gone and Alex getting more and more dangerous, he doesn't have a lot of choices. Teaming up with Tim and Jay is mutually beneficial no matter how he looks at it.
He nods at last and holds out his hand. Jay takes it, giving it a shake. He then looks at Tim expectantly.
Predictably, Tim is still eyeing him warily.
“I’d like to know who I’m working with.” Tim tells him. “What do we even call you?”
‘MY NAME ISN’T IMPORTANT. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE.’
Jay is first to suggest something. “He wears a hoodie all the time— we could call him that?”
“What, Hoody?” Tim frowns. “No offense but it’s a little dumb, don’t you think?”
“Got any better ideas?” Jay counters. “Not like we can call him Evan or anything like that. That just sounds wrong. Too normal for some guy who runs around in a mask.”
Tim takes too long to answer, clearly just as stumped, and eventually he lets out a sigh of defeat. Jay firmly nods his head, almost smug. “Didn’t think so. Hoody it is!”
“Ugh, fine. I’m only agreeing to this because I really don’t want to get shot by Alex.” Tim finally shakes his hand and Brian nods, satisfied. “I think it goes without saying but if you pull any bullshit, the deal is off, alright? We’ve been fucked over before, we’re not doing it again.”
‘SAME GOES FOR YOU TWO.’
“Please, what could we do?”
‘UNMASK ME IN MY SLEEP. MY IDENTITY IS MY BUSINESS.’
Tim rolls his eyes. “Fine— we’ll behave as long as you do.”
It’s not the most reassuring but Brian could use the assistance. Alex is difficult enough to manage on his own but with the Operator becoming more and more active, he doesn’t think he’ll last. All that matters is taking down Alex— he can deal with these two if that’s what it means.
“Great— quick question,” Jay cuts in, scanning the empty country road. “Where exactly are we?”
Brian’s lack of typing is answer enough. Jay motions for him to hand his phone back. When he does, Jay checks where they are and promptly grimaces before handing it back. “We’re… A long way from Rosswood. Looks like you took the backroads… Have you been driving all night?”
‘HAVEN’T STOPPED.’
“And you didn’t have a destination in mind?”
‘WAS JUST TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM ALEX.’
Jay huffs. “Well, we were planning on getting out of here soon so our stuff is luckily in the trunk… How about we head towards the nearest hotel and rest up? Get food and gas and not be stuck in a car all day?”
Brian nods, then motions to the wheel, hoping they get the idea. As much as he knows he can survive without sleeping for a while, he doesn’t really trust himself to drive.
Jay moves for his door first but Tim is faster, swapping out with Brian for the driver’s seat. Brian takes the passenger seat rather than heading to the back.
“You got hit in the head back in Rosswood, Jay.” Tim reminds him. He passes his phone back to Jay. “I’ll take care of driving, just give me directions.”
“Didn’t get hit that hard…” Jay grumbles but compiles anyway. Before Tim can start the car, Brian taps his shoulder and quickly jots down a message. Tim tenses at the touch.
‘TAKE YOUR MEDICINE.’
“Oh. Right.” Tim gets out of the car to retrieve his pills from the bag in the back. His bottle is practically full. Brian tries not to stare at it. “Of course my stalker knows about my goddamn pills. Is there anything you don’t know about me?”
‘NOT IMPORTANT. TAKE YOUR MEDICINE REGULARLY. IT HELPS.’ After a pause, Brian adds, ‘JAY SHOULD TOO.’
“Wait, what?” Jay stops fiddling with his camera to send Brian a look. “Taking pills that aren’t prescribed to you is a horrible idea— do you have any idea what could go wrong?”
“Gotta agree with Jay on this one.” Tim says after swallowing one. “Our issues aren’t the same anyways.”
‘THEY ARE. JAY IS JUST IN THE MIDDLE STAGES. THE PILLS WILL HELP FIGHT IT FROM GETTING WORSE.’
There’s a silence after they read that. Both of them deep in thought as they put the pieces together. “What are you saying?” Tim says at last.
‘THE OPERATOR CAUSES THIS. THE PILLS HELP. NOT A CURE BUT A DETERRENT.'
To demonstrate his point, Brian pulls his own bottle out of his pocket. Tim’s eyes immediately go wide with recognition. “You’re the one stealing my pills. I thought I was going nuts and misplacing them but you—”
‘I USED TO BE ABLE TO GET MY OWN.’ Brian tells him. ‘BUT THEN ALEX STARTED SCOUTING THE PLACE OUT. I COULDN’T GO ANYMORE WITHOUT RISKING RUNNING INTO HIM. BUT WE SHARE THE SAME MEDICATION. THE SAME SICKNESS.’
“Did you have to steal it from me?”
‘YOU USED TO WILLINGLY SHARE. YOURS WAS THE ONLY SUPPLY I KNEW ABOUT.'
Talking about the pills causes Brian to realize he hasn’t taken his in a while. He swallows one dry and stuffs the pill bottle back in his pocket. Both Jay and Tim watch with wide eyes like they weren’t sure if he was being serious until now.
“Can’t you transfer to a different pharmacy?”
‘LEGALLY DEAD.’
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Tim pinches the bridge of his nose. “Let’s get to a motel already, I just woke up and I already want to lay down.”
Tim sets the car into drive and once Jay gives him a direction to go in, they set off. Tim might think he’s being subtle but Brian knows he keeps sneaking glances at him. Even with their newfound alliance, it’s obvious he doesn’t trust him.
Jay is less subtle about it, giving him long, contemplating looks.
“What happened to you?” Jay asks at last. “Why are you running around in the woods with a mask on? Why are you so— dodgy?”
‘SURVIVAL.’ Brian writes back.
Jay seems skeptical at that. Tim glances back at the pair. “Can you read whatever he writes? I don’t wanna crash because of this asshole.”
“Yeah sure— he just said ‘Survival’ which… I guess but how do you live like this? Where do you even sleep?”
Brian writes down his message for Jay to read out loud. “‘Wherever it’s safe’— jeez, you really don’t care about being comfortable anymore do you?” Jay waits patiently as Brian types again. “‘All that matters is stopping Alex’— yeah, I’m kinda getting that but Tim and I at least have days where we try and de-stress and I’m getting the idea that you haven’t had one of those… Ever.”
Brian rolls his eyes behind his mask. He knows all about their little breaks— they waste too much time. If it were up to Brian, this would’ve been over years ago.
He types again. Jay squints as he reads it. “‘No time for breaks’…” He trails off with a frown and beside him, Tim scoffs.
“No wonder you’re insufferable. Maybe if you acted like a human being for once, you’d be easier to work with.”
Brian pointedly ignores him and opts for watching the window as the scenery rolls by. Even on the run, nature has always been a comfort. A beautiful and reliable constant despite everything else, even if sometimes a monster lurked within it.
Tim and Jay exchange words along the way but Brian largely tunes them out. It’s not important, just figuring out a place to stay. Brian focuses more on resting but doesn't quite let himself fall asleep. Even all the way out here, Brian still needs to be on guard. The Operator has always been a thorn in his side and Alex by proxy. Brian needs to be ready for anything.
Though, it’s difficult to focus when his biggest issue is keeping his eyes from drooping.