The Magnus Protocol 26 - Catching Up
24:50 Share

Am I doing the right thing with my finances? Am I saving enough? Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much in taxes? Will I be able to retire? Putting a financial plan together feels impossible. What if I told you there was another way? Take FACET's free financial wellness quiz to get your score and a snapshot of your current financial health. Visit FACET.com now and discover your financial wellness score today. That's FACET.com.

Hot and spicy. The flavour has spoken. Not everywhere and not forever.

When you use SAP Concur solutions to automate your business finances, you'll be ready for anything. Except when you're trained to work is also headed to the comic convention with the mighty Zorg on board. Who happened to bump into his arch nemesis? With SAP Concur, you can be ready for almost anything. Take control of your business finances today at Concur.com.

At 1-800-Flowers.com, we know that connections are at the heart of being human. Whether celebrating life's joys or comforting during tough times, 1-800-Flowers helps you express what words can't. For nearly 50 years, millions have trusted 1-800-Flowers to deliver thoughtful gifts that help create lasting bonds. Because it's more than just a gift.

It's your way of showing you care. Visit 1-800-Flowers.com slash ACAST and connect today. That's 1-800-Flowers.com slash ACAST.

Expressing your love can look many different ways. And with the right jewelry gift from Blue Nile, it can truly sparkle. Blue Nile's collection of classic diamond jewelry makes for the kind of gift that speaks volumes without saying a single word. Or switch things up with a sapphire piece sure to spark conversation. Either way, Blue Nile's Diamond Guarantee ensures you get the highest quality at the best price.

Express yourself with Blue Nile and get up to 30% off at BlueNile.com. That's BlueNile.com. Let's talk about something that's not always top of mind, but still really important. Life insurance. Why? Because it offers financial protection for your loved ones and can help them pay for things like a mortgage, credit card debt. It can even help fund an education.

And guess what? Life insurance is probably a lot more affordable than you think. In fact, most people think life insurance is three times more expensive than it is. So with State Farm Life Insurance, you can protect your loved ones without breaking the bank. Not sure where to start? State Farm has over 19,000 local agents that can help you choose an option to fit your needs and budget. Get started today and contact a State Farm agent or go to statefarm.com.

This episode is dedicated to Sierra Rush. The world is so rich and vast and beautiful, and you are here to share your beauty with it. There are many small moments in life, but they are quilted together to be you. You're going to be amazing. Rosti Quill presents The Magnus Protocol Episode 26 Catching Up How are we looking? Pretty much there. You? Close enough. Right, let's go before anything more comes in.

Did you just categorize that last one as dog? Got a problem with that? No. Good. It's just dog. That's it. It was about a dog? Not cross-linked with, like, teeth or... All dogs have teeth. I guess, but... Look, do you want to go and meet Helen? Or do you want to stay here and discuss dogs? Because either way, I'm happy. Yeah, all right. All right. You okay? You know me...

This stuff makes me nervous. Yeah, me too. Really? So, anything particular that you're worked up about? No. Yeah, not sure. I just don't think I can face another dead end. Hey, Alice. Planning another daring heist? The crown jewels aren't gonna steal themselves. Oh, that's good to hear. I was worrying for a moment that you were magnusing.

Uh, Magnusing? Magnusing. Verb. To insist on poking around stuff to do with the Magnus Institute, despite Alice's continued efforts to stop you getting yourselves killed. Alice, we've been over this. No, you're right. It's fine. You know how I feel, but you're both grown adults. You can make your own choices.

Just make sure you take protection, okay? Jesus Christ! Like a big knife or something. Don't worry. Oh, wow! That'll do it. Okay then. Maybe don't get it out at work though. We'll be careful, Alice. I promise. Fine. Off you go then. I guess. See you tonight! Yeah, see you later. Celia, are you sure that thing's legal?

Witness statement of Alexander Rumins. Date of birth: 10th September 2000. Occupation: Accountant. 17 Granston Avenue, Hackney. 14 April 2024. My name is Alexander Rumins. I've... I've never done one of these, so I'm not quite sure what I am meant to say here.

I'm 23. I'm male. I've lived in London my whole life. I have two sisters, one older and one younger. My dad died when I was 15 and my mother still lives in the house I grew up in. And yesterday... God, even saying it makes me feel horribly nauseous. I saw someone die. I saw someone die. Right in front of me and there wasn't a single thing I could have done to help. The worst thing is that I know him. Knew him.

How long does it take until I speak of him in the past tense? I knew him, and now I don't anymore. The dead person is... was... Jared Smith. He was an athletics coach who trained young runners. I know because I was one of them. At a very young age, I realized I could run faster than anyone. It was like I could take a deep breath that spread into my chest, my legs, and shot through me like an arrow.

By the time I was ten, I could outrun most teachers and all the older boys in the big school next to my primary. It became a bit of a game for them. No one could ever catch me, except Mr. Jarrod. I only knew him as my P.E. teacher then, the new P.E. teacher who had started in my final year of primary school. That was the first time we had athletics rather than football or rugby or gymnastics.

I won, of course. I was faster than anyone, no matter how many times he asked me to race again and again until finally he placed himself next to me and simply shouted, Go! That shot of adrenaline went through my chest, my legs pumping faster and faster until I realized Mr. Jarrod had passed me. No matter how much faster I tried to push my legs, I lost. Afterwards, spitting and sputtering, I managed to say...

"'Can you teach me to run faster?' "'It wasn't easy getting permission from my parents. "'They didn't understand why I needed to train after school, "'and they certainly didn't have any money for special clothes or shoes. "'But Mr. Jarrod had a spare pair of training shoes, "'and he promised he would bring me home every day after training. "'So my parents, exhausted by their double shifts at Tesco, agreed.'

And that's how it started. Three times a week, Mr. Jared would meet me on the playground outside the gymnasium with the track already marked and his stopwatch at the ready. If it was raining, we moved inside. If it was cold, I'd wear an extra layer. But we never, ever missed a session. It was just a few months later that I ran my first race. Only my sisters were there to watch me win. That was the first time I remember feeling proud of myself.

It's not a feeling I've had for a long time. Despite seeing each other almost every day, I knew very little of Mr. Jared. All I knew was that he was there at the track three times a week and that he knew how to make me faster. First, I became the fastest in my borough. Then I won the London Athletics meet. I was the youngest to ever win the meet, and the sponsors were salivating all over themselves, but Mr. Jared told me to ignore all of them and just to focus on running.

The next year, just before I was due to run the meet again, to come back and defend my title, my father died. I had just completed a personal best at the hundred meters. I turned and saw my older sister standing at the edge of the track. I will never forget the look on her face. Her eyes, always so brown, looked darker than ink, and her face was almost entirely slack. I'm not sure how she managed to say the words, but I heard them nonetheless. "It's Dad."

We have to go home. I ran. The streets were a blur as I barely dodged cars and pedestrians, as if by running I could reach my father and he'd be alive. I honestly don't remember the following days. The funeral came and went. My sisters went back to school and to college. My mother picked up more shifts at Tesco. But I stopped running. What was the point? Running didn't do anything to help my dad.

Mr. Jared came to visit once, a few weeks after the funeral, before I went back to school. He knocked only once and spoke to ask if he could come in. I didn't answer the door, and he didn't knock again. That was the last time I saw him, until yesterday morning. I haven't run for such a long time, you see.

I've been working as an accountant since I graduated. Don't get me wrong, it's an incredibly boring job, but now my mum doesn't have to work at Tesco, and neither do my sisters. I like to take walks in the morning before work. Just stretch my legs a little. Not run, though. Never run. I went this morning as usual. Nothing strange about that. Till I saw him. Mr. Jared. I recognized him instantly. His stride, his dark skin glistening with sweat, his pace...

I couldn't believe it. Seven years since I saw him, but I still felt that old thrill at the idea of racing him. "Mr. Jared!" I shouted. "Mr. Jared, it's me, Alex!" But he didn't stop. He didn't so much as slow down. He thundered past me, his legs moving smoothly. I have never been a superstitious person, but for some reason, when I looked at Mr. Jared run faster than I had ever seen him,

A cold and slimy shiver went down my back. He seemed to be running for his life. I don't have any explanation for why I think that, but he seemed more frightened than anyone I have ever seen. I could smell the fear coming off his skin as he thundered past me again. His shirt was completely soaked, as were his shorts, and you could see the flecks of sweat fly off his face and arms, even at a distance. Even at the speed his legs were moving.

He wasn't being chased. I looked around, but the entire park was completely deserted. It was only moments after five in the morning. There was no one to ask for help, and I had a sudden thought that if I took my eyes off him, something truly awful would happen. I had only one choice. I'm nowhere near as fast as I was. I was gasping before 20 meters had passed and sweating by 50 meters, and I just couldn't keep up. Mr. Jarrod, please...

Stop, I begged as my legs started to seize up. But in all the years we trained together, I could never catch Mr. Jared, and today was no different. I grasped at the air as he pulled further away, missing his t-shirt by inches. I stopped again. I felt as if I would never take in enough air. That's when I realized that he was running laps of the park.

I didn't need to catch him, I just needed to meet him. So I turned and ran the other way. I drew closer and closer and suddenly I was knocked completely off my feet. Mr. Jared ran straight over me. I think he ran through me. I tried to stand up but had to sit down again, a dizzying rush of pain swooping through my body. I called to him but of course he couldn't hear me. I don't think he could hear anyone.

A few moments later he ran past me again, his breaths gasping and heaving, as if it was taking every ounce of strength and energy to keep his body moving. His face was contorted in complete terror, and that's when I could make out that his mouth was moving. Words seemed to tumble out in a cascade, like he was telling some awful story, but they were lost under his labored breathing. Our eyes locked for a moment, just as he stumbled and fell.

Was there recognition? I don't know. He hit the ground headfirst, and even at that distance I could hear the sickening sound of his skull splitting open. Every step sent a shard of horrible pain through my head, but I ran until I reached him. Mr. Jarrod's forehead had a horrible cut, with the blood freely flowing into his eyes. Even so, he was struggling to get up, to continue running, and his mouth kept forming words.

I dropped to my knees, trying to stop him from moving. Bloody and shaking, he pushed me away, weakly trying to get up again, but he barely made it to his knees before he fell over again. And all the while, he kept muttering. I could make out a few of the words now. They're coming now and getting close, so very close, and when I slow and when I stop, they will catch me and they will hurt me. There was more, but I didn't hear it, because I saw that we were no longer alone in the park.

I don't know how it came up so close without me seeing it. A figure, tall and thin and still in shadow even in the morning sun. I couldn't make out its face, but I felt it, looking at me, looking at me from everywhere. It was holding a tape recorder to Mr. Jarrod's mouth, like it was trying to catch his dying words. "Who are you?" I asked it. "An archivist," it replied.

Hmm.

I don't remember the last time I saw you bothered by a case. And I suppose you're just cucumber cool about yet another visit from your murderous tape recording pal. Is that it? There are plenty of dangerous monsters out there, Alice. It's not worth obsessing over one of them. I'm not obsessed. I'm just irritated because there isn't a code for Archivist. So? Collector, Librarian, Eavesdropper. Just pick one of those. But it said Archivist.

I'm okay. It is.

She thinks one of the externals, the one with the tapes, the archivist... She thinks we might have let it out. Or at least got his attention, brought it down here. If she's right, that would mean all those people... They would still be alive if I hadn't insisted on poking around. How are you? I don't know. Something's off. You can say that again. No, I mean, something isn't right.

The external, the archivist. It's not acting how I would have expected. Got a lot of experience with killer tapes, do you? I just mean that... Hi. Sorry to keep you waiting. Helen. That's me. I'm guessing you're Celia, so you must be... Sam. Hi. Pleasure. So, can I get either of you a cup of tea, coffee? No, thank you. How about you, Celia? Celia?

No, I'm fine. Thank you, Helen. All right then. Well, straight to it. So, there's a few likely properties that have just come on the market and luckily there have been some rather nice new bills that haven't even been listed yet, so your timing is excellent. Oh, uh...

Good. Obviously, we'll need to know a little bit more about your budget. But before that, are there any big no-no's we should know about? Like heavy traffic, eco-warrior neighbours, that sort of thing? Well, I mean, I don't really have an issue with... We're not here for a house. We're not? Maisonette? No, we're here because, well, we're looking into the Magnus Institute. I'm sorry, I'm a little confused.

You haven't heard of it? Oh, no, no. I remember it very well. I just thought they closed up shop years ago after the fire. Some sort of academic outreach thing, wasn't it? Bit of a quango? Something like that, yeah. Yeah, hmm. I remember I found them a few commercial properties back when I was, you know, first starting out. Surprised anyone's still interested, though. Can I ask what this is about? Where, uh...

Making a documentary. Oh, really? A proper one? Who for? BBC. Oh, marvellous. Why didn't you just say, do I need to sign anything? No, we're just in the early research stage at the moment. Might not even go anywhere. Oh, well, as I recall, they did have some odd requirements. Bloody big basement, security options, that sort of thing. Do you have any kind of contact details we could maybe follow up on?

Anyone specific you used to talk to? Nah, I'm not really supposed to give that kind of information out. GDPR rubbish, you know how it is. Of course. Best I can do is tell you it's been a long time since we've had contact. Twenty-odd years at least. Any details we still have are all very much out of date, so it wouldn't be much use to you. Right. Tell you what, though. I think I still have the old listings filed away somewhere. The ones I sent through to them.

Would it maybe help your research to know what sort of properties they were buying? That would be great. Didn't you say something about GDPR? Of course. You're right. I have no idea where your production team could possibly have got those files. You're an absolute gem. Just remember that if you need any talking heads for the documentary. Deal? Deal. And make sure you come to me if you're ever, you know, actually in the market for a house, eh? LAUGHTER

Yes, young Jack. Should you ever have need of a modest chatto or a cheeky little ballast, do give me a call. Jolly good. Do you like that? Oh dear. Bad news, Celia. What? Your baby's a dory. Celia? Hmm? Everything alright? Sorry. Yeah, it's fine. I just... I felt like we were being watched for a moment.

We're okay. We were very careful not to be followed. It's just late. Well, it's early, but you know what I mean. And we're both tired. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Would you like a drink while I put Jack down for his morning nap? Is that a good idea? I mean... I said a drink, Sam, not a piss-up. Right. Yeah. A drink sounds great. Beer's in the fridge. It won't be long. Come on, goblin.

Say bye-bye to Sam. Bye-bye, Jack. Re-examine your political views. Come on. Okay. I know you're sleepy. You're not going to find me. Out like a light? You're welcome. You're very good with him. I'm just the cool new toy. Cool is a strong word. Ouch. Maybe I should be putting you to bed. Um...

Celia, I realize I haven't really said thank you. You don't have to. I do. Even after we knew how dangerous this might be, you still stuck around. I know you have your own reasons, but... I have a few, but you're one of them. I like you, Sam. I... I... I mean, you know I like you too, but that's... I should get going. You don't have to. No? Not if you don't want to. I don't. I think I want to stay. Good.

This episode was written by Muna Hassan and edited with additional materials by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell.

with additional voices from Jonathan Sims...

The Magnus Protocol is produced by April Sumner, with executive producers Alexander J. Newell, Danny McDonough, Lynn C., and Samantha F.G. Hamilton, and associate producers Jordan L. Hawke, Taylor Michaels, Nicole Perlman, Cetius D. Raven, and Megan Nice.

To subscribe, view associated materials, or join our Patreon, visit RustyQuill.com. Rate and review us online, tweet us at TheRustyQuill, visit us on Facebook, or email us via mail at RustyQuill.com. Thanks for listening.

At 1-800-Flowers.com, we know that connections are at the heart of being human. Whether celebrating life's joys or comforting during tough times, 1-800-Flowers helps you express what words can't. For nearly 50 years, millions have trusted 1-800-Flowers to deliver thoughtful gifts that help create lasting bonds.

Because it's more than just a gift. It's your way of showing you care. Visit 1-800-Flowers.com slash ACAST and connect today. That's 1-800-Flowers.com slash ACAST. Let's talk about something that's not always top of mind, but still really important. Life insurance. Why? Because it offers financial protection for your loved ones and can help them pay for things like a mortgage, credit card debt. It can even help fund an education.

And guess what? Life insurance is probably a lot more affordable than you think. In fact, most people think life insurance is three times more expensive than it is. So with State Farm Life Insurance, you can protect your loved ones without breaking the bank. Not sure where to start? State Farm has over 19,000 local agents that can help you choose an option to fit your needs and budget. Get started today and contact a State Farm agent or go to statefarm.com.

Did someone say KFC? Did someone say KFC? Hot and spicy, the flavour has spoken. Not everywhere and not forever. Hey parents, Greenlight is here to take one big thing off your to-do list. Teaching your kids about money. With a free trial, you can learn how to make money.

With a Greenlight debit card and money app of their own, kids and teens learn to earn, save, and invest. You can send money instantly, set flexible controls, and get real-time notifications of your kids' money activity. Set up chores and put allowance on autopilot to reward them for their hard work. Then learn about the world of money together. Get one month free when you sign up at greenlight.com slash podcast.

Your dining room is the heart of your home, where meals are shared and memories are made. At Ashley, you'll find affordable dining furniture in a range of classic and modern styles. Ashley's small space sets and extendable tables are designed to fit beautifully into any space, from cozy breakfast nooks and kitchens to formal dining areas fit for a feast. And with mix-and-match seating options, everyone at your table gets the perfect seat. At Ashley, style is served.

Shop in-store or online today. Hi everyone, it's Shahan, voice of Sam in The Magnus Protocol. Today I'm here to advertise Soul Operator, a podcast just launched on the RQ network. Soul Operator is an actual play blended with narrative storytelling where solo TTRPGs are adapted into brilliant audio dramas.

Soul Operator follows Tessa Whitlock as she navigates these new and interesting worlds for better or for worse. Each bite-sized episode is perfect to keep you company on your commute and are created with a diverse cast and crew at the helm with an equally diverse cast of characters. Listen to Soul Operator wherever you listen to your podcasts and stay up to date by following at Soul Operator Pod on your preferred social media or visit www.souloperatorpod.com

or www.rustycoil.com for more information. Have fun and see you later.