“To say that Gertrude Robinson never had a friend would not be true. She was close in her way to many people, but looking back I wonder if she ever realized just how strongly she herself reeked of the Lonely.
When she first joined the Archives, she took the place of a man named Angus Stacey, whose face was torn from his skull by a creature of masks and smiles.
Gertrude had thought of it as ‘The Grinning Wheel,’ and it was one of the first things to fall at the hands of the Institute’s new avenger. Appropriately enough, Gertrude used fire.” (MAG 167, Curiosity)
“You’re a goddamn coward, Angus Stacey!” Gertrude slammed the Head Archivist’s door behind her as she stomped over to his desk. Angus’ knobby fingers were fast, but not fast enough, and she had no doubt that the tape he was using would play this moment back for centuries to come. The signature click of a paused tape came before the old Archivist bothered to look up at her.
“Oh no. Don’t you dare Gertrude me when I had to find out, from Eric Delano of all people, that you threw my resume in the trash! You want to look me in the eye and tell me that I’m not qualified to be your glorified filing clerk or are we going to talk about whatever the hell is really going on down here?”
“I’m trying to protect you, Gertrude, please understand that.” Angus Stacey said wearily, but it was one of a hundred excuses and Gertrude was too tired to hear the pain in it.
They had been friends once. Or so Gertrude had thought. She’d even met his partner Thad a few times. She hadn’t even considered that he would point blank refuse to hire her now that an Archival Assistant position was available.
“I can take care of myself, I’m not Fiona.” Angus began to object to that. He had always had a soft spot for poor Frightened Fiona, but Gertrude just kept going; “Look. I can tell the last few months haven’t been easy on you, but, you know, maybe I can help with that? Be a fresh set of eyes?” Angus just shook his head.
“I won’t do it, Gertrude. I won’t ever hire you, so if you’re smart, you’ll walk out that door right now and never look back on this place… Or me.”
“Guess I’m a fool then, because this isn’t over Stacey.” Gertrude spat and turned on her heel.
It didn’t matter that he wasn’t going to help her, she was still going to figure out a way to help him.
She was going to find her way down to the Archives, and if it killed her.
