Geoff gets arrested AU

Tagged as Geoff Curnow, Corvo Attano, Daud, Watch Officer Thorpe

Creator: FJ

Description:

AU where Curnow doesn’t walk away when encountering the masked stranger, instead he decides to stay and try to see why in the first place Campbell wanted to be rid of him.

Curnow was never meant to be there to see the Empress’s body, Emily gone missing, or Corvo’s dead eyes when he was taken away. It didn’t make sense. Things changed fast afterwards and even though there was plenty of work to do for the Watch and to keep his men in line, the workload was heavier, conflicts with the abbey - these barely left time for the man to think and though he never believed the accusations of Corvo, there was nothing he could do either, a small fry like him.

Then Corvo escapes Coldridge – there is no execution, only loose ends that could look very badly for the Lord Regent, and Geoff Curnow not only had been one of the minor loose, incorruptible ends, but his own policies over and over became a problem to be handled. Something for Campbell to deal with after one of the bloody occasions between the Watch and the Abbey.

Campbell’s dead body is there at his feet, the puddle of blood his staining Curnow’s boots, his fingers curling steady around the handle of his pistol. He was always quicker with his actions than with his thoughts, which came in very handy for a watchman roaming the streets where the voice of reason was often a weapon fired first and questions asked later.

Curnow thanks the masked man for his assistance, without this man he would be the one in a puddle of blood after all – but things just don’t add up. What did he even do to someone like Campbell to go this far? Who is this familiar man? And only then he looks around properly to see what Campbell’s secret room is like. He has seen worse, of course, but this is the High Overseer’s room.

The stranger isn’t exactly talkative either and while Curnow would love to walk away from this and get a strong drink, he is invited to stay and look around the place to shed some light on whatever was happening. The stranger plays a recording, it’s Campbell’s unmistakeable voice, a confession of some sort but not good enough, too vague but Curnow can tell there is more behind this, and that feeling when you almost get something right, the thought is right there but the little jumps are yet to be made for things to make sense - and the conclusion is so terrifying that you don't want it to be real. It’s starting to give him a headache, he is not in the right mindset for this. If anything, he received a clear warning that he is in danger and he has an audiolog to back him up. The stranger is gone then and he should be as well, he bumps into his guards at the bottom of the stairs, quick words exchanged, some of the overseers come around, too. Curnow, after what he has learnt, has no intention to stay and see how this goes down.

The body is discovered and the last known person with Campbell was Captain Curnow.

It was self defence, Campbell wanted to kill him, and at first the Watch rather would listen to Curnow as he gives his own honest confession to his superiors right after what happened (trusting them to be on the side of justice also unaware that he murdered the Lord Regent’s ally), a respectable watchman, rather than listen to the Abbey’s accusations – the problem is however the big picture Curnow cannot see yet, Hiram Burrows and everyone whose silence and loyalty could be bought for coin. All of a sudden the Watch doesn’t have his back, he’s officially arrested for the murder of Campbell and words can be span well enough to prove him guilty. There are even “witnesses”, Overseers who claim to hear a gunshot, who watched Curnow leave in a hurry, and then there is Curnow’s claim where he admits to be the one who shot Campbell, his reason dismissed due to lack of hard evidence – Campbells ‘confession’ if it doesn’t go mysteriously missing, is not good enough to prove anything. Not if the Lord Regent doesn’t want it to.

If needed, the Abbey can get a witness who claims he saw Curnow right over Campbell’s dead body. Needless to say Geoff should have been dead already, an annoying insect to be crushed; it’s time to finish this madness off before it gets even more out of control. Curnow is found guilty with the murder of the High Overseer and as time passes by it’s known there is an assassin running free, if needed they can throw in an accusation of Curnow secretly aiding the mysterious killer, and that involved the High Overseer. His weapons, uniform, rank taken away and he finds himself in Coldridge prison, once again caught up in events bigger than what he could comprehend.

There is an official announcement. Callista hears it. Corvo hears it – without meaning to, he was a part of this and he went out of his way once to save Geoff, he would do it again, especially that he feels responsible. Except he is told not to – the loyalists cannot afford losing time and taking unnecessary risks while so close to their goal. Corvo does what’s demanded of him but knowing what day the execution is, he cannot help but take a detour, and see if he could do anything at all. Unfortunately, he is late.

But someone else wasn’t.

Curnow’s execution was not the only one that day, there are three others, one being Thorpe who aided Corvo when he escaped. The four men are lined up to be shot down one by one, their crimes listed – but the knife of Dunwallis faster than the bullets, Thorpe and Curnow walk away after a quick questioning, then Daud is gone. Thorpe suggests they sneak out when the guards are changing and they make it – now officially on the run, both of them. If Corvo finds Curnow on the streets before the Hiram mission, he could get Curnow to find Samuel but if he doesn’t, then Curnow needs to move and move fast, his life is immediate danger and knows nothing about the corrupt system collapsing any time soon so he hides in the Flooded District where less eyes are watching – sane man would not do this but it’s a less certain death than waiting to be caught on the streets either by the watch or a gang, with no miraculous rescuer this time.

Corvo in the meantime gets posioned and left in the flooded district for Daud to find but then as he escapes, he runs into Geoff on his way back to the Hound Pits Pub, takes Geoff with him without revealing himself, they stealth and fight their way back. Geoff there has to see reason that he is of no use around tallbois and the place filled with guards so he stays with Cecelia until Corvo secures the place with Piero's and Sokolov's help – and it’s a bloody challenge not to dash outside, sword drawn once he learns from Cecelia that Callista was there too, spent her days with the loyalists. Having to wait is eating up Geoff inside but then as soon as he gets a proper chance, he’s out of there and in time the arc pylon fires up, knocking the guards unconscious, letting Geoff search for Callista freely. Geoff and Callista reunion. They can share a long hug, as a treat. The end.

in this AU did Corvo spare Daud. Because on the one hand it would comfort Corvo in his decision to spare Daud (something that couldn't have been easy) if he learns Daud saved Curnow. On the other hand the angst of Corvo learning that Daud saved Curnow, was genuinely repentant and took actual actions for atonement, and Corvo just killed him.

We are low chaos team in my department so I would say he spared Daud. Daud can continue dealing with his guilt for the rest of his life, as a treat

Geoff in the Flooded District survivng with Thorpe, Thorpe is not bad man at the heart, probably didn't believe the shit about Corvo either so the they *handshake* and just. Geoff still being cheerful and hopeful after prison and near execution and then they are in the gd flooded district and the man is giving Thorpe a pep talk, it's nice to imagine Watchmen bond over how the corrupt system and injustice made them be cast out and Geoff asks if Thorpe has met his niece Callista-- I jest

Thorpe and Curnow around a fire grilling tin can sardines in the flooded district, watching the Whalers do backflips with the background noise of weepers screaming. corvo sees a rat skewer first and goes to grab when he’s like “Geoff?? And that one guy who gave me- uh not me bread?” Corvo settles with them by the fire to grab a bite, and in quick succession removes his mask, eats a live rat and then teleports away and Curnow has 3 existential crisis in less than ten seconds.

Archives:

Geoff: frying a rat

Thorpe: Are you really going to eat that?

Geoff: It's them or us, we have to assert dominance to survive the night

“Say sir, how do you best cook rat— CORVO??” “...no”