#and deducing her exact errand route

[lemon-wedges]

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[purkinje-effect]

The Purkinje Effect, 31

Table of Contents

‘Choly and Geek both shook off once they got inside the Statehouse, and exchanged glances when each noticed the other doing so. After looking to the spiral staircase, ‘Choly put a hand to the Mister Handy’s spherical side and gave it a vague nod. It halved its thrusters to hover lower long enough for ‘Choly to hoist himself up atop its back via its harness,  somewhat like mounting a horse. The three of them then scaled the stairs.

“Holy moly.” One of the Neighborhood Watchmen on duty inside had recognized ‘Choly. “It ain’t true, is it? You ripped off Hancock? You gotta death wish or somethin’?”

The Russian paused halfway up the stairs to glance down at the guard dully.

“Maybe so.”

Unable to interpret his acquaintance’s demeanor as they resumed their ascent, Geek wondered whether ‘Choly had grown tired of hearing about it, or if this was the way the dreg exhibited pride. Rather than dissect it, Geek’s brain fixated again on the bar argument. Shaking, he started into a fresh cigarette, and put the pack back in his sleeve pocket.

When’s your flavor gonna run out, Blue?

“–He’s gonna be heading out soon. Probably wants me to go with.”

“Do you want to go with him?”

“Course I do. ...Provided he still wants me to.”

“How long?”

“Dunno, a couple–” Hancock and Fahr both looked up when ‘Choly dismounted from his Handy. The ghoul mayor stopped pacing and patted at the back of the couch with an odd smile. “Now this is unexpected.”

“I had a bright idea.” ‘Choly took one of the armchairs. “Mmh, we. We did. We wanted to discuss it with you.”

When Geek sat beside Fahr, Hancock leaned lackadaisically on the back of the empty couch to dull his anxiousness.

“You two have my undivided attention.”

Fahr nursed a fat cigar, which Geek stole and traded for his cigarette. In a moment of disconnect, she briefly weighed the safeness of smoking after him, but shrugged it off with only minor nuisance. The musky heaviness of the cigar’s smoke felt outright viscous versus that of the cigarettes, and it soothed him enough to unclench.

“We wanna take back the Boston Library,” Geek began before ‘Choly could get a word in. “Put this lil’... entourage to the test.”

“A proposal for the three of us to work toward a common goal?” Hancock’s thoughtful interest diffused into concern poorly hid behind a smile. “This is way bigger than a problem with rats in warehouses. It’s all right if you need some time before we try to tackle somethin’ like that.”

An implicit ‘I know you’re jumping on this because you can’t sit still’ lingered behind Hancock’s dark ghoulish eyes, and it ate the pink ghoul alive. Geek took a long, slow hit off the cigar in an attempt to steady his breathing, and he didn’t speak or make eye contact before he’d fully exhaled all the smoke.

“This is gonna be so good for Goodneighbor, an’ it’s gonna be good for me. I owe it to this town, an’ I owe it t’Daisy. An’ I... I owe it to you. You navigated that sh, shh. Shitshow when my health was too bad for me to stand up for myself. You’re responsible for me gettin’ cured just as much as the guy who made the cure an’ gave it to me. I’m confident I wouldn’t be here right now if it hadn’t been for you playin’ interference for me.”

No one knew what to say, the only sound the Handy’s thruster as it idled near the doorway.

“Daisy put you up to this, then,” Hancock deduced. He jumped the couch and helped himself to the tin of Mentats on the coffee table. As he slouched on his knees, he let a lozenge melt under his tongue. His hands wandered to fidget with all manner of paraphernalia before him, navigating them as he thought through imagined tactics. “She always has tried to foster chemistry when she thinks it’s off to a rocky start.”

The mayor had nailed not only whose idea it had been, but also how she’d even figured out the trio was soon to become one. When Geek folded in embarrassment of that level of transparency, ‘Choly glanced between the two ghouls in consternation, interpreting the mayor’s description of the merchant’s motives as implicit of Geek and Hancock having hit a bad patch. Had he got himself between a lovers’ tiff?

“Surely you agree with Geek that Goodneighbor stands to gain a lot with this venture. I think we all stand to gain a lot from a library.” The chemist smirked at him coyly. “Can you handle two companions on such an errand, Mayor?”

“I sure as hell wouldn’t go it alone, that’s for sure.” The mayor exchanged a knowing look with Fahrenheit before he reclined back where he sat. “I can tell the two of you have thought this over beforehand, so it’s less a matter of whether this is going to happen and more a matter of how. What kind of game plan are we talking?”

“We, we really ha--” Geek shot ‘Choly a sour look, and the chemist knew he had to improvise. “Well, even if we could just walk in an unlocked front door, I believe that’s not the best recourse. I don’t fare well guns blazing, and even if both of you do, from the sound of it... there’s definitely more super mutants in there than two humans could take at once. I know Angel’s going to be useful here, but we could still get easily swarmed. If I remember right, there’s a subway station underneath the library. We could try to sneak in through the subway and pick off as many of them as we can before they get wind of us.”

“’If you remember right’?” Geek rubbed at his forehead, irritated. “What, you got a photographic memory of prewar blueprints or somethin’?”

“Hey, now. You’re the one putting me on the spot. I’ve been in downtown Boston, and I know the subway made stops at the library. I just don’t remember exactly where the next closest station is, so we could travel below street level.”

“From what I know of subways,” Hancock contemplated, the brain drugs doing a lot of finger-walking across mental maps, “there’s more than one route, and any given train was supposed to only travel on one of them. If there’s a subway station under the library, I’m sure it’s on the same route as Fenway Station and Park Street Station, spatially speaking. I can tell you right here from experience that Fenway’s inaccessible. So that leaves Park Street. Except Geek’s not gonna like that.”

When Geek didn’t get it, Fahr interjected with fatigue, “That’s on the Common.”

“--Hhfuck no. No.”

Geek got up and paced, face broken with grief, but Hancock was still thinking.

“Don’t worry, I don’t like the idea either, but not for a fear of birds. --No, actually, now come to think of it, that’ll be perfect. Though 'Choly, just to rule it out, you don’t think we could just get into the station at the library from street level?”

“I think coming into the building anywhere near the street doors is more likely to give us away prematurely. Entering the subway that close is too risky.”

“So’s wearing all that fur, to address the elephant in the room.”

Fahr matter-of-factly handed Geek her cigarette butt. He swallowed it with a shit-eating grin that somebody had burned ‘Choly over the unnecessary level of pomp, then savored another puff on his cigar. When even Hancock laughed, ‘Choly turned beet red and mashed his ushanka hat into his lap with both hands.

“Aw, y’all, let him have his fancy duds. He dresses to impress. I respect that.” Hancock grinned at ‘Choly. “Really, though. You think going to the loading platform in Park Street Station and rounding west down the tunnels is the best way to go?”

“I do.”

Geek swallowed his smoke butt and with a thought abruptly pointed at ‘Choly.

“What if the tunnel’s collapsed?”

The Russian gave him a brittle shrug.

“We’ll double back, then. We’ve got to rule out the option. I can’t promise an ideal and effortless clean-out going in the back way, but I can guarantee you it’ll get messy if we just walk in the front door.”

“Well, if you two are so committed to this, who am I to deny you?” Hancock chuckled and patted his knees, then stood. “We should rest up, then, take stock of what we might need. I wanna make an early morning of it, though, so before we part ways for the night, I gotta ask how your supply is, of that stuff you used on Fahr. Seems real useful for what all we’re settin’ out to do.”

“Today has been exhausting,” ‘Choly agreed too quickly. “I’m glad I haven’t had the chance yet to unpack everything in my room. Saves me from having to pack up for this. The Lockjoint, though? Mh, haven’t used it on super mutants before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I should still have a few left. Though, they’re a bit difficult to craft. ...I’ll see what I can scrape together.”

“I could drop everything and go right now,” Geek bluffed. “But I know y’all both need your beauty sleep.”

Fahr rolled her eyes at him.

“You look like I could push you over and you’d pass out snoring, pink stuff.”

“Rest wouldn’t be out of the question,” Hancock insisted, wrapping his arms around Geek. “Come on. You can stay upstairs tonight if you want.”

Attention piqued, the pink ghoul brightened right up, and Hancock brushed the bridge of what was left of his nose against the tip of Geek’s, seeking a kiss.

“We’ll give you two some privacy,” Fahr jabbed, dragging ‘Choly away when he wouldn’t excuse himself, the Handy following. “Sleaze an’ I say goodnight.”

“--Hey now,” ‘Choly objected as the door shut behind them.

“You were talkin’ with Fahr about... well, me before I came in.” Geek pulled away but didn’t squirm out of Hancock’s embrace. “You don’t have to go with me to the evaluation, if you don’t want to. An’ I don’t gotta sleep upstairs if you don’t want me to.”

“Of course I want to accompany you.” His cheek went to Geek’s. “And I very much want you to.”

“It’s okay if y’gettin’ tired of me. I’m a lot.”

“I could say the exact same of me. Everybody’s a different kind of a lot. You haven’t given me a single reason to cut you loose, and I don’t foresee you giving me one.” Hancock grinned at him, looked him in the eye. “Just ‘cause I’ve been giving you your space doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere.”

Geek melted into fully hugging him before pulling away, smiling tiredly at him.

“Sleep does sound good about now, to be fair.”

Hancock dragged him to the floor atop a sleeping bag in the corner.

“That makes two of us.”