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“What is THAT?” Aiko’s eyes were wide with fascination and excitement.
They had spotted the ship in the distance, and he was glad he had someone sober with him to reassure him it was real. “Huh. Always just figured I hallucinated this thing.”
Aiko dropped his hand to go over and investigate the ship. “This is amazing! How long has this been here?”
“Honestly,” he said, still thinking. “No idea.”
She scurried up to it, she’s so damn fast , he thought, climbing up the building behind her. There was a very distinct sound of robots clattering about, and her smile couldn’t be any wider. “How old do you suppose it is? Oh man, I hope they have a terminal aboard, I’d love to read about it.”
“You always get this excited over everything?” He asked, watching her run up to a Mr. Handy floating near the base. “Not that I’m complaining, you’re absolutely adorable.”
She likely didn’t hear him; when she found something that caught her attention, she had an unwavering focus. It was one of her charms, and occasionally a frustration. He did appreciate it when he was the object of her focus, which, for him, was frequent enough to excuse distractions like this.
“Scanning. Scanning. Accessing pre-war records.” He chirped at them. Aiko was bouncing with excitement. “No record found. Identify yourself.”
“Aiko Tanaka, successor to Robert House. Sole proprietor of RobCo Industries, the Lucky 38 Casino, and heiress of his affairs.” She rattled off. “Designation code 1C 3C R34 M.”
“Accessing records.” He chirped, whirring. “Affirmative. Greetings Ms. Tanaka. You are hereby conscripted into the Congressional Army.”
“Depending on what you need, I may be able to help.” She said smiling.
“The fair wind holds true, then. The captain requests your presence on the bridge. At the double quick, madame.” He said before floating away.
“What was that about?” He mumbled to her as she gleefully started climbing through the ruins to find the entrance.
“When I installed Yes Man into the Lucky 38’s mainframe he gave me an override code for all RobCo Robots. Including the RobCo Mr. Handy line. Quite a few were purchased by the military. Was actually a bit of a gamble if he was RobCo or not. So, whenever I run into a robot that could be RobCo in origin, I say I inherited his company. Which, really isn’t a lie, if we’re bein’ honest.”
He stood there, blinking at her. “What did you say ? ”
“Well, inherited in the sense that I clocked him with a golf club and took his empire by force, then yeah, inherited. I know I don’t look like a melee build, and I’m not, but the man was over 200 years old and had lived them in a containment pod. He was on life support and interfaced with the world through a computer screen. Not that I’m sayin’ what I did was right, but he was going to kill a lot of people for power, then kick out everyone who didn’t fit neatly into his pre-war utopia-”
“No, no.” He walked over to her, and turned her by her shoulders to face him. “Wait, what did you say?”
She blinked up at him. “What didn’t make sense?”
“That introduction. Your name?”
“Oh.” She looked at the ground. “Tanaka is my family name. When I was working with Dr. Amari, I saw… flashes of people. I don’t know if they were family or not, but they did look like me, so chances are pretty good.”
“Oh.” He said, not really sure where to go after that.
As if reading his thoughts, she continued. “However, I’m looking forward to a different last name, if you’re willin’ to share.”
That he could get behind. “Heh, I stole it, remember? And everything I have is yours, sunshine. Don’t even gotta ask.”
She hugged him. “Still, thought it might be good to know before I go around calling myself Aiko Hancock.”
He just stood there, grinning at her. “You could still go around saying it, I don’t mind.”
Looking up with her mischievous smile he loved, she whispered. “Not until after our vows.”
“Guess we should get a move on.” He growled, spinning her in a hug before gently putting her down.
“I already have a dress, you know.” She said, dancing a bit when she found the hatch to board the ship. “As long as you wear that coat of yours, we’ll match.”
The thought nearly made him feral. “Oh, that’s good to know. We’re doing that as soon as we get home.”
She laughed as she reached for his hand to pull him up. “Well then, let’s find out what this is all about so we can get that taken care of.”
“I am Captain Ironsides, commander of the USS Constitution.” The sentry bot was certainly not what she had expected, but was very much everything she had ever wanted. Complete with a silly hat, this was exactly her flavor of nonsense. “You visit this fine vessel in trying times. Becalmed these long years on her airy perch. Damn you Weatherby Savings and Loan! I spit at you!”
Getting into character, she put on her best sorrow-filled face she could muster, which was difficult due to how much she was actually smiling. “A sad state of affairs for such an historic ship.”
“On that we are in agreement.” His deep voice rumbling from his large and imposing frame. “What vexes me most is my inability to assist in the war effort. My gun decks have naught but mole rats and ne'er-do-wells as targets. Enough pleasantries. The Constitution has systems that need repairs to carry out its mission.”
After seeing her enjoy firing the cannons and the absolute glee on her face as she repaired the various electronic components, Hancock started to wonder what sort of vacation she would enjoy. He had heard about a theme park not too far away, though he wondered if the fact that Nuka Cola was the theme would sour her opinions on it. Maybe she would like to just roam around for a bit?
“Hey, Earth to Handsome!” She was tugging on his coat, smiling at him. “We gotta go get their missing chip.” She looped her arm through his. “Whatcha thinkin’ about.”
“You, and what I’m gonna do with you after we’re married.” He murmured to her.
Her cheeks and ears glowed a very nice shade of crimson. “I mean, it’s not like we’ve been waiting or anything, we could just-”
He laughed. “No, not like that. Though, I won’t argue if you want to take a detour.” He continued after getting nothing more from her than a half-hearted glare. “I’m thinkin’ about where we should go afterwards. Honeymoon and all that.”
She nearly fell to her death after tripping, he had to pull her up by her hand. If she wasn’t blushing before, she was now. “H-h-honeymoon? You want to go on one with me?”
“Uh, of course. What, am I not allowed to take my wife on vacation?”
“I just thought, you might be too busy, but…” She stopped to just look him in the eyes. “I don’t care where we go, I just want to be with you. Also don’t really care what we do, except each other. Though I hope that goes without saying.”
“See, this is why I love you.” He said, grinning like an idiot. “You got your priorities straight. Still, want to take you somewhere you’ll actually have fun.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She said before gingerly climbing down to the pavement.
“Don’t shoot! Those asshoes didn’t attack the ship on our orders. They weren’t trying to frag you anyhow. They just wanted to kill the frickin’ robots.”
“Some of your guys almost got us killed.” Aiko growled. She was not going to take this lying down, both the assault and the insult.
“We told those crazy assholes not to attack. It's not our fault, all right. When they saw you waltz right onto the Constitution they just went ballistic. How did you get aboard anyway? We thought you were gonna get cratered for sure.”
“None of your business.” She stated, eyes narrowing.
“Fine, don't tell me. But you got a look inside, right? All that salvage. The real motherload. Just waiting to be stripped and sold.” Seeing her unwillingness to continue talking, the scavver kept talking. “So you talked with the tin can. What'd he have to say?”
“What do you think he had to say?” She managed to say. This woman was on thin fucking ice.
“No frickin' clue. The only talking we ever did to that rust-bucket was him yelling at us about keel-haulin and crap like that while his robots tried to murder us. So what did he say?”
Playing dumb, huh? “We talked about a lot of things.” She said, holding down a fiery urge to just take the chip back by force.
“Let me guess, he wants his computer chip back, right? Well, too bad. It's our salvage now.” The woman taunted. “You know what he needs it for? His rockets. The huge god damn rockets on the side of his boat. He's nuts.”
“Watch your tone. ” She said in a low voice. “Where’s the chip?”
The woman had the gall to laugh . “You seriously want to help that idiot bolts-for-brains? Screw that robot and come work with us. We're going to scrap everything on that ship and make a fortune. We got a lot more friends nearby. It's only a matter of time before we come out on top.”
Before Aiko could give the woman a piece of her mind, someone stepped in. “I'm not splitting my share with her!” His voice was low, rumbling.
The woman looked at him with clear irritation. “You holding out on us, Davies? You got some magical way in there? This lady's got a free ticket aboard. So shut up.” When she turned back to face Aiko and Hancock, she had a wicked smile. “Help us destroy that frickin' tin can once and for all.”
“Doesn't seem that tough a decision. Help some folks put food on their table and share some tech or support some robot's delusion.” Hancock said to the woman.
She closed her eyes. Dear Lord, I am about to lose my mind. “What. Did you. Just say?”
“What? They’re just-” He stopped, eyes widening.
“No, no.” She smiled sweetly, voice as calm as she could keep it. “Do go on. Finish your sentence.” Clearly he must understand that he crossed a line.
He apparently did not. “You really wanna help that looney bot over maybe putting some food in these people's mouths?” He asked, sounding irritated.
She turned to the woman. “Give me a moment to talk to my idiot.” She hoped her growing anger was apparent on her face now, as she hooked him by the arm and led him away from the thieves. “You want to run that by me again?”
“Sunshine, they gotta make a living. Scavving is hard work, and you have to admit that they deserve to-”
She looked at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or not.
“Just robots?” She said, her voice growing louder. “ Just robots? What the hell does that mean? Are their lives not worthy, do they not have purpose?”
He was starting to understand, but it was a little too late. “Look, you know I didn’t mean it like that-”
“What else could that mean, John.” She said, exasperated.
“Whoa, whoa calm down-”
“ Calm down? ” She growled before whispering, “we are helping the robots. They are people. People who were robbed, and we are going to return that which was taken.”
He crossed his arms. “So what, you gonna steal the chip?”
“It’s already been stolen. I’m taking it back to where it belongs.” She said, turning. “Look, do what you want. I’m gonna get Ironsides what he needs to fulfill his directive.” She started walking towards the scavvers. “You heard what he said. He doesn’t want them harmed. He just wants to repair his ship and set sail. These people want to take that away from him. I’m not going to stand by and watch that happen.”
He grabbed her arm. “Just wait a second. You can’t just go waltzing back there without a plan.” He said quietly. “You made it pretty clear you won’t be helping them, and I doubt they’re going to talk a second time.”
She sighed. “Then what should we do?”
He grinned at her, that wicked smile she liked. Had she not been so pissed , she would have been ecstatic. “Trust me sunshine, I’ll get it back.” He ruffled her hair before walking towards them. She watched him go, eyes narrowed. He began talking to them, laughing with them.
She had seen enough. She went back to the ship.
Great going, idiot. Hancock sure knew how to shove his foot far enough down his mouth he could stomp his stomach. Maybe getting the chip back will be a good enough apology.
“So…” He said as he strutted off. “Hypothetically, if I wanted to help you out, what sort of share would I be lookin’ at?”
The woman laughed. “Got rid of the goody two-shoes gearhead? Probably for the best. The share’s your pick from the remnants of the ship. We get the rockets though, that’s not up for debate.”
He grinned. “Sounds good to me. However, I do think we’re gonna need that chip.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Why’s that? How do I know you aren’t just going to double cross us?”
He laughed. “What, and just show back up empty handed? There goes your chance of getting up there peacefully again. Can’t tip the big guy off about our little plan, you see.”
The woman nodded, smiling as she followed his logic. “I like the way you think. Here, take the chip. Just make sure to give us a sign when it’s safe to come aboard.”
He caught it as she tossed it to him. “Will do.” He said cheerily as he tipped his hat. He slowly made his way back to the ship, where Aiko was sitting on the tiny boat elevator that led up to the main deck.
He sat down next to her, but she refused to look at him. “Sunshine, you have to know I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry.” He tugged her arm softly, and she let him take her hand. He gently placed the chip in her hand before taking his hands back.
She looked down at the chip in her hand, then up at his face. She was crying. “Do you… really not see them as people? Am I not completely a person to you? What about Nick? Where’s the line?”
He leaned back as he spoke. “Of course you and Nicky are people, I wouldn’t ever think otherwise. Honestly, never thought about this before. Did I… ever tell you about what happened before I turned ghoul?”
She sighed. “You told me about Vic.”
“No, before that.” He said, trying to say it as gently as possible. “About growing up in Diamond City.”
She looked up at him, her anger seeming to have subsided. She shook her head.
He sighed. “Well, I suppose now’s a good a time as any. So yeah, I grew up there. Before McDonough took over, it was a half-decent place to live. A little stricter than I usually go for, but not terrible. I thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood. But then he decides he's gonna try and get elected with his anti-Ghoul crusade. Mankind for McDonough . Before ya know it, you got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called neighbor out of their homes and throw 'em to the ruins.”
She gently tugged on his sleeve. He looked at her as she took his arm and put it around her shoulders. “How could they do something like that?”
He leaned his head on the top of hers. “There'd always been a pretty big gulf between the folks living in the stands and folks down on the field. McDonough ran on it because he thought enough of those Upper Stands assholes would vote for him. Guess he was right. I remember storming into his office above the stands after the inauguration speech. He was just standing there, staring out the window, watching as the city turned on the Ghouls. He didn't even look at me, just said: I did it, John. It's finally mine. ”
“Disgusting.” She growled. “What a terrible friend.”
Hancock laughed. “He wasn’t my friend, guy's my brother. Grew up together in a little shack on the waterfront. Guy was the standard big brother - entitled, punchy, liked to shove rotten tatoes down my shirt and slap my back. But I never thought he'd be capable of something like what they did to those Ghouls.”
“Oh John,” she said, hugging him. “That’s so fucked. I’m so sorry.”
He breathed out a gruff laugh. “So am I. Should have killed him right there, but I don't think it would have changed anything. Instead I pleaded with him, begged him to call it off. He said he couldn't. He had nothing against the Ghouls. He was just carrying out the will of the people. And he couldn't betray the voters. And then he smiled. That hideous, fucking mile-long smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids. I didn't even recognize him.”
“He murdered those ghouls.” She said softly into his chest.
“Him and that whole damned city. I still wasn’t a ghoul at this point, so I didn't have to leave, but I couldn't bring myself to stay in that cesspool after that.”
“No shit.” She mumbled, hugging him tighter. “Is that when you went to Goodneighbor?”
“Yeah, I'd been sneakin' off to Goodneighbor for years to get decent chems, so I knew the safe routes. I managed to track down a couple of the families, lead 'em there, but most couldn't get used to the Goodneighbor lifestyle. I brought them food for a couple of weeks, but after a while, they just disappeared.”
He hadn’t realized how upset he sounded until she broke their hug to look at him. “None of this is your fault, darling. You clearly did the best you could given the circumstances.”
He took a deep breath, pulling her back to his chest. “Maybe. Could have tried harder. Could have stayed in Diamond City and fought for them.”
“You wouldn’t have been able to change them.” She said, muffled by his coat. “And even if you had, would they have even felt safe going back to a place where they were kicked out? I know I wouldn’t. You did the best with what you had.”
He just held her for a moment, feeling her breathing against him. “Thanks sunshine. I felt like I was the only one who saw how screwed up things truly were, who couldn't just pretend things were fine. Still feel that way... or I did. Until I met you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I know I run my mouth, but having someone who sees the world for what it is and is willing to do something about it. It's meant a lot to me. I feel damn lucky to have you. Just… know that when I say I would never think of you as any less of a person, no matter what you’re made of, I really mean it. You, Nick, hell that metal beach ball of yours. You aren’t just people, you’re family.”
She laughed. “Please tell Eddie that when we get home, I need to know what he’ll say.” She looked up at him, ran a hand across his cheek. “I’m sorry I accused you in the first place. I just… I’m protective of them. All robots. Even the ones that attack me, I try to spare them by hacking them. It’s… they don’t have anyone to help them. People don’t see them as people you know? Just scrap metal for bullets. I know not all of them are sentient, but not all people are geniuses either, right?”
He nodded, understanding. “Yeah, I get you. Best spokesperson they’ve probably ever had.”
She smiled. “Thanks hun.”
“Let’s go help the rustbucket launch his rocket boat.”