Chapter 27 “Parasympathetic entanglement.”

The surface of the lake rippled everywhere, struck by the rain. The glass like blue reflecting the sun and trees John remembered nowhere to be seen.

“I don’t believe it.” Virgil rasped, cranking his neck up. “You thieving bastards robbed me blind.” Rosie looked up to see the sleek Velocibird coming in for a landing. The arrowhead shape hovered for a moment, just louder than the rain. Something detached from the rear of the aircraft, spinning in the air before landing. The falling object stood revealing the faux feminine form. A single red eye in the centre of its head.

“That you number Four?” Virgil yelled as Rosie passed him.

“My designation is Janey, I’m a real bitch.” Janey responded.

“Yeah that’s you all right.” Virgil seemed amused, his attention switching back to the now landed craft.

“Admin Rosie, it is inadvisable to be out in precipitation for extended durations.” Janey’s concern made her smile. Before she could answer, the angular door pushed out with a hiss then slid back.

Brandon stepped out, steely eyed and clad in black. “Tornado. Report.” Brandon used the name he gave her.

“We were ambushed by an unknown assailant. We countered and took down the attacker. Under interrogation he revealed himself to be Burton Blake.” She saw the surprise on Brandon’s face. He watched the ghoul pacing round the Velocibird, running his remaining hand over the bodywork.

“And the Vault?” Brandon fixed his eyes on hers.

“We’re close. He’s going to show us.” Rosie saw Brandon question that with a look. “John talked to him, made a deal.”

“Which is?” Brandon asked.

“He gets us in, we get rid of the Brotherhood. Everybody wins.” She knew Brandon would go for that.

“Fine work, Rosie.” He put his hand on her shoulder and let a smile escape for a brief moment.

Brandon turned to Virgil as Charlie got out of the Velo. She threw Rosie a wink and held out her fist. One hand on her pistol grip pump shotgun, and both eyes on the ghoul. Rosie bumped fists, containing her excitement. She flanked to cover the ghoul as Charlie did.

She turned to look for John, seeing him approach. He looked worried, and keenly aware they just put Virgil in a kill box.

“Mr Blake, I presume?” Brandon stepped forward, offering his hand.

“You know I designed this.” Virgil seemed lost in memory, almost ignoring Brandon.

“It’s very impressive.” Brandon tried to engage him.

“Sketched it out on a cocktail napkin. Invented the ultra hard, lightweight polycarbonate. Wrote the code that keeps it airborne.” Virgil stood, putting a cigarette in his mouth, he looked at his missing arm. Brandon stepped forward, holding a lighter.

“I thought you should know who you’re dealing with. You are infants, playing with trinkets in the rubble of the world I built.” His rasping voice didn’t brag, it wasn’t proud or boastful. He warned them. The survivor of a fallen world seeing the potential for history to repeat itself.

“I’ve seen your other invention, up close.” Brandon spoke about the pipboys she and John wore. “If I had twenty of them I could take the east coast in six months. No one should have that kind of power.”

“Agreed.” Virgil extended his remaining hand and Brandon shook it

“There it is.” Virgil walked to the lakeside. “The door’s a mile back that way. I disabled it from the inside, no one’s getting in that way. Only way in is a flooded tunnel about the size of an air vent.

“I can’t swim.” Rosie turned to Brandon, frustrated with her limitations.

“Yes, you can.” Virgil rasped, still looking over the lake.

“Even if I could, I still can’t breathe underwater.” Rosie fired back defensively.

“Yes, you can.” Virgil turned to look at her, smirking. “Didn’t you read the manual?” Rosie subtly tapped her fingers to run a search on the system running inside her eyes. No results returned, meaning Rosie deleted the files when she deliberately crashed the system.

“Alright, let’s say that’s true, we’d still need some sort of rebreather or something.” Rosie started to think. “Maybe if I had some corn silk, rubber hosing, an old pressure cooker…” She trailed off as a rasping laugh began to build.

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“You fucking junk rats are gonna get me killed.” Virgil scoffed, looking past them. “Number Four, open cockpit panel forty one.”

“My current designation is—” Rosie cut Janey off.

“Do it Janey, it’s ok.” A moment passed as Janey worked inside the cockpit. She came out clutching a metal canister. The robot handed the canister to Rosie. She inspected the cola bottle sized object, unsure of its purpose. Virgil cleared his throat, holding out his hand. She passed it over.

Virgil held the canister under his arm, snapped off the plastic top and attached it back with a twist. A tiny hiss sounded and the plastic top opened. “Emergency air supply, in case you ditch in water.” Virgil looked amused. “Didn’t you read the manual?” Rosie had not.

“As for these two.” He motioned to Brandon and Charlie. “They’re gonna have to sit this one out. Unless they wanna end up as pretty as me.” Rosie looked to Brandon, who asked her with a look. She nodded, Rosie wasn’t going to walk away now.

“There’s something else.” Rosie hated bringing it up, but felt she had no choice. She looked John in the eye. “We need to crash your system.” John didn’t entirely know what that meant, but clearly everyone else did. Brandon and Charlie looked worried, Virgil even more so.

“Don’t do this. I can help you do it right, but not here.” Virgil pleaded with Rosie. She still didn’t trust him, and wanted John in full control of his gifts before going in.

“Give us a minute.” John took Rosie by the hand and walked a few feet away. He didn’t like seeing her uncomfortable. “I trust you. You say it has to be done, so let's get it done.

“It’s going to hurt John. Like nothing else.” Tears filled Rosie’s green eyes. “I’m going to hurt you.” Her voice broke. John hugged her.

“I know you wouldn’t do it without a good reason.” John couldn’t help but think this fair, given the pain he’d caused her. First by leaving her behind, and second by not being there when the savages of this world put a collar on her neck. “I’m ready.” John said, loud enough for the others to hear.

A few minutes later John lay on the soft, wet ground. His head in Rosie’s lap while she worked. Her pipboy connected to his. “Here kid, bite on this.” Virgil knelt next to him, putting a folded, leather belt in his mouth. He seemed to linger a moment longer, eyes shut, mumbling under his breath. He stood and glared at Rosie till she looked at him. “God damn you for this.” He turned and walked away. John expected Rosie to fight back, or at least respond. Instead she just looked down and wiped away tears.

“Are you going to tell me what’s in your pocket now?” Rosie tried to break the tension.

“Nope. That’ll have to wait for another day.” John decided to wait, putting the mission first. She put the belt back in his mouth, and whispered in his ear.

“It’ll be over soon. I love you.” Rosie pressed the button on her device. “Forgive me.”

Rosie sent junk data, unanswerable equations, and corrupted files to John’s pipboy. In a matter of seconds it overwhelmed the basic Unified Operating System he’d used all his life, and it crashed. John’s world became nothing but pain.

A clawing, twisting, agony engulfed him completely. He thrashed and writhed as Rosie supported his head. A single image flashed into his mind. That of a Brotherhood funeral, and a body being lowered into molten steel. Only it was his body, and he was very much alive. Then it stopped.

John went limp, the rain the only sound. “John, talk to me. John!” Rosie stared down at him, distraught.

“I’m alright.” John reassured her, and himself. “I love you.” That brought Rosie some comfort.

Brandon and Charlie helped him to his feet. He looked at Rosie, seeing her reliving her own pain. Carrying the guilt of inflicting it on him. He stepped closer to embrace her, when he saw the black eyed ghoul and creator of the devices they both wore.

“You.” John snarled, an uncommon rage behind his words. “You did that to her!” John powered forward, ready to choke what life remained from the ghoul.

Charlie made no effort to stop him. Brandon tried to grab his arm but John pulled free. Rosie pushed against his chest, only for her boots to slide backwards in the mud. John steamed forward, until Rosie’s foot caught on a rock and she started to fall backwards. John’s rage turned to panic as everything began to slow. He braced for onset of the white knuckle, nightmare dreamlike state. Instead a calm came over him, allowing him to think and move at will.

Raindrops hung in the air, splashes from his boots froze. John reached out and took Rosie’s arm. He pulled her close to stop her falling. As he did Rosie slipped from slowed time that clung to everything else. She smiled, her trailing arm sweeping away the hanging rain. They stood in their embrace, as if they were the only two people in the world. John relaxed and time snapped back.

“What was that?” John asked, having never felt the slowed time as anything but awful.

“I don’t know.” Rosie looked as stunned as him.

“Parasympathetic entanglement.” Virgil answered, confounding everyone. “You feel what the other feels.” John looked back at Rosie, the excruciating pain forgotten. She smiled and kissed him, her nimble fingers picking his shirt pocket.

“A ring?” Rosie admired the silver ring, topped with a bullet sized gemstone that matched her eyes. Everyone around understood the significance, except Rosie. John took a deep breath, and tried to remember the words he thought of since leaving home.

“Listen Rosie, I spent three months without you and it was like three years. I don’t want us to be apart again, ever.” John got down on one knee, in the rain and mud. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Rosie blurted out without any hesitation, throwing her arms around him.

Brandon and Charlie cheered and clapped. “Congratulations.” Brandon shook John’s hand. He had the same look as when John asked for his blessing.

“Welcome to the family!” Charlie threw her arms out wide, pulling him in to close hug. “If you break her heart I’ll fucking kill you.” She whispered softly in his ear. The same threat Brandon issued. “Nothing personal.” Charlie said as she pulled free. “More of a general principle type thing.”

“Don’t fuck with Recon, right?” John remembered the first thing Sara taught him about Recon scouts.

“Always knew you were a smart one.” Charlie smiled and patted his cheek like the villain in the gangster movie he’d seen. Then she became serious. “Gear up, time to put a shift in.