empathicfault | PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

Piloting their new ship is a little difficult. It takes reading the (somehow enclosed) manual back-to-front and learning the control panel, now situated in what looks like a little closet on the window side of the living room. It's in the new hallway that leads to the small courtyard, which Will intends to decorate once they get this one chore done first.

Thankfully, the majority of the controls are intuition-based, going off the person who puts their hand on a small orb on the panel. The rest, as it turns out, is tweaking. And luckily (or otherwise), no tweaking is necessary for their first flight.

They're heading to Will's home world.

But Will doesn't specify where, just a year later than he left. he inadvertently brings them to where he'd left. The door opens from a wall of Hannibal's cliffside home, and looks out onto the driveway. The Dragon's wings are still there, staining the cement. They overlook the grey day and the churning seaside.

Will finds himself stuck in the doorway, unsure whether he's compelled to walk out and remember or slam the door shut and take them elsewhere.

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Malcolm catches his look and smiles modestly, gesturing at Jack with his Twizzler.

"I already stabbed him," he says, heading to keep pace with Will for their door. He's not beyond Jack's earshot when he points out "it's fine if you kill him..."

They're inside the ship with the door shut by the time he adds "Just make sure he gets to know you like me better first. And that you think I'm hotter than he is."

Edited 2025-09-12 23:26 (UTC)

Jack calls after them as they head down the hallway, desperate to gain Will's expertise again. Will throws one more disgusted look at the man, but the moment passes quickly and Malcolm has so many more interesting things to say.

"I...I'm not sure what I'm going to do with Hannibal," Will admits. He reaches us to cup Malcolm's jaw with his hand and smirks. "But I'll make sure he knows that. It'll enrage him."

Will's staring him in the eyes as he continues. He's almost still joking- it's an easy cadence to take, thanks to Malcolm's upbeat attitude. "You are going to have to be careful. His focus will be on removing you, and he's not as easy to deal with as Jack."

He continues down the hall to the console room. The dogs are away in the courtyard at the moment- Will didn't want to have them possibly at risk, on the off-chance something went wrong and Jack managed to get in. He doesn't think Hannibal would stoop that low (despite everything), but they'll stay there for now.

"Likewise, it's fine if you kill him. As much as that's not your style. These might be unique circumstances."

Malcolm sobers as he considers that, his hand absently finding fabric to cling to at Will’s waist.

“I’ll do it to save myself or someone else. But… I don’t think I can do it in cold blood.” He looks up at Will with suddenly concerned eyes. “Don’t let him take you with him this time,” he pleads in a sudden burst of urgent, earnest words.

Will had been moving with purpose, but when he feels that Malcolm's got his shirt, he stops cold and turns back to him. He takes the request with a deep breath inward and shakes his head.

"No. I won't, Malcolm. I've given enough of myself, far more than I should've. No one gets the rest but you." He reaches up and grasps Malcolm's hand in his, and he squeezes it.

He's been shaken out of his single-minded focus on getting to Hannibal 'in time'. And as such, he lets out a small sigh. "Say the word, and we're gone. I mean it. I hate that I've endangered Molly again, but maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't have interfered in the first place." Closure is clearly something that is going to keep eluding him. "I trust you to have a clearer head than me, here."

Malcolm presses his lips together. More than anything, he doesn’t want to lose Will, but… “We can’t just leave him here to hurt people. He’ll never stop. Just… I mean, I know he’s always in your head. That he always will be to some degree. Just don’t let him get under your skin. Don’t let him dance you into making a mistake.”

He’s not, these days, worried about Hannibal seducing Will away from him.

“I think… I think we might be the only people that can stop him. So… let’s go get him.”

Will squeezes Malcolm's hand again, watching his face with quiet but insistent observation. Whatever he finds there, he accepts, nodding with resolve.

Maybe closure is not what he needed here. Maybe, for everyone's sake, Hannibal can't be mourning. It's a seed of an idea in his mind. Hopefully wherever it's going grows fruit quickly.

"Let's go."

He's walking into the console room when his phone rings. Will pulls the burner phone out of his pocket and looks at the display- no use, Molly must've had to change her number between his death and now. He worries his lip for a moment and then holds the phone out for Malcolm. It's compromised now.

Malcolm picks up the call.

“Hello?” is all he offers the caller.

There's a pause on the other line, long enough to be mistaken for a spam caller. But eventually there's a response.

"Hello. You must be dear Will's newest attempt to save his soul. How do you think that is going?" It's a voice Malcolm's heard before, albeit from another iteration. It's Hannibal Lecter.

Will can hear it, too. While his back stiffens and he might not be breathing, he doesn't turn back to the phone. He's setting everything to travel, and they clearly need to get to Washington now.

Malcolm’s smile changes. It’s not a pleasant thing anymore. There’s darkness in it.

“Going? Oh. It’s all done. He’s an absolute angel now. Works at a food bank. Sings in a church choir. Helps old ladies across the street. What’re you up to these days?” he asks like they’re old friends. “I imagine you lost your licence to practice psychiatry and any other type of medicine because of all the murders and the padded room. That’s a drag. Are you managing to keep busy?”

Will stifles a laugh at Malcolm's response. He loves how petty it is. The tension leaks out of him as he picks a previous location and sets the ship to move.

"I have been 'getting by,'" Hannibal responds, amusement coloring his voice. "Are you familiar with Psuedo-Dionysus' early angelic hierarchy? There are many types of angels. I would envision Will Graham as an ophanim."

Perhaps this ophanim would burn down the church before singing in the choir.

“Ah. The Thrones. Shining like fire and enacting God’s justice. That’s where I’d put him too. So… what? Are we best friends now? That’s fantastic,” Malcolm enthuses without giving him a chance to answer. “I love that for us.” He doesn’t bother covering the receiver with his hand when he shouts as if to another room, though he does lower it from his face a bit. Small mercies. “See, Will?! I told you he wouldn’t try to kill me out of jealousy just because I’m sleeping with you and he wishes!” He brings the phone back to his ear. “So do you need a ride or something? Can we pick you up somewhere?” he asks breezily. “We could have the best road trip ever. Do you know how to play the licence plate game?”

Will breaks out into a chuckle at Malcolm's call out to him, even as his fear spikes. Malcolm certainly does love pushing buttons, doesn't he?

"I haven't had the pleasure," Hannibal replies calmly. "It would be an engaging game with the both of you. That said-"

Two things happen. Will activates their ship, essentially teleporting them to that tree down the hill on Molly's property. And Hannibal audibly gasps.

He recovers quickly. "I believe you'll find me outside. It's encouraging to note that dear Will is no longer bound by the laws of this earth. A fitting state for him."

Will joins Malcolm, staring at the phone. But he lets Malcolm speak for both of them. He might be in agreement about his 'state,' but he's not giving Hannibal more ammunition. They'll be face-to-face soon enough, apparently. He looks up at Malcolm, eyebrow-raising. A silent question if they're both ready for this.

"Yeah, like I said. He's absolutely ethereal." He meets Will's gaze. "Shines like a star," he says with complete confidence. "See you soon."

He hangs up before Hannibal can respond.

"Are... we sure we want to give him the high ground? Maybe we should pop inside the house first and check on the condition of Molly and her son."

"He's outside," Will states plainly. "He wouldn't have slipped at all if he hadn't seen a door pop into existence in front of him. But he was surprised. That's a sound neither of us will ever hear again."

He makes his way to the living room, then to the front door. He stops in front of it. "Hannibal will have Molly and Wally with him. He'll want to make a show of it, so they're relatively safe until we get out there. He would have...tried to set up some clues for us, but we sidestepped that part. That's impressed him, which means he'll be even more dangerous than usual."

Despite the serious tone, Will's face softens and he smiles. His eyes droop to half-mast as a look of adoration crosses his face. "But of course that's never been a deterrent for you. For either of us."

Malcolm puts his hand on the door, to prevent Will opening it for a moment.

"Let me go first," Malcolm says in a soft, grave tone. "I can get him to release the hostages. But only if he can't see you. I'll connect with you on the phone and keep mine in my pocket so you can hear everything. So you know when to come out. He'll have me by then, but I'm not prey." Not like Molly and Wally. He gives Will a wicked little smile. "I only look like it."

At first, Will looks like he might argue. But the plan is solid. Will's intake of breath is excitement, not the fear that it should be.

But oh, does he life it when Malcolm smiles like that. "I trust you to handle his capriciousness. Dangle me just out of reach. -and yourself, if you can?"

He rubs his thumb over Malcolm's lips, then kisses him deeply. All of his passion and love pours into the action.

Malcolm hums as the kiss breaks. “You’re going to make me forget what I was doing,” he teases with a grin, giving Will one more brief but ardent kiss.

He takes a breath and moves to open the door, when he pauses and gives Will a cheeky look. “I hope he can smell you on me,” he says wickedly, then presses the call button on his phone, slips it into his pocket, and lets himself outside, closing the door behind him.

“Oh. Hey. You’re taller than I was expecting. I guess we’ve both got something to be jealous of now,” Malcolm says glibly. He looks at Molly and Wally, then looks at Hannibal, his face saying ‘Really?’ “I can’t really blame you for being out of the loop while Will was dead, but those hostages are so last year. I think you know he doesn’t run with bunny rabbits anymore. You saw to that.” Credit where it’s due, after all. “He runs with wolves now.”

Hannibal is no longer wearing a suit, instead dressed in sharp-looking activewear that just happens to be all in black. He has a faint look of hope in his eyes, before they glass over and become impenetrable again. He doesn't appear to be holding any weapons, but of course Malcolm knows how much he likes hidden blades.

More noticeable are Molly and Wally's state. Wally is ties to a tree with rope that wraps all the way around and over his throat. Ultimately, the rope is attached to some kind of pulley system made out of camping equipment. Molly, meanwhile, is hung up on a hook, wearing a straight jacket and facing forward. Neither look particularly happy to be there.

Hannibal actually smiles at Malcolm as if he's betraying some kind of gentleness. "I saw to many things. One thing I did not see to was his sudden resurrection. Does he not want to come out and see me? Perhaps he's worried he'll leave wedded bliss to join me once again. We could go make a visit to our dear friend Jack. Or perhaps Freddie Lounds."

“Oh, we just came from Jack’s place,” Malcolm says with a slight cringe like they showed up to a gala in the same dress. “In fairness, we didn’t know you were here or that you and I would hit it off so well,” he points out.

He glances over at the contraption.

“I see you’re a fisherman these days, like Will.” He looks at Hannibal. “You’ve baited your hook and now you’re waiting for your fish to bite. I’m more of a hunter, like you used to be. A predator of predators. There’s a term for that, isn’t there? Apex predator? Here’s the deal: Will does intend to come out, but” He holds up one finger. “Only if you let them go unharmed,” he says, tilting his head to indicate Molly and Wally. “You get to keep me, though. Hell, I’ll even put on the straitjacket if you want.”

Hannibal ignores the offer, as if Malcolm hadn't even said it. As if talking to Will himself. "And how is Jack? I hope that promise made was one kept. Promises to oneself are the most important for self-actualization."

Only then does he look over at Molly, and he lets out a sigh. "I admit, I am no fisherman. I was only realizing some of Will's dreams. Taking my grief to rip a hole in the world that he could see from the afterlife. It seems I was premature in my plans."

He finally looks at Malcolm now, taking him in fully. Evaluating. He doesn't particularly want custody of Molly and Walter Graham. However, removing them from the scene could prove...problematic.

Will meanwhile, has picked his own weapons- items that 'cheat' by being unusable by anyone but him or Malcolm. But when does Hannibal not cheat? Will isn't feeling conflicted over it.

Malcolm lets him look. Assess. He doesn’t assume Hannibal will underestimate him, but it tends to happen a lot. So he lets the silence linger a moment. Then he finishes the quip.

“Rumours of his death were greatly exaggerated,” he deadpans. “So… do you want to see Will or not? Because if you don’t make it worth his while by acquiescing to this one teensy tiny request that you don’t even care about, we’ll just leave. We’ll leave this reality forever and there’ll be no hole you can rip in the universe big enough for him to see you through.” He pauses as though something has just occurred to him. “Are you worried about them calling the police and getting interrupted before you and Will get a chance to really talk? Because… they can go in there,” he explains, pointing to the door in the tree. “No way for them to call for help in this dimension from there. And when they walk in, Will will walk out.”

Malcolm is well aware of the leverage in narcissistic supply, even if Hannibal doesn’t want to admit it to himself. One thing he must know is that Will is a man with enough resolve - or at least enough pettiness - to walk away as promised if he doesn’t get his way. Especially if Malcolm has truly replaced Hannibal for Will. Which is something Malcolm expects Hannibal will want to know for sure.

"I am starting to think Will is using you as a shield rather than an intermediary," Hannibal says to Malcolm, in a low, conspiratorial tone. He seems delighted by the idea.

Hannibal pauses just a little longer- a show of consideration, when he's already long decided. "All right, I agree to those terms. Would you rather have help getting them down, or am I too dangerous for that?" He's not doing it himself, is the implication.

Malcolm smiles at the shield remark, and leans forward slightly, conspiratorially.

“Actually, that was my idea. And while some people wouldn’t see the difference between ‘he’s hiding behind me’ and ‘I’m hiding him behind me’, I think you do. But I have more experience with predatory psychopaths than most people. They miss stuff. Regular people. The bunnies of the world.”

When Hannibal agrees to the terms, Malcolm glances at Molly and Wally, then looks at Hannibal. “Much too dangerous,” he says, and his tone almost suggests he’s indulging Hannibal more than anything by saying so. “What you can do is stay right where you are with your hands where I can see them,” he suggests instead, sidling sideways towards the prisoners so he can see Hannibal too.

“Is it booby trapped?” he asks. “I could take the time to check it carefully, but we’re burning daylight out here and I think you believe me that if they’re harmed in this exercise - even inadvertently by me in the course of freeing them - that Will will leave without seeing you. You’ll lose your one and only chance.”

Hannibal smiles graciously at Malcolm's instructions and folds one hand over the other in front of himself in an easy idle stance. However, at the question about the setups being trapped, he frowns slightly. His eyes narrow.

"No need to threaten," he says, while both Molly and Walter hang in place in what's essentially death contraptions. "I would never. A trap is far too impersonal."

Will snorts at that, from where he's sitting. Hannibal would easily do whatever necessary to escape capture. Not that Will thinks Hannibal would set up traps in this case. Hannibal's eyes shift to Malcolm's jacket pocket as the noise comes through the cellphone (as quiet as it may have been).

"You'd better get to it, then," Hannibal says, 'helpfully.' "He's waiting."

Malcolm smiles politely. “You’re waiting,” he corrects. Another distinction that most people maybe wouldn’t see but he thinks Hannibal does.

He works carefully and unhurriedly, and Hannibal probably notes how easily he bears the weight of both people when he has to. Once they’re on the ground, unrestrained, he still has a firm hand on each of their shoulders. “Don’t say anything, don’t look at him, just walk to the door I came from right now. Don’t run but don’t waste time,” he instructs them. Then he lets go.

He keeps his eyes on Hannibal. He knows Will will come out if he feels the terms have been honoured. And once he locks the door behind them, nobody other than the two of them can unlock it from the outside. They built their failsafes carefully. That was Will’s end of their plans. He has the mind for that sort of ten steps ahead thinking.

Malcolm mirrors Hannibal’s stance at him, clasping his hands in front of himself.

PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

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