Chapter 1~ Learning to Dive
Once Thresher and Scorpion were two months old, Bowfin began teaching them how to dive, and instantly regretted it. The two were some of the worst troublemakers she'd ever seen and their dive lessons served as another way to prank the unsuspecting ship.
Early one morning, Wisconsin was resting in the harbor after a long midshipman cruise after a tour in Korea. The battleship was hoping for a nap. Two little submarines however, were determined she would have to work for it. Thresher snickered as she watched her unsuspecting pray. "She won't see us coming." She giggled. Scorpion grinned. "Let's give him a good scare." She whispered back. Still snickering, the two subs dove down, their hulls brushing the silty bottom. Even at this depth, there was no room to sail under Wisconsin's keel due to the battleship's huge draught. But that didn't face the two youngsters who eagerly circled the unsuspecting battleship along the bottom.
Thresher gave a nod to Scorpion and the younger sub rose to periscope depth. Her keen eyes could see through the murky waters and she lined up with her target. Driving forward, she slammed her bow into Wisconsin's side. "Oh!" the battleship yelped. Thresher did the same on the other side. Wisconsin eyed Scorpion's periscope and timed her move carefully. Lunging forward, her head disappeared beneath the water and she reemerged with the submarine clasped firmly in her jaws.
"Nice catch Wisconsin!" Gearing, a new destroyer, called. Wisconsin grinned. "Thank you." She replied. "It's no fish, but it'll have to do." She gazed hard at the wriggling mass in her jaws. "Now are you going to stop playing games or am I going to have to eat you for lunch?" Scorpion struggled a bit more before giving up. "You wouldn't eat me." She squeaked. "Oh yeah, try me!" Wisconsin growled and tossed the sub high in the air, catching her again in her jaws. She squealed in laughter. Thresher joined in and pounced on Wisconsin. "Give up my sister you red monster!" She yowled. Wisconsin rolled over. "Oh no, save me!" She wailed dramatically in a frighteningly accurate Russian accent. The other ships watching laughed. "I'm being attacked by two crazy Amerikans!" Thresher and Scorpion pounced on Wisconsin's belly and the three had great fun until Bowfin intervened. "Thresher, Scorpion quit torturing the poor battleship!" She called. Still giggling in mirth, the two subs slid neatly off Wisconsin's belly and into the water, bouncing to their mother with silly grins on their faces.
Bowfin gave her two kids a quick lick. "Go and find your stepmother now." She ordered. "Yes mamma!" Thresher squeaked and the two raced off. "Little demons." Wisconsin chuckled, righting herself. "Thank you for rescuing me." Bowfin laughed. "They're a handful alright. I haven't seen a pair of more mischievous subs." "Likely Fletcher's doing." Wisconsin said. "Lord knows I've had plenty of pranks pulled on me by her and her siblings." Bowfin laughed. "Very likely." She agreed. "But they're becoming too much of a handful for me at my age. I was hoping to ask you if you could help me manage them." Wisconsin dipped her head. "I'd be honored to." She said. "I'm likely going to be stuck here in Norfolk anyway." Bowfin gave a sad smile. "Isn't that the truth." She sighed. Wisconsin nuzzled her. "Hey, you know it would happen eventually. It'll likely occur to you as well. We're from the same era after all." She said. Bowfin nodded and sighed. "If only we had a few more decades." She murmured.
Thresher and Scorpion meanwhile had located their stepmother but had no intentions of letting Fletcher know that. Unlike with Wisconsin, they could sail under Fletcher's keel easily. As they went up on either sides of her bow, just below the surface Fletcher growled "I'm looking to eat a big whale, don't make me mistake you two for that." Seconds later, Scorpion and Thresher broke the surface. "Hi mom." They squealed. "How'd you know we were there?" "You were making enough noise for the Russians to hear ya!" Fletcher replied. "You need to be quiet." Thresher nodded. "Yes momma." She replied. Fletcher smiled warmly at her two kids. "Haven't been up to too much trouble?" She asked. "Maybe a bit." Thresher replied. "Just try to behave. I don't want you two facing an XOI before you're even commissioned." Fletcher ordered. "Yes mamma." Scorpion replied, snuggling against the destroyer's gray hull. Thresher did the same. Fletcher smiled at her two sleepy daughters and curled around them as the three settled in for a nap.