February 22, 2042, The Pentagon, Virginia [1000 hours]
The day after Washington and a few other warships docked at San Diego were converted, the US government publicly announced the new program meant to fight back against the ocean-borne menace.
But of course, due to the ridiculous circumstances of what it involved, they had their work cut out for them.
US Secretary of Defense Louis Ryan stood behind the podium at the presscon room of the Pentagon, which was filled with reporters from news agencies from around the world. He had already said the name of the program: Project Athena. However, when the reporters asked what it involved, he hesitated for a moment.
Secretary Ryan gave an uneasy look at DARPA Director Carradine, who nervously smiled back and shrugged. The Secretary looked down at his feet and took a deep breath.
"Everyone, please listen closely. What I'm about to show and explain to all of you might...erm...be a bit unusual, to say the least," he said as the digital screen backdrop behind him which showed the Pentagon logo transitioned into a black screen.
The next few minutes involved a somewhat awkward lecture on the how the entire shipgirl wazoo started. Seeing that Secretary Ryan was having a hard time trying to explain, Director Carradine joined in, having a little bit more knowledge on the topic.
The screen behind them showed pictures and data regarding the creation of the shipgirls, alongside the Director's explanations.
The media didn't react well.
"Mr. Secretary. So you're saying...that our only effective method of fighting back against these...monsters from the ocean...is sending 'ship-girls' to fight them?!" a BBC reporter asked, air-quoting the words "ship-girls".
"Erm...uhhh..."
"This has got to be a joke, right? That...that doesn't make any sense!" spoke a reporter from CNN. "None of this makes any sense!"
The room quickly devolved into a cacophony of noise as the reporters complained aggressively, unable to comprehend the absolute absurdity of the proposal of 'ship girls'. Was this proof that spirits and other supernatural beings existed? If so, why haven't ghosts been publicly acknowledged by the scientific community? The yeti captured? Or even inventing communication with the dead? Not to mention proving God's existence.
Another thing that crossed their minds was: Were these creatures from the deep so powerful, that the most powerful military on the planet have become desperate enough to utilize dangerous, unproven science to find a way to fight back? And all under the guise of a UN-backed weapons program?
"So Mr. Secretary. You and Director Carradine are saying that the 'souls' of an inanimate object is our best chance to fight back against monsters coming from under the ocean?!"
"Excuse me! Are you saying we're gambling on something paranormal. Something that the scientific community has constantly said to be untrue in order to defend ourselves?"
"Mr. Secretary! Is this also an official statement saying that paranormal phenomena is real?"
The reporters threw question upon question at the two. Eventually, Director Carradine couldn't take it anymore.
"EVERYONE! SILENCE!"
Carradine's words reverberated through the room, causing the media people to quickly stop talking.
"Alright. I'm sorry if this is all sounds like we're going completely bonkers right now. And frankly, I did too when I first found out about this, but you've all seen what those things did in Asia. Whole parts of Tokyo, leveled in the blink of an eye. Almost the entire JMSDF getting wiped out shortly after. The Chinese were desperate enough to launch nukes when their navy failed, but look at what happened! That didn't stop the aliens. Not one bit. They just shelled Beijing from inside the mushroom clouds. The nukes didn't kill a single one."
Carradine stopped and caught his breath.
"We've lost a great many men at Guam. I'd say we were lucky that the force that attacked Pearl was only a small one, but we still lost a lot of good people. I'm ashamed to admit that with all our 'advanced' weapons and technology, we can't do anything against the UAOs with what we have right now."
Carradine sighed as the media became melancholic as they took in his words.
"But we did not give up. That laser and this whole hullabaloo is what we got from the efforts of our allies in Europe, and it WORKS, the absurdity behind how it does be damned. The 'shipgirls' are why the attack on Pearl wasn't as bad as Guam..."
"I know what you all feel. It doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense. Absolutely none of it. Either way, what matters is that we can fight back. And these 'shipgirls' are our only chance and option unless we can come up with something better."
The room sounded with cameras flashing as Carradine wiped his head with a handkerchief. He looked at Secretary Ryan, who gave him a discreet thumbs up and mouthed "Thanks".
Carradine stood up straight and fixed his tie. "Now, can me and Secretary Ryan get on with this mess of a presscon so we can all go home? Because trying to explain this shit is giving me a headache."
San Diego Naval Base, same day [1300 hours]
Jansen sat in his new office while reading through the files Koenigg had sent to him about heir observations on Missouri.
Meanwhile it seemed that the UAOs were really taking their time after the attack. Every second brought an ever enroaching sense of anxiety, as the UAOs could now strike at any moment with there being no way to accurately predict where they would.
Fortunately, Brixham and Kaeriga had already converted some of the other ships aside from Washington, specifically USS Ronald Reagan and several of her carrier strike group members from Yokosuka and the aircraft carrier USS Midway. Brixham and the laser were last sent up north to the other naval bases along the West Coast while Kaeriga remained to keep watch on the ship girls currently at the base.
Reagan (Or rather, Ronnie, as she preferred to be called) was a huge difference from Washington in terms of behavior, appearance and mannerisms. Appearance-wise, Ronnie had the same facial features and body type but an entirely different outfit and hairstyle. She was dressed in a business suit - the masculine type with pants - with a US Navy logo "campaign" pin. Her black hair was cut short to something of a pixie cut that resembled a more feminine version of her namesake's hair. Compared to Washington's more soft-spoken and pleasing sounding way of speaking, Ronnie was...boisetrous and loud. Nevertheless, she got along fine with the two battleship girls and her sister, of course.
Meanwhile, Midway had long black hair tied into two low ponytails and was wearing the US Navy tracksuit and a baseball cap with her hull number embroidered on the front. She didn't look like a bifauxnen like the other two carriers. She gave off the aura of a veteran soldier, though she acted very laid-back and chill.
The other warships, namely the missile destroyers, were an interesting bunch themselves. Though Jansen unfortunately hadn't met them personally due to him and Penny needing to move their things into his current office.
The office itself was significantly larger than his previous one. One of the maintenance personnel who helped them mentioned that it was because they were going to install a device to make his duty easier in the following days. He wondered what it was.
The office had two desks, one for him and for his secretary, and three cabinet-slash-drawers for their personal belongings and decorations. The walls were colored in a two-tone light gray and dark navy blue scheme. There was also one window behind Jansen with blinds that were currently closed. He was currently alone as Penny went off to the comfort room.
"Huh. Superhuman strength...how do they store their weapons?...memory of an elephant, huh?..."
Jansen put down the tablet and rubbed his forehead.
"Just how many of these girls are we going to be having anyway? I'm not so sure if I can handle the whole navy if they're planning to include the other fleets' ships..."
He picked it up again and opened the file regarding the ships to be converted. Priority was given to several warships on the West Coast, both active and museum, with the rest of the other warships at the Atlantic being put for secondary priority in case more warships were needed. Due to Brixham leaving earlier that day, he was expecting some new ship girls from the base in Washington state up north to come in the next few days.
As he was reading, he heard someone knock on the door.
"Come in, it's open," he called out as he continued looking over the list. Penny entered, looking a little uncomfortable as she stood near the door..
"Errr...umm...Admiral?"
"Yes, Penny?" he replied before he looked up at her. He noticed that she looked more uneasy than usual.
"What's wrong? You look nervous."
"Well...ehhh...t-there's someone who wants to speak to you..." she said as she looked to the side.
"Oh...okay, I guess? Who is it?"
"The...the Iowa, s-sir."
Jansen raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Iowa?! Already?!"
"What? She's already been converted?"
"Y-Y-Yes, sir."
"That was fast..." he thought.
"Well...I'd, uhhh...I'd like to meet her. Where is she right now?"
"Uhhh...hold on, sir."
Penny opened the door again and went outside. In less than a few seconds she came back and held the door open as she looked away in apparent embarrassment.
A woman roughly as tall as Missouri sauntered in. Jansen could only stare in astonishment, mostly because of what she was wearing. What she had on completely contradicted Jansen's expectations as he assumed she'd be wearing the same kind or a similar version of Missouri's attire, but instead she looked like some kind of lingerie model for she was only wearing a very undersized dark blue, sleeveless, button-up top that barely contained her breasts, a gray garter corset that showed off her abdomen, a pair of white, elbow-length, silk gloves, a veeery short skirt with a white and blue pattern, US flag-themed thigh highs held up by the garter corset and high-heeled boots. Iowa had long blonde but slightly messy hair topped by some metal headgear that resembled the ship's conning tower and blue eyes that when examined closely, had star-shaped pupils.
"Oh? So you're my Admiral?" she said in a sultry tone. "I was expecting someone a little...older."
Iowa chuckled as she observed Jansen's dumbstruck face.
"Ad-mi-raaal~! My eyes are up here, y'know~" she cooed. Jansen snapped out of his state and quickly shook his head to reorient himself.
"S-Sir? A-Are you alright?" Penny worriedly asked after she closed the door and rushed to his side.
"Guhhh...huh? Oh...uhh...I'm fine, thanks Penny. Err..."
Jansen put down his tablet. He stood up and walked over to Iowa.
"I am so sorry for that. I was-uhhh-"
"Oh that's fine. They all had the same reaction when I arrived~" Iowa said as she giggled.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Iowa," Jansen said after regaining his composure. "I'm Rear Admiral Oscar Jansen, and I'm...err...going to be your commanding officer from now on."
Jansen held his hand out to shake Iowa's hand, which she did.
"Iowa. Lead ship of the Iowa-class battleships. The pleasure's all mine, Ozzie. I'm looking forward to getting to know you more..."
"Come on, guys...we're in a military base. There's no need for you to be on-guard all the time..."
Ronnie and Midway stood out in the hallway of their temporary quarters as Ronnie's destroyer squadron and cruiser escorts stood guard at the elevator, the doors of Missouri's and her and Washington's room, the stairs and patrolled the hallway.
All in an unfittingly cutesy-ish manner that couldn't be taken seriously since they looked like kids.
Midway watched, amused as the suit-clad bifauxnen futilely pleaded with her subordinates to stop acting like she was about to get assassinated at any time.
"Barry! Come on...there's no need for y'all to be on edge. Can't you tell them that?" she said to the de facto leader of her "bodyguards", USS Barry, stood guard at the door of Missouri's room with USS Mustin. All the destroyer girls looked like early-teenaged girls wearing the female Service Dress Blue uniform (Minus the cap), with sunglasses and radio earpieces a la Secret Service members.
"Sorry, Ma'am! It's better safe than sorry. After what happened to Miss Washington we can take any chances!" Barry said as she stood with her arms crossed.
Ronnie sighed as she turned to Midway.
"There's really no way to convince them isn't there?"
"Well, you can't force them to stop if they don't want to, so..." Midway said as she leaned against the wall and chuckled.
'Ugh. Wash was right...these lil' ones are relentless..." Ronnie said to the older carrier with a long face.
Meanwhile, inside the room. Missouri was seated on the couch in the living area watching the news with Washington. The carrier was sitting on a chair nearby as Arizona was lying down on the right side of the couch with her head on the Iowa-class battleship's lap.
"Oh the news is going to have a field day. I can tell already..." Washington muttered as the three watched the press conference being broadcast live. "And maybe even the conspiracy theorists too."
"Imagine what'll happen if they find out that Area 51 really is a secret research center!" Missouri said as she laughed.
The Nimitz-class carrier sighed as she leaned back on the cushioned chair. Her coat was draped on the back, leaving her clad in only a white dress shirt and pants. Missouri was also in a similar state of undress, having only her blouse and skirt on while Arizona retained her normal attire.
"I'm sure they're already celebrating the fact that aliens exist. It's only a matter of time," Washington said as she blew off a lock of hair that fell on her lip. "Even moreso that we're around. So I think the paranormalists and whatnot are celebrating that ghosts are real."
"So we gotta look out for people with vacuum cleaners then?" Missouri said, giggling after.
"Heh. Perhaps."
"Haaah...what time is it? I think I'm getting hungry again..." Arizona said as she moved onto her back, facing the ceiling, which was partially obscured by Missouri's...tanks.
"Oh...wow..." the smaller battleship girl thought as she eyed them curiously.
"Same here, Ari. I could go for some lunch right now...how 'bout you Wash?"
"Well, since you mention it. Yeah. Honestly, I'm hungry myself. Though I don't suppose you have any money to pay, do you?" the aircraft carrier replied.
"Oh, riiiight," Missouri thought. None of them had any money on them, ironically despite being some of the most expensive things the United States spent money on.
"Errr...no...although I do remember the Admiral telling us to call him if we needed anything before he left to do stuff yesterday."
"I see. Then..." Washington said as she trailed off, as if she was having doubts on what she was going to say.
"I'm sorry if this sounds so selfish of me, but...I hope he wouldn't mind if we could have our lunch early?"
"Oooooh! I see what you're getting at! Should I call him right now?"
"Please do. I'll ask Midway and Ronnie if they want to eat too."
Washington got up and went to the door as Arizona sat up to let Missouri go over to the phone before lying down on the couch again.
The shipgirls could actually bypass using the phone and call Jansen's tablet's frequency using their ability to communicate via "radio telepathy", but Missouri decided to use the phone instead for the sake of norms. The "radio telepathy" was much more suited for combat situations despite its versatile use.
The battleship was about to pick up the receiver when the phone rang.
"Ooh it must be him already!" she thought as she picked it up immediately.
"Hello, sir! Is it lunchtime already?" she asked.
"Oh...uhhh...M-Missouri? This is Penny," the secretary replied instead.
"Oh hi, Secretary! Where's the Admiral?"
"Uhhh...he-he told me to tell you...that he's coming over..."
"Oh okay. What for?"
"Y-Your sister...Iowa? She's here..."
Missouri's eyes widened.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
Her exclamation got the attention of Arizona, who immediately sat up and looked at her in concern.
"Missouri?" she asked, with the battleship looking back at her with a mix of joy and excitement.
"She's here!"
"Uhh, who?" Arizona replied, tilting her head in confusion.
"Iowa~!"
"How do you find being 'human' now, Iowa?" Jansen asked as the two of them walked towards the shipgirls' temporary dormitory. Jansen had requested a car drive them over from the Main Headquarters and now the two were exiting the parking lot.
"Hmmm...I'd say it's refreshing. To be able to move around freely without being burdened by size...I think I'm going to love being like this~" the battleship said as she flipped her long blonde hair back. "Sitting in one place for twelve years is kinda boring, y'know."
"I think your sister mentioned something similar some time ago..." Jansen said as they walked towards the entrance. "Oh, by the way. I assume you're aware that we've recruited a few more shipgirls before you came along?"
"Yeah, I'm aware. That cute British scientist told me that you guys managed to get Midway, Arizona and those Nimitz-class girls, right?"
"'Cute British scientist'? She's referring to who I think it is isn't she?" Jansen thought as he held the door open for her. After she went in he escorted her to the "reception desk" still manned by Jacobson.
"Mornin' sir!" he said after he stood up and saluted, with Jansen returning the favor. "'Nother shipgirl I presume?"
"Errr, yeah. Jacobson, this is Iowa," Jansen said as he motioned to Iowa. "Iowa, this is Seaman Jacobson. He's the one in charge of keeping track of who's living here."
"Well hello, handsome~ Pleasure to meet you," she said to him as she shot him a sultry gaze.
"Oh...uhh...it's-uhhh-nice to meet you , Miss Iowa," he said back to her before signaling Jansen to come closer.
"She's the Iowa-class battleship, right?" he whispered.
"Uh...yeah. Why?"
"She's...uhhh how do I put this...I was expecting her to look more like the other one..."
Jansen patted him slightly on the back, silently mouthing "Same".
"So anyway, she's going to be staying here as well, so I'd like you to put her in the tenant records like the others."
Jacobson sat down again. "Alright sir, ma'am. I'll get right on it. Just tell me what room she's going to be staying in later," he said as he started typing on the touchscreen computer.
"Thanks. We'll be heading upstairs."
The two walked over to the stairs as their conversation continued.
"So those Nimitz girls...how're they like?"
"Washington and Reagan? Well...they, uhhh...they kind of look like feminine guys to be honest. I have no idea why."
"Feminine guys, I see. And one of them's named Washington? Reminds me of someone way back..." Iowa trailed off. "Although...and I'd like your honest opinion on this, Ozzie...how do you find them?"
Jansen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"How do they look, in your opinion?"
"Oh, uhhh..."
"That's a weird thing to ask..." he thought as he tried to think of an answer.
"They look...pretty I guess? Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing~"
"Okaaaaay..." Jansen replied as they continued walking up the stairs.
"How about Missouri?"
"What?"
"How do you find my sister?"
Jansen sighed, wondering why she was asking him all of this.
"She's...errr...okay, I guess?"
Iowa turned her head away as she slyly smirked.
"I see...so does that mean I look 'okay' to you?"
"Excuse me?"
Iowa giggled.
"Well we do look alike, bodywise. So whatever you think about how any of my sisters look also applies to me! And I'm very flattered, sir~"
Jansen rolled his eyes.
"Okaaay, okay. You're welcome, I guess. But keep in mind that you girls have duties to do," he said as they approached the fourth floor. However, they were immediately blocked entry by two small girls.
"Stop right there, you two!" one of them, who had boyish, short brunette hair, said as she made a 'stop' gesture.
"What's your business here?" the other girl, who had shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair asked.
Jansen and Iowa stood there, bamboozled by the fact that two pre-teen looking girls were acting like bodyguards guarding the stair entrance to the floor.
"Are these the destroyer girls?" Jansen asked in his thoughts. "These girls are starting to get weird..."
"Uhhh...I'm Rear Admiral Jansen? I'm here to check on everyone on this floor?"
"Admiral Jansen, eh? Benfold you mind asking the boss if she's expecting a 'Jansen'?"
"Sure, hold on," Benfold said as she put a finger on an earpiece on her right ear.
"Uh, Barry? Is the VIP expecting someone today?"
A few seconds passed as USS Benfold nodded and said "uh-huhs".
"Are these girls the missile destroyers?" Iowa whispered to Jansen.
"I think so. What's up with all of them acting like bodyguards?" he replied.
"He's got this weird-looking lady with him...uh she, errrr, she looks like she could use some clothes..."
Jansen glanced at Iowa, who looked amused. Then they noticed Benfold's face drop.
The missile destroyer pulled the missile cruiser closer to her.
"Holy shit Antietam, THAT'S HIM!" she whispered.
"Who?"
"OUR C.O.!"
Benfold turned her head to the two as she tried to smile. To Iowa and Jansen, she looked terribly nervous doing so before she let go of Antietam.
"Ahahaha...I'm...ehhh...we're so sorry for the hold up, Admiral," Benfold said as she awkwardly stepped aside together with Antietam.
"W-We didn't know it was you! Please don't court-martial us!"
Jansen scratched his head.
"It's all good. Maybe I should be the one to apologize, since I didn't get to meet you guys yesterday."
"Oh no no no, we should be sorry for inconveniencing you, sir," Benfold said as she montioned them to proceed.
"So, uhhh, please. Miss Reagan is waiting for you two," Antietam said as she did the same.
Iowa and Jansen passed through, leaving the two behind.
"Hmmm. How gentlemanly, Ozzie," Iowa commented as they walked.
"Hey, you gotta cut them some slack. At least they were doing their...'jobs'?"
"Well, whatever they were doing I would've given the two of them a pinch on their cheeks."
"...you're not doing that for the sake of punishment, aren't you?"
"Of course not. They're just so cute!"
They saw some of the destroyer girls standing guard at two doors. The two approached the nearest one, which was guarded by Barry and Mustin. The two looked uncomfortable as the got closer.
"Hiiiiii, Admiraaaaaaal..." Barry said as she hung her head and fidgeted. "...we...uhhh...didn't know it was you."
"Oh it's no problem."
Barry pushed the door open. The door made a loud "THUD" as it seemed to hit something.
"Huh?" Missouri said as she stepped back from behind the door and let it swing open. Her face immediately lit up.
"Iowa!" she exclaimed as she immediately rushed towards Iowa and hugged her.
"Missouri! Oh it's been a while~" Iowa said as she wrapped her arms around her sister ship.
"I knoooooowwww!"
Ronnie, Washington and Arizona stood behind Missouri, looking at the reunion. Ronnie gave out a long, slow whistle.
"Daaamn. Is that the fashion in LA nowadays?" Ronnie commented as Washington looked on, flabbergasted with Iowa's choice of clothing.
"I...honestly have no idea. But it's Los Angeles so..." Washington said as she shrugged.
Arizona, on the other hand, stood there with her jaw on the floor.
"Oooh~ Are you Arizona?" Iowa asked the battleship after she set her eyes on her after the hug finished.
"Wh-Who? M-M-Me?"
"Just saw your name pin. I wasn't expecting you to be so adorable."
Missouri chuckled as Arizona blushed.
"You always have something nice to say about everything," she said as she casually put her hand on Iowa's shoulder.
"Well of course. I have an eye for cute things~" Iowa said as she turned her attention to the two carriers.
"My, my. You two must be Washington and Ronald Reagan, if I'm not mistaken?" she said as she pointed to each of them in the correct order.
"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Iowa," Washington said as she put a hand to her chest and bowed.
"What she said," Reagan said, beaming a smile. "Except replace 'an honor' with 'nice'."
"I must say..." Iowa said as she held up a hand to the side of her mouth and leaned to Missouri.
"...they're cute. As in, handsome cute," she said, making no effort to lower her voice. Washington blushed as Ronnie smiled and rolled her eyes as she fixed her tie.
"Well..." Jansen thought as he crossed his arms. "...nice to see that they're all getting along well."
"So, Iowa. Have a room where you'd like to stay? Almost all the rooms here look like this one though so I'm afraid there's not much variety," he said.
"Hmmm...which room is Missouri staying in?" she asked.
"Oh. It's...uhh...this one," Jansen replied as he pointed to the room's floor.
"You want to stay here?" Missouri asked her.
"Why not? We're sisters, and we sisters always have to stick with each other."
"Err...that's because Arizona's staying with her," he said as he put his arms down.
"I see..." Iowa said as she put a finger on her chin. "...then maybe there's room for one more?"
Arizona's eyes widened in surprise.
"That...depends. I assume you're okay with that, Missouri?" Jansen asked her.
"I don't mind. The bed's got a lot of space, and it's got a trundle bed* too!"
Jansen turned to Arizona.
"So what do you think, Arizona? It's your call."
"Uhhhh...I-I guess it's fine."
"Thank you~!" Iowa said as she went over and hugged Arizona, subjecting her to a faceful of Marshmallow Hellâ„¢.
"Ahhhh! Sooo...soooft...can't...breathe..."
Iowa let her go, leaving the poor battleship heavily flustered. Iowa laughed.
"Goddammit, Iowa. Ya almost squeezed the life outta her!" Ronnie said as she playfully slapped the battleship on the back. The battleship giggled.
"Well, since it's almost lunchtime why don't we-" Jansen said as he got cut off by the sound of his tablet ringing.
"Oh, wait a sec," he said as he pulled out his tablet and saw that the screen had the word "URGENT" flashing on the screen. The caller was the base's Headquarters Command Room, so he immediately answered the video call.
"This is Admiral Oscar Jansen. What's the situation?"
"Sir, our surveillance drones spotted a sizable force of UAOs heading for Los Angeles!"
"What?!" everyone in the room said in unison.
"Holy...that was loud. Who're you with, sir?"
"I'm with the shipgirls. Where are they now?"
"Near San Nicolas, sir! You're all being requested at the command room for an emergency briefing right now!"
Jansen heard a few trucks pull up in front of the dormitories. At the same moment, Midway stepped out of the bathroom.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked before stopping in her tracks upon seeing Iowa. "Iowa? Is that you?"
"Middy! Long time no see!" the battleship said to her. Jansen cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Ladies, we've got another attack on the way. Outside, now!"
"Yes, sir!" the Nimitz-classes said.
"Alright!" Missouri and Iowa said.
"Let's get movin!" Arizona said.
They all rushed out, running down the stairs and making a beeline for the exit (Much to the confusion of Jacobson), where were greeted by the entirety of Destroyer Squadron 15 in front of the dorm.
"Oh wow! You guys got down here fast," Jansen said, amazed at how quickly they assembled there. He then realized that when they rushed out the room none of them were present in the hallway as he approached them near the two M939 trucks.
"I overheard the call, Admiral, so I had everyone get down here as fast as possible," Barry eagerly said to Jansen as she saluted. He looked around to see a few crater on the pavement. Jansen looked up at the building to see a single open window.
"They didn't jump down here did they?" Jansen thought.
Apparently fast as possible also meant as absurdly as possible.
"Hey, come on! Get in!" one of the drivers shouted.
"We gotta get to North Island ASAP! Let's move girls!" he ordered as he got on the back of one of the trucks. The carriers and battleships got on the same truck as the destroyers occupied the other. The drivers immediately stepped on the gas.
Time was of the essence.
trundle bed - a bed that is stored under a normal bed, and that can be wheeled out for use by visitors or as another bed.
