Haze gray 92

Taylor shook her head at the crowd on Mare Island. Like it was Disney World combined with an open-air industrial museum and industrial revolution exhibition all in one. Oh, and a railway museum because every track on the island was full of haze gray rolling stock of every description, with four switchers shoving them into Underhill. Or the odd building here and there.

She was beginning to regret climbing out of the just competed ship channel that led into Underhill beside the seaplane ramp, but she had been curious. It led to a dock, that apparently was an elevator. A hydraulic one. Pretty efficient really. Why was the question. She wasn't sure she wanted to really know but she expected it would be impressive. A yard on the bottom level of this whole thing probably. That had been an enormous empty space. A super carrier capable yard might be getting a little carried away however. That was leaving alone the elevator that made the Tower bridge in London's hydraulics look like a toy.

Like the elevator that was taking ten train cars at a time somewhere down there really. Flatbed cars loaded with train car wheels? She sighed. They were obviously going to have to have a meeting. The California yard was going to pull something trying to outdo everyone else ever.

She watched a locomotive come up on the lift. "Is that a DD40X?" It started its engines with a whine then a hiss and steady sssshhhh. She sighed "T56 derivative then?"

Ruth, one of the geniuses, came up on the net "Uh huh. Sweet right! And it can burn anything. We got caps on it for bunker C and gas. Plus, a portal in the exhaust which it powers. Steam turbines too of course, portal caps for the steam to run back to the steam system and hot water to the steam generator in the engine exhaust. Man, we get a lot of stuff out of those! Plus, all the heat.

"We're working on restringing the power lines to the mainland from Mare. Probably do it in a tunnel to be more secure than those towers. We're generating way more power than we need. About six hundred megawatts more. And that's after running the portals out here. It's those two furnaces. They got all the tricks applied to them, which were optimized from us doing the one in Brockton Bay and then building the one on Hispaniola. Things are in trigeneration and are about eighty percent efficient. You should see the size of the steam turbines they run.

"Add these locomotives in and it's going to be even more. If we ever figure out how to take power off of them. Third rails are right out, and catenary is fragile and a little dangerous. These are for line haul. About eighty percent efficiency if you include everything. The road switchers are steadying down to three thousand horsepower class. Piston engines because they idle a bunch. We had those EMD seven tens though. Spark plugs and natural gas. Too easy. Made tier four without any other modification.

"Good thing we found all that silver. Best electrical conductor there is. Need it for all these motors. Tess you need to stop talking bad about the ground out there, we are getting tons of copper, lead, zinc, silver, and gold. Granted gold isn't very useful, and we have to store it if we don't want to crash the market for it, but the rest are great! Especially silver, we use tons of that in the ship's electrical networks, industrial robots too. That's besides all that oil and gas. Plus the stuff from the north pacific gyre. We're just storing the oil for now we are getting so much trash plastic aside from the useful plastics. We actually run it through the refinery. You were right about the gasoline. Barrel after barrel of it. Good market for it out here though."

Taylor scowled, then chuckled, then bent double laughing. Amy put a finger on her neck just to make sure and then smiled and shook her head. "Big day." Taylor howled some more. "It isn't that funny you goof. Come on. Hungry." Taylor laughed as they headed back to the Dock with Amy steering her by an arm and smiling at the tourist, California locals too, filming the whole thing with cell phones and Taylor having to stop and laugh more every time she looked at something obviously just made new and shiny again. Or just made.

Amy asked, "What in the world?"

Lisa sighed "It's the lease. We don't have to give this back until the US Government pays for all the improvements to the real property. At this point there isn't enough money in the world. Welcome to Mare Island, United States of Hispaniola."

"Oh." Amy blinked "Oh my!" Taylor pointed at her and howled. She sighed and took the totally unsuppressed large cruiser under tow. "Watch your weight, you're cracking the concrete and Mr. Cheapy will fix it. Then they will have to pay for that too."

Taylor rolled around the intersection of Waterfront and Railroad laughing after saying "He can do it with the gold." All the other girls got the giggles. Including Amy.

Mouse Protector sighed. The boss was going to flip.

Haze Gray

Barrack got the briefing in the morning and shrugged "We were sort of done with it anyway?"

Michelle snorted. "Well, Quarters one is supposedly ready, so the girls and I are catching a Tradewind at Anacostia early in the morning."

Barack grumbled "You and half the government. Well, anyone who could conceivably wrangle a seat. I'm not sure some of these agencies are part of the government."

Michelle laughed "You can have one to be Navy one when they get theirs."

Barack sighed "Meanwhile we don't get a recess until the fifteenth."

"And who wanted that chair?"

Haze Gray

Nancy Pelosi watched the news reports "It's a crazy girl! That's nearly my district!" Her senior staff member sighed.

Haze Gray

Maggie looked at the TV, then at Jack. She chuckled. Her father stepped over to their shared area "Got your go bags? Activate your pet feeding rosters. We are catching a Tradewind tomorrow. With the First Lady and First Daughters by the way. Early."

Jack blinked "Uh, why sir?" The Admiral looked at him. "You don't believe that nuclear capable power bullshit any more than I do sir."

"A lot of people in the government do though Jack." He looked at Maggie "Two birds one stone as well. Though I suspect there is a golf course already, and soon a Naval air station, with so many VLS cells under it they may never all get filled. Plus, with these caps is there even a range limit on those cruise missiles? Pays to keep your finger on the pulse of something like that.

"You saw that data, that can only be a fire control tower down there in the south Atlantic. Hell, we paid for her to do Johnston or will be paying for it for several years. It has one of those towers too. Gave her Midway and her people are still on Wake for some odd reason.

"Besides they should just about be ready to test fire those mark threes in Baxter and Townsley." The Admiral grinned. Jack nodded.

Maggie huffed "Boys. I want to ride in a Tradewind and see what the girls have done with Underhill."

Jack nodded "But are those even Tradewinds? I mean, they could probably carry a one." The Admiral chuckled as the discussion got started.

Haze Gray

Marquis smiled at Kaiser at the weekly tea Glastig Uaine insisted on. "Well, not much jack-booted thuggery at all out of your block."

Kaiser smiled back "Disappointed?" He beamed at Black Kaze who sniffed at him and continued her conversation with Ingénue.

Marquise watched that and chuckled "No actually. You never were a believer in that philosophy. Bit of a megalomaniac though. I'm wondering what your next move is here."

Kaiser shrugged, "Rest, consolidate. Hookwolf wants to arrange some matches. It could be entertaining. I wouldn't mind hosting."

Lustrum nodded "So you aren't sure you don't have a few bombs still wandering around."

Kaiser shrugged "Even if not the block is going to take a while to settle. We have time I believe."

Marquis nodded "If nothing else."

The tea broke up later and Kaiser nodded as Lustrum grinned impishly while walking off with Black Kaze. Marquis watched Ingenue watching Kaiser watch and chuckled. Well, he was still a fuck, but it was certainly more interesting lately.

Ingenue looked at him and smiled. He sighed. Very interesting, and not all of it in a good way. He moved on to his cell block to await the distraction she would send. Most of them were entertaining for a while. Though that one had been, difficult. He had already spoken to the woman about forcing others though. Lustrum had ended up involved. It wasn't his concern but apparently things had gone past words in the ladies section, that was where the existing factions had come from.

The women's side had settled. Now Kaiser and his manipulations. Well, as the man had said, they had time, if not much else.

Not for the first time he wondered what happened to the issue of those assignations if there were any. As far as he knew no method of birth control was perfect. Women had been coming across nightly, or men going the other way, for years. Surely there had been some? No doubt the women knew. Of course, they weren't saying. And how did you bring something like that up?

Ah, Max, so that's your game. Dangerous. But you have always played best and boldest when you had nothing else to lose. All newbies looked for a route out as well.

Marquis smiled, plus Alexandria would be waiting and with you an escapee, well, she wouldn't even need you to try to kill her again.

And if Glastig's little birds were correct you might find a dragon rather than a grue. Or a Dragon and a Grue. Haha. That's if my reading of Glastigs stories is true. Who else could stasis and unlimited regeneration be though?

Haze Gray

Delphine smirked and flipped a little extra hip roll at Alexandria. Lung rolled his eyes. Women, always at war. Well, time to go home and see his daughter. Johnny could handle these fools for a while. He rose, then smirked when Alexandria rose as well.

Haze Gray

Carmen looked at the reports and laughed. Alexandria would be distracted a while and Brockton Bay was obviously having a good time, albeit more because she had just given in to the madness, but that was OK too. It wasn't like the girl was doing bad things. Her peoples kind of madness seemed to be good for everyone who wasn't a wasted fuck.

Alaska was amazingly under control, even with the continuing adventures of Wendigo and friends. She looked closer at the picture. They had gotten the girl in clothes rather than skins? That must have been fun. Those two idiots must have daughters. Well, she wasn't eating people so that was all good. As it turned out the girl apparently thought humans were bad meat. Hmm all the predators too. Though she would run off bears and play with wolves. She avoided wolverines though. Those supposedly smelled though, so smart maybe. So, as normal, people were lying and blaming the girl for shit they probably did. Have to look at all these people who reported things about the girl.

Now, who could she fuck right up the ass while they were distracted. Someone must be up to something and she was nearly out of entertainment. Who expected the villains to just fold up when the gloves came off?

Hmm, Seawolf was raping and pillaging the Russians. OK, this could be fun. They could make it a race. She punched in the director of WEDGDGs number. "Charlotte. How are you?"

"My, so snippy so early in the conversation."

"Yes dear, I realize you have the Kanmusu in town."

"Oh they have, apparently by accident?"

"Well I was hoping to make that a bit of a race."

"Oh good, glad you thought of it as soon as the planes landed. So if they got the liquid assets what did you get."

"I see, well, that's a bit surprising and not good at all. Are you going to need help cleaning that mess up?"

"Haha, because I know I'm not on the Russians payroll. First Coil and now this. Something I want you to slip into the investigation is discovering how this is remaining hidden."

"Good, now one last thing, the restrictions on the Elite are off. We have a surplus of capes sitting around, I need a target to point them at."

"You can't be serious. You want to give Seawolf and her sub sisters a tour of your facility and an introduction. She will see through that instantly."

"Me? She won't see through me doing it?"

"Don't try to change the subject, everyone knows Alexandria is working on getting laid. Who else could she pick? Hawaii and the BBs are straight and Panacea would drop her in her tracks."

"That's just gross. Don't be crude. Eidolon, what's wrong with you? He's worse than Armsmaster."

"See, yes, Dragon would kill us all dead, yes it would probably be spectacular, no he is a squishy human once you open that can, but you want me to suggest to Alexandria that she needs to be more discrete. No. Get those thinkers working on the hobgoblin gambit for Lung."

Carmen hung up the phone and chuckled. It was a strange, strange world suddenly. So little Taylor had fucked the Russians over. Hard. This would be so much fun. Those fucks were going to send all their teams after the Kanmusu. Hmm They would probably come to Brockton first.

She turned to the SIPR net laptop "Emily and who else, well, Maria obviously, did she have a SIPR net connection? Hawaii did no doubt. I might have to buy a ticket and go watch a bunch of Russian operators try to blend in on Hispaniola. Seventy percent of the population was black, the rest Hispanic or Asian. The only European white people on the island were tourist. Yes, telling Hawaii killed to birds with one stone.

Haze Gray

Taylor sat at the head of the table in the enormous conference room "What in the world?"

'Hey'

"A movie theater when it isn't a conference room. OK fine. Alright let's get this show on the road. Admiral you start." Taylor watched and listened intently as the situational update proceeded.

After two hours a crewman trotted in and whispered to Lisa who paled. Taylor drummed her fingers. Lisa looked at her and winced "Uh, it was all cash, both ships full, they are going to have to return to pick up another load. Two loads even."

Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose while everyone else blinked "How much?"

"Uh, if it's all dollar bills, and none of it is camouflage or other than money at least fifteen billion nine hundred million, at most uh, wait that can't be right?"

Taylor nodded "One point six trillion give or take."

Tess opened her mouth and Taylor raised a hand "Anybody know somebody in the US Treasury department?"

Maria cleared her throat "The money is on USH registered hulls or on USH soil. The tourist were thrilled to get their passports stamped. The locals not so thrilled to have to go and get theirs. Customs and Immigration insist though."

Taylor mumble ranted for a moment "So how many years is this going to be in court?"

'Hey.' The Jag officer announced.

Taylor groaned "Black letter international law. If it isn't claimed its ours. If they claim it, they have to provide provenance."

'Hey'

"To our and the host countries satisfaction."

Taylor looked at Tattletale who sucked her head in "You got some splaining to do Lucy."

"Hey!" Everyone looked at Lucy. She blushed.

Cassidy chuckled "Just to be fair boss lady, who knew they were so confident they just packed the containers dead full of money? We should have gotten maybe a billion or two if they had been following their own normal practices."

Taylor looked at the screen showing the intel matrix of the local thieves in law "Whelp, Tata Slavi, it was nice not knowing you.

"OK here is what we are going to do. These guys are going to freak. I want all the knowns and suspected located. Rachel, that's you and the dogs. The rest of us are going tourist in the poorer sections of town, or wherever their businesses are.

"The first sign these guys are going to do something stupid we take them down. Citizen's arrest, so no death punching Jugs."

"Ah man!"

Taylor grinned tightly "Find me these girls and their documents. Round them up, Amy, you and your girls plus the escorts."

"The battle line will be in the area, if you even think you need help come up on the net soonest. Oh find the girls houses, empty them too, get quarters for the girls. we can talk to them and if they decide to still do what they do and are of age they can work for Lung someplace where that is legal.

"Leslie, you and your girls will be working contacts outside the local area but stand by to support if it turns into a fight.

"Lisa, you and the other subs, get into the organizations offices, get their records and get leads to prosecute. These idiots can't be this bad with data security. They have to have written down the really important stuff.

"Our fight against the bratwurst semmel apparently starts right here. Stay alert, heads on a swivel, we just took more than the value of their GDP as far as I know."

Lisa nodded "You know this means-"

"They were moving money from all the thieves in law here for transshipment. These poor girls were just these cells sideline to make them feel like real gangsters.

"Logically we are going to run into more money shipments as we contract trace these guys." Taylor finished.

'Hey'

"A prison hulk. In international waters. The trouble shooters will flow to there and try to take it."

'Hey.' the yard manager said.

Everyone froze "Lease the COSCO America. Can we even? Even if we do can you knock out containers for it?"

'Hey'

"You already leased the Development, Harmony, and Pride for the China mission. And started the containers for that. Of course you did. OK. So, this meeting is going to go long. Let's settle in everyone. Get your folks moving on the reconnaissance. Someone get command and control up and running please?"

Mongrel shrugged "Liberty, they have the LCAC ferries for transport. That will put lots of eyes out there."

Taylor beamed at her "Tell them to be careful. Watch out for each other out there."