Hey guys! I have been busy with school once more, but the semester should be ending in a month. Once the semester ends, I should be able to get more chapters up!

It does have some abuse and language, so be warned.

The next morning, Zip was sitting at Lucky's Yard, keeping an eye on Zebedee. The large harbor tug was breathing normally, but it was obvious he was still in a lot of pain. The workers did not mind Zip's presence, as they were too busy concentrating on improving Zebedee's condition. Zip sighed and looked at the water below, muttering, "I wish I'd find a way to help Zug out. He's in a lot of pain." He looked up to Zebedee, but the tug gave no answer. Tears trickled down Zip's face, and he started to sob.

A whistle turned his attention to the entrance, and Zip was relieved to find that it was only Warrior. "Something wrong Zip?" Warrior asked, noticing Zip's tears. He quietly sailed to the switcher, showing that he had meant no harm. "You have us in case you need help."

Zip was alarmed. "I'm just worried about everything though." He said, not looking at Warrior. "If Zebedee does die, Zak... Zak will sink me!"

"No one's sinking around here." Warrior sighed, offering a consoling bump to the switcher. "We've had our own losses too. I'm not good with the sadness thing, but Big Mac is."

Zip perked up at once, and he became nervous. Big Mac was one of the strongest tugs in the harbor, and he was incredibly stern too. Surely a tug like him would not give Zip the advice he needed, but Warrior was encouraging him. "Do you think he'll help? I mean, I did something horrible to him!" He sobbed, his insecurities becoming more obvious.

"Don't worry Zip, Big Mac knows lots of stuff." Warrior said, gently nudging Zip to move out of his spot. "Come on."

With hesitation, Zip drew up his anchor and followed Warrior out of Lucky's Yard. Within half an hour, Zip and Warrior arrived at the harbor to see Big Mac resting at one of the piers. The switcher was incredibly nervous, and worried that Big Mac would reject his offers of good will. With a gulp, he started (albeit nervously) with, "B-Big Mac?"

The harbor tug slowly turned his wheelhouse to see Zip, and was puzzled. "Need somethin'?" He asked, noticing how nervous Zip was. "No need to be shy lad."

Zip nervously sailed up, praying that this encounter would be peaceful. After all, he did things top Big Mac that got him damaged. "I just wanted to talk." He mumbled, not looking at Big Mac. "It's about Zug, and maybe even Zebedee."

"Zug? Has he been messin' with ya?" Big Mac asked in a gentle tone. "I heard you ran into a problem with him at Lucky's yesterday."

"He tried to get me to mess with you guys! I noticed some bruises on 'im too." Zip blurted out, worried that he blew it. "Please, Zug and I usually get forced to do Zorran and Zak's dirty work because they say we have 'no spines'."

Big Mac was now concerned. The possibility of Zak bossing Zug around during their time with the Star Tugs became even more real, and he motioned Zip to come closer. "Herc's showing you that you have one. He said that you told Zug 'no'." He said, hoping to calm the switcher down. "Does Zebedee force you guys to do these things?"

Zip shook his head, showing that Zebedee did care. "He usually stands up for me and Zug when Zorran or Zak get angry. Zorran doesn't care if Zak hits us." He cried. Then, he blurted, "Look, I was forced to push you into that sand bar!"

The harbor tug was confused. "Zip, I don't remember much from that incident. Sunshine ended up feelin' rejected because of what Zorran did." He explained, trying to console Zip. "He was just simply using you as a means to an end."

"But I could've hurt you Big Mac! Maybe even sank you with that push." Zip sobbed, inching back nervously.

Big Mac became even more concerned, and inched back. So the Z Stacks were more dysfunctional than what he thought. "It's against everything I stand for to lay a bow on a switcher." He said. "I forgive you for what you did."

Forgiveness? This was not what Zip was expecting, but the guilt he had for what he did was gone. "You, forgive me?" He asked, trying to process what Big Mac told him. He wanted to say something about how he wasn't expecting it, but he simply asked, "What exactly is forgiveness?"

"Forgiveness is making up with someone over past mistakes." Big Mac explained, tears rolling down his cheeks. With a small smile, he added, "It allows us to let go of what's botherin' us and move on. Maybe make a friend with someone who wronged ya."

"So... I can be your friend?" The switcher asked, relieved that Big Mac was doing this. "I mean, I was never taught how to forgive by Zorran and the others-"

"Yes Zip." Big Mac said. "Come on now, we have some work that needs to be done at the coal plant. We'll be able to talk more about it while there." With that, the two tugs left for the coal plant.

At the same time, Zak and Zug were talking at their hideout, and it was obvious that Zak was not happy. "What do you mean you couldn't take Zeb down? Wood can be pretty flimsy when you ram it!" Zak spat,

"Look, I couldn't ram it because of my scars from that beaching incident! I grabbed rope because I was strong enough to at least tow the wood." Zug pleaded, but it only made Zak more furious. "Look, my lines got cut by-

"Now Lucky and his men might look into us, especially when there are stray ropes left!" The harbor tug snarled, and smacked Zug with one of his lines. "You're becoming a real waste of my time by quivering like an idiot. Now tell me, how did the lines get cut?"

"It's Ten Cents-" Zug started to relate what he saw, but to his horror, he felt his tongue get held down at once. It was as though a physical force was preventing him from telling Zak what had really happened. Panicking, he tried to fight back the urge to not speak, but it was all in vain.

"Whatcha gonna do, cry about it?" The harbor tug asked, striking Zug with his bow. "Come on you little shit, spit it out! Zorran wouldn't approve of you being like this."

With a choked sob, Zug muttered, "He's cut my lines. Please Zak, Ten Cents has something you don't have."

"Seems I'll have to take down Zebedee myself because of that smug little bastard." Zak huffed, ignoring Zug's crying. "Shaddup and get back to work. I need that money, and fast!"

With some hesitation, Zug nodded and hurried away towards the coal plant. He now started to resent Zak, albeit he didn't show it. "So Zak's probably going to try and save his own ass in the end! If Zorran were here, he'd save me!" He thought to himself, but he bumped into Zip! "Zip!"

"You okay Zug?" Zip asked, noticing that Zug was sobbing and that he was covered in bruises. "You look pretty beat up."

"I'm fine." Zug replied, but he was lying. "What're you doing with Big Mac? Do you guys need some help?"

Zip felt that something wasn't right, and he asked Zug, "How come? Big Mac's a pretty strong tug."

The smaller switcher got annoyed and shouted, "Stop being a spineless idiot and answer me! Besides, Zorran and Zak wouldn't approve of you working with a Star like Big Mac!"

"Zorran didn't care if Zak beat us!" Zip blurted out, and Zug became pale as a ghost. "Zug, we talk more later-"

"Traitor!" Zug spat. "You never even cared that Zorran died!" However, he realized that Zip had become smarter than what he thought he was, and he hurried off before Big Mac could catch him. Little did he know that the glowing bird he saw was watching, and it had heard everything...

It was late August, and Zug was moored at an abandoned dock not too far from Zak. He figured that would be safer, as he started to become more cautious around the harbor tug. Whatever Charon did made it difficult for him to even speak up, and now he was nervous. He slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep. He awoke and found himself at the Star Dock, but something wasn't right. He undid his lines and started to build up steam when he heard Zip crying.

"The fuck?" He asked aloud, and now he wanted to tell Zip to calm down. However, the larger switcher was nowhere to be seen. "Zip, where are you?" He asked, but no response was heard. Odd. "Zip? It's me, Zug!" He sailed out of the Star Dock and quickly found himself at the steel mill. He heard the sobbing again and called for Zip's name once more, and didn't get far when he spotted a tug at one of the furnaces.

Zug, in his addled state, identified the tug as Zip. "Get out of there, it's way too hot for you!" He called, but the tug did not reply. "Your paint's gonna melt if you stay too close to the heat!" Again, no reply. Not wanting Zip to suffer death by fire he started to steam forward when he spotted a tug melting in the furnace. "Z-Zorran?" He asked, and tried to blast his hooter to draw Zorran's attention. However, Zorran did not respond.

The tug slowly turned his wheelhouse to face Zug, and it was only then that the switcher realized that he was not dealing with Zip. No, he was dealing with the demonic tug he and Zip had run into. "Wanna go into the fire and save him? Be my guest." Hades asked, grinning as he watched Zug pale. "He's been dead for a few hours now."

"HERCULES, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Zug shouted, and the demonic tug only growled. He let out a high pitched shriek and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he realized that it was nighttime. And that Zak was gone. Perhaps Zak went back to the Star Dock to act more normal. Or he went to go kill Zebedee himself. He dismissed his concerns and went back to sleep, hoping that Zak would come back soon.

The next morning, Zug quietly steamed to the Star Dock to snoop in on some information for Zak. That way, he could relay to Zak which contracts were lucrative. Instead, he noticed that the other tugs were in a state of confusion. Intrigued, he quietly steamed to the entrance as to avoid drawing attention to himself.

"Zebedee was found in the water, and it was a miracle that he didn't submerge. However, this pushes back the time his repairs will take by a month." Captain Starr announced, reading some notes he had been holding. "No one knows who or what caused the wood to fail, but Lucky has taken precaution to have Zebedee pushed a little farther inland to prevent any accidents like that from happening again."

Zug hurried out, now wondering what had happened. "Zak's not gonna be happy when he learns that Zebedee is still alive." He said to himself, not looking where he was going. He bumped into Top Hat, who was doing some early morning work.

"Where do you think you're going Zug? You're supposed to be helping us out, not weasel in and out of the harbor!" The railway tug asked, looking rather frustrated. "You and Zak keep on flaking out of all your work. Now go and do what Starr tells you to do or else it's dry dock."

"How do you know your majesty?" Zug asked, trying to save face. "We tend to do our work at a different pace than you guys, so it's nothing to be worried about! I mean, you're of a low rank!"

"Starr told us during the briefing yesterday. He's getting pretty impatient about it too." Top Hat huffed. "And I heard something about Zak- brat." He said in disappointment, noticing that Zug had scurried off.

So Top Hat probably did hear about Zak's plan. Zug hurried back to the hiding spot and spotted Zak resting. He noticed some dents and scrapes on the harbor tug's bow, confirming that he had gone to sink Zebedee. "Zak, I have horrible news! Zebedee's still-"

"I know he's still alive! At this rate, I'll be happy if Starr sells him to a breaker." Zak replied, ignoring Zug's gasp. "Saves us the trouble of trying to kill him. Now, I need more cash to get my engine fixed."

"I know Zak, I know." Zug said, rolling his eyes. "Go rest yourself, and maybe we can get someone to help us out." With that, he hurried off to wherever he needed to be.

Zak was confused as he watched Zug hurry off, but ideas were already brewing in his head. "Maybe I can be a better leader than Zorran. He was placed up because he was healthier than me." He said to himself, remembering the days before Zero bought him. The words "your engine is draining our funds" echoed in his mind, and he tried to shake them off. "No, I'll be the best leader the Z Stacks ever had!" He said, realizing that the money towards his engine would take a while. Finding a tug to help him and Zug in their schemes.

In another part of the harbor, Ten Cents was dozing off after doing some contract work with Sunshine. He awoke to find himself in the harbor, but Zorran was right next to him. "You look smoldering." He remarked, noticing that Zorran was covered in soot and looked like he had taken heat damage. "Teasing of course."

"Thanks for the compliment." Zorran dryly replied, coughing up ash. "Getting used and abused as a prop is a little too much for a soul like me, don't you think?"

"Uh huh." Ten Cents replied, examining the damage. However, he heard Sunshine's voice. "I think I gotta go. We're supposed to be doing dredging!" He woke up and noticed a concerned Sunshine, and he muttered a quick apology. "Seems like I slept in again." He said, trying to force a grin.

"You've been dozing off plenty of times Tenny! You might need to get it checked out." Sunshine remarked, now taking on the role of a stern parent.

"I'm fine though! It's just that we both had a lot on our plate." Ten Cents replied, drawing up his anchor.

"No more of this 'fine' talk Tenny! You use it each time you look hesitant." Sunshine frowned. After a minute, he sighed and said, "I look up to you, and I keep on worryin' for you ever since the Timberwolf incident. I'm sorry if I'm-"

"No worries Sun. Hey, you're like a brother to me after all." Ten Cents smiled, relieved that all was well. "C'mon, we gotta go get some dredging done."

The two switchers hurried on, and soon arrived to pick up Scuttlebutt Pete. "What sort of dredging are we doing today?" Ten Cents asked, watching Pete climb aboard.

"Grampus came across an old galleon, so we're doing some dredging for the museum." Pete answered, reading the message he had gotten from the museum.

"Grampus's back already?" The switchers asked in unison, surprised at what Pete told them. Grampus had been charted by the Navy to do some work in the southern United States, and had been gone for a few months. To hear he was back so early meant that they could have a chance to talk to him again!

"He got back this morning and is taking a well deserved rest. Might be best to speak to him in the evening." Pete replied, and the three were off.

Zug was close by and heard the words. "Maybe I can get Zak to get enough cash for his engine this way." He thought, and he followed close behind. He didn't get far though, when he noticed a raven perched on his tow ropes. "Get lost!" He snapped, trying to shoo it away.

The raven cawed, and its appearance changed. It was now glowing, but the sunlight meant that the light emitted from the bird was limited. Its body was also covered in bullet holes, yet it could move without limping. It flapped its wings and took off, landing on the switcher's lamp.

Zug was confused, but confusion became panic when he noticed that no one else had seen the strange bird. "G-geist!" He shouted, hoping someone would listen to his call for help and scare the raven away. The raven simply called again, and Zug was becoming desperate. Then, he a whistle and paled.

"What're you hanging around like that for Zug?" Zak asked, watching Zug go quiet at once. "We're supposed to be stealing stuff, not scream like idiots!"

"But I saw a ghost bird!" Zug exclaimed. "It was glowing and- ow!" He grimaced in pain as he felt Zak shove him.

"Ghosts aren't real Zug. Now get back to work." The harbor tug ordered, and Zug quietly nodded. When Zug hurried off, he sighed and said to himself, "At this rate, I gotta hire the tug myself. And possibly take Zug out if he goes insane." He then steamed off, not wanting anyone to snoop on his schemes.

It was early September, and Ten Cents and Zip were getting ready to do some work in the harbor. Sunshine was gone helping Pearl, leaving just the two switchers to manage things. While Zip was a little nervous, Ten Cents was confident. "Now Zip, this work should be easy for us! It's not like shipping season." He explained.

"I know, but we have a few runners looking for stuff to buy." Zip said, having done some rum running himself. "Didn't do it a whole lot, but I know the others did."

"How does that even work though?" Ten Cents asked, puzzled by what Zip was saying. "I know there's secret compartments and all, but how would Zero fit you guys with those things? I betcha it costed money too."

Zip was about to explain, but then he noticed Zug coming towards them. "We gotta go, I don't want to deal with Zug again!" He whispered, hoping to not draw the smaller switcher's attention.

"Alright, alright." Ten Cents said, but he didn't get far when he came face to face with Zug. "Alright Zug, what d'you want?"

Zug looked pale as a ghost, and his body was covered in dents. "I had a dream." He explained, looking at Ten Cents with fear. However, his voice had sounded like it was slurred. "You gotta help me, Zorran keeps on dying!"

"But why though? Zorran's already dead." Ten Cents asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've become delusional, that's all."

"Me, delusional? He keeps on getting killed in horrific ways!" The smaller switcher answered. "And you had a-" He then went silent, and he started to break down.

Zip wanted to help Zug, but Ten Cents motioned for him to get out. There was no way in telling what happened next, especially with a tug who had likely gone insane. "But he's my friend though!" Zip pleaded.

"But he's gone mad! I'll alert the Coast Guard, you get to the harbor." Ten Cents said, noticing that Zug was becoming more desperate.

Zip wanted to stay and help, but Ten Cents did have a point. Zak probably wasn't too far from where he was, he thought, and ran away from the scene. He headed towards the direction of Lucky's Yard, and noticed that Zak was close by. He wanted to hurry and hide, worried that Zak would spot him. However, curiosity was overtaking him. What was he doing here anyway? With some caution, he followed Zak.

Zak was at Lucky's, deciding to check on Zebedee. Now that they moved him inland, Zak was hoping that he would be declared a loss and be scrapped. However, the men were making considerable progress. "He better kick the bucket before he wakes up. If he wakes up, it's the scrapyard for you." A voice in his head said, and Zak panicked. "He's healthier, stronger than you. Go and push him aside."

Zak now started to plot ways to get to Zebedee and kill him, and he looked for ways to get the tug to break. However, he had to make it look like an accident. And he had the feeling someone was watching him. He turned around to see Zip close by, and he was furious. "Alright Zip, what're you doing here?" He snarled.

"You won't get away with it Zak!" Zip exclaimed, not showing nervousness. "You're a murderer!"

"No one saw the accident, so it can't be me! You swallowed the crap the Stars have been telling you!" Zak said, now getting ready to attack. "You take back eat you said, and maybe you can help us out."

"All you do is beat us though! Zebedee made sure you wouldn't smash us to bits." Zip said, standing his ground. However, he was weak compared to Zak.

Zak knew this, and said, "Who's gonna save you now that he's on dry dock? Heh, you should've kept that mouth shut." He was about to attack when he spotted the distinct shape of an ocean tug. Great.

"And what are you doing at Lucky's Zak?" Hercules asked, and it was obvious that he wasn't happy. "Harassing a switcher is something the Star Fleet doesn't tolerate, and you're making it difficult for me to not ram you."

"He's trying to talk shit!" Zak said, trying to save himself. "He says I tried to kill Zebedee when he clearly got into an accident."

"Is that so?" Hercules asked, raising an eyebrow. He was starting to lose patience, and trying to keep calm was becoming a losing battle. "You aren't the most reputable tug for honesty Zak. It's no wonder Start had you pulled from service."

"That's a load of bull-" Zak threw some of his ropes at Zip, but he felt himself get rammed. He hissed in pain and looked up to see an infuriated Hercules. "You're gonna sink me in front of all of these people? Starr's gonna have a hell of a time explaining to the judge why I died."

Hercules motioned for Zip to stay still, as he didn't want to see him hurt. "And what, have my fleet die? With you being pulled, the city technically owns you now. Pull one trick and they can end you." He said. "Starr doesn't care if you live or die."

Zak was trembling, realizing that the words were probably true. Knowing the influence Hercules had, to try and fight back would be suicide. He inched back, and hurried away from Lucky's Yard at once. He would have to get back back at Zebedee later.

"Was all that true?" Zip asked, looking up at Hercules. "I mean-"

"I made up the city bit up. However, the rest is true." Hercules explained, glad to see that Zip was unhurt. "With you as a witness, we can get him dry docked. Or at least detained."

He was about to continue when he noticed Zebedee start to stir. Then, Hercules and Zip watched as Zebedee slowly opened his eyes.