I return! School has been busy af, but I am staying on top of my work. I apologize if this chapter is longer than what I have written thus far, I wanted to get a nice build up. For some reason ;)
The next morning, the Star Tugs awoke to hear that Burke and Blair had died overnight. This was significant, but they were not surprised in the slightest. It turned out the breaker tugs had been struggling to adjust to their new engines, and the fact they were a bit older and not as well-maintained did not help them. It was dismissed as natural by everyone, that was, except for Ten Cents and Sunshine.
"Died naturally?" Sunshine asked in a soft voice, looking up at Ten Cents with worried eyes. "It feels so… odd that these guys died naturally while others died so violently. Don't you think the reaper is behind this?"
"Yeah, it doesn't sound right at all." Ten Cents said, heaving a heavy sigh. "C'mon, we have work to do. We can try to solve the mystery later." Sunshine frowned, but Ten Cents was right.
The morning went on uneventfully, and both switchers were surprised to head no mention of the grim reaper at all. It felt as though the city had gone back go normal and that peace was restored. However, they noticed that many ships were still nervous. They supposed it was the grim reaper, or that the air around them was uneasy. This made Ten Cents incredibly suspicious, and now. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and put a stop to whoever was causing this.
Later on that afternoon, he decided to swing by the breaker's yard. Something still wasn't right, so he wanted to go see if something fishy really did happen. He also noticed that Hercules was silent on the event, and he was now wondering if he had something to with it. The switcher was too lost in thoughts to notice that he was in the path of Timberwolf. She spotted him and blasted her hooter to draw his attention.
"What are you doing out here?" She asked, glaring at the switcher. "Do you realize you don't have the authority to come out and do such things, right? This is for Navy tugs only, and only Navy tugs."
"No, I was just taking time in between contracts." Ten Cents replied, getting apprehensive. He had met Timberwolf once and wasn't overly fond of her, so he hoped this meeting would not be as intense. "It isn't like I'm breaking the law or anything. What're you doing out near the breaker's yard then, hm?"
"None of your business." Timberwolf stated, now inching towards the switcher. "Take your leave, or else I will-"
Hercules' whistle pierced the air, and the two tugs turned their attention to the regal tug. "So we finally meet Timberwolf." He said, defiantly inching forward. "What are you doing to that-"
"So you've come to protect the innocent, hm?" Timberwolf snapped, looking at Hercules. She was clearly in no mood to be reasoned with at this point, as evidenced by the tone of her voice. "I'm doing my work of keeping the peace. You're being a vigilante!"
"You have no authority to lay a finger on that switcher. Especially since you treated someone dear to me like garbage." Hercules said, motioning for Ten Cents to leave. Things would get ugly very quickly if Hercules did indeed lose his cool. "Now take your nose and stick it elsewhere. Otherwise you will-"
"You can't threaten me with death." The Navy tug huffed, trying to look dignified. "What made you decide to single me out from the other Navy tugs in the harbor?"
Ten Cents quietly hurried off, not wanting to get caught in the middle of a fight. He wouldn't be surprised if Hercules did indeed smash into Timberwolf, or at least drag her along with his tow ropes. However, there was no decent way of telling what would happen, and it would be too risky to find out. He didn't even look back, fearing that the worst had happened.
A few hours had passed and Ten Cents was now back heading back to the Star Dock after a long day of work. It was rather slow, and the argument between Hercules and Timberwolf was weighing heavily on his mind. Hopefully the ocean tug had make it back safely, and without any fines (Hercules had a tendency to get fined for noncompliance). Much to his relief, the switcher spotted Hercules moored at the pier, as well as a flock of crows. As he inched forward, he noticed how relaxed the other was, especially when compared to earlier.
"What made you lash out at Timberwolf like that?" Ten Cents asked, steaming up to Hercules with a puzzled expression. He looked down and noticed that the crows were helping themselves to some fruit and fish that was placed on the deck. "I mean, I haven't seen you lash out at anyone like that since you first met Zorran."
"Timberwolf was Goliah's superior during the war, and was... extremely rough." Hercules sighed, shaking his head. "The fact Goli was the only girl in her unit made the treatment unbearable. She was very patient though, and bore those verbal assaults with stride." Then, with a sigh, he said, "I apologize if I got out of hand back there. Luckily Timberwolf hasn't filed a report. Yet."
Ten Cents smiled and said, "That's good. Luckily for Bigg City, they don't have the reaper to deal with. The rumors died down after Burke and Blair had died."
"A welcome relief I suppose." The ocean tug mused, looking on towards the sea. Then, he asked in a quiet voice, "What were you sailing out towards the breaker's yard for? Especially since Timberwolf was there?"
"I had the feeling something was off." The switcher admitted, looking down at his reflection in the water. "Timberwolf must have had similar reasons for checking it out too. Now I'm wondering if- Never mind."
"Wondering what?" Hercules asked, tensing up. The crows stopped eating and turned to look at Ten Cents, as if they were judging him for something he had done wrong. "You don't have to hesitate when speaking your feelings to me m'dear. I'm all ears."
The air around the two tugs grew cold, yet Ten Cents felt the water around him start to get warmer and warmer. Knowing he had probably pushed Hercules to his limit, he had to get out. "I need to go check up on Sunshine. I'll see you later on tonight!"
"Likewise." Hercules smiled and said, watching Ten Cents take his leave. Once the switcher disappeared from view, the ocean tug's composure had changed completely. "Keep your eyes on him. I do not want him to find himself in a situation that he cannot get out of." He whispered, his voice soft enough for the crows to hear. The crows nodded, and soon flew off towards the Star Dock.
A week had gone by and Bigg City was covered in snow. Shipping had decreased as a result, and Captain Starr had been making preparations to move his fleet Up River for the winter season. However, Hercules would have to stay behind due to the fact that his massive body was not made for rivers. Instead, he would have to stay out in port and complete contracts for companies that weren't as affected by the winter weather. Although Hercules did not mind this, he longed for spring to come and thaw out the ice.
It was mid-morning, and Captain Starr had received a telegram that would keep the harbor busy for the time being. The passenger ferry Columbus was coming up the coast to deliver supplies, and even though it was no ocean liner, the work he was doing was important. To make it more exciting, Columbus' owners would reward the company who safely escorted the ferry into port with a contract. He relayed the news to his tugs, and they got excited. Hopefully, the Z Stacks wouldn't be playing any tricks on them.
At the Zero Dock, Captain Zero had heard the news of the Columbus. "There is some valuable cargo on that ferry, so make you sure you guys be the ones that escort him!" He said, reading some papers. Zip was about to ask, but Zebedee whispered something to him about bootlegging. "Do not fail me this time, or else all of you will be collecting raw sewage! Now go!" The man said, not wanting to deal with disobedient tugs. The Z Stacks muttered and hurried off, not wanting to do such smelly work.
Hercules was sent to go fulfill a steel contract, so Big Mac was sent up to go and escort Columbus to port. Things would have been smooth had it not been for Zorran coming up close to him. "Bugger off Zorran, all you're going to do is cause trouble." The harbor tug snapped. He did not want to deal with Zorran, as he wanted to make sure the job was done in a smooth manner.
"Not when a contract as lucrative as this one is involved Mac!" Zorran chuckled and sped ahead, trying to get to Columbus first. However, he stopped when he spotted the ferry out in the distance. Now it was a waiting game.
Columbus was inching closer to the entrance to the city, but he was teetering towards Dender Rocks. His captain had never travelled up to Bigg City before, and was unfamiliar with the risks that sailing to such a port could pose. Big Mac and Zorran were getting worried, and could only watch with fear as they watched the ferry go off course. Then, they could hear a loud scraping noise, followed by crunching. Columbus had run aground! The call to abandon ship was issued, and passengers and crew scrambled to get out of the sinking ferry. Columbus began to take on water, and he started to lean to his right.
The two tugs put aside their differences and got to work helping those in need. A Coast Guard vessel watched what happened, and hurried over. "I'll alert the others, stay here and rescue!" He said, letting some passengers scramble aboard.
At the harbor, the Star Tugs and Z Stacks were waiting when several Coast Guard vessels hurried up to them. "Emergency, emergency!" A Coast Guard vessel shouted, trying to catch the tugs' attention. "Columbus has run aground, and we need your help to right him and find survivors."
Appalled, the tugs raced odd towards the scene. When they arrived, they watched as Big Mac and Zorran were struggling to pluck survivors. Some of Columbus' keel was sticking out from amongst the water, and it was cracked. The tugs glanced at the sight for a second before setting to work. It was high priority to make sure he would not sink.
Hercules soon arrived, and due to the authority he had, put himself in charge. He tasked the switchers, Top Hat, O.J., and Zak with collecting survivors, as righting a ship would be too much for their bodies. Meanwhile, Hercules, Big Mac, Warrior, Zorran, and Zebedee would try to right the ship by using their ropes. The work was very stressful, but each tug did their best to make sure the ship would not slip under.
After a while, Hercules noticed that Columbus was still taking on water. It was frustrating to say the least, but he quickly realized that Columbus would eventually sink even if the other tugs righted him. It was a losing battle, and he knew that some of the tugs in this operation would fatally blow their engines. After some hesitation, he cut his tow ropes. Big Mac noticed and was startled. "Hercu-"
"We can't keep going like this. The damage is too great." Hercules sighed in defeat, knowing that nothing could be done. He pointed to some massive holes on the hull, drawing a gasp from Big Mac. "If we do continue, he'll take us all down with him."
Big Mac noticed Warrior's ropes start to break with the pressure, and he said, "Cut yer lines! Columbus is too damaged to be righted."
Zorran wanted to protest, but Big Mac and Hercules had a point. The other tugs cut their lines, and watched helplessly as Columbus started to lean left again. The salvage company arrived after a while, and they went to work quickly retrieving what they could before the ferry would sink.
As the sun was setting that evening, Hercules stayed close behind at the scene. It would probably take a while for Columbus to sink, but for now, he was slowly slipping away. A bit of his face was submerged, and he had given up on spitting out water. Hercules wanted to end the other's suffering, but he wasn't sure if Ten Cents and Sunshine were out and about. He bid good night and dreaded home, leaving some crows to keep tabs on the ferry.
It was a day since Columbus capsized, and the salvage company was hard at work. Both Star and Zero tugs had to assist in the salvage efforts. It was dreadful, and they tried what they could to make the ferry comfortable. However, he groaned in pain, too weak to speak. Later on that night, the Star Tugs were back at the dock getting refuelled and cleaned after a long day of work. It had gotten too dark for them to properly operate in such conditions, and fog would only make navigation difficult. For now, the search for survivors and salvaging would have to cease. It was difficult yes, but they had no choice.
Despite the tragedy, there was still work to do. Ten Cents and Sunshine were sent to the fueling depot to go and collect fuel for Lillie. Although the weather was almost unbearable, she still had to job of making sure vessels would navigate port without running aground. As they got close, they noticed Hercules racing towards Dender Rocks.
"There he goes again!" Sunshine gasped, looking up to Ten Cents. "Should we go and find him again? Especially with-"
"I've had enough of sitting around while Hercules sneaks off!" Ten Cents said, eyes filled with determination. "This time, we'll make sure he doesn't go and do what he's been doing." Sunshine nodded, and the switchers changed course to go and pursue the ocean tug.
Meanwhile, Zorran was now just heading back to the Zero Dock. During salvaging, the Coast Guard caught him trying to run off with some suspicious boxes, and he was worried that Zero would kill him. Especially since those boxes were discovered to have rum inside. As he sailed on, he noticed Ten Cents and Sunshine sailing on. Perhaps he could report them, and maybe get them to feel humiliated like he was. "Well well well, if it isn't Tenny and Sunny?" He sneered, creeping up to them.
The switchers turned to face the Z Stack with disgust. Oh great. "What're you doing here Zorran, it's none of your business!" Ten Cents asked.
"I wanted to check up on ya." Zorran smirked, noticing that the switchers had nothing on them. "You can't just be wandering around like that, especially since there has been a capsizing."
"Go away!" Sunshine snapped, not wanting to deal with Zorran. Especially since there was a much more serious threat. "C'mon Tenny, let's go."
Ten Cents nodded, and he and Sunshine hurried away from Zorran as fast as they could. Zorran was befuddled and followed close behind. Surely those switchers were onto something. As Ten Cents and Sunshine sailed on, they turned and spotted the Z Stack catching up. "Zorran, we told you to keep away!" Ten Cents said.
"Not unless I know what you two are doing!" The Z Stack snapped. "You need to explain first, run away second. Not the other way around."
Sunshine looked at his friend with worried eyes before saying, "We're looking for the grim reaper!" Hopefully that would get Zorran to stop following them.
"Grim reaper eh?" Zorran was intrigued. He chuckled and said, "Perhaps you might need me as backup in case anything goes wrong."
Sunshine was suspicious, but Ten Cents pressed on. Zorran was taking away time from finding the reaper, and he was worried that by the time they got somewhere, the reaper would be gone. Taking Ten Cents' behavior as a yes, Zorran followed close behind.
Ten Cents pushed on through the fog, confident in what he was doing. As the three tugs sailed on, the area near Dender Rocks became increasingly foggy. Soon, it was difficult to see beyond their bows. Then, they heard a loud boom out in the distance! Then, there was a light. It was brighter than noon day, nearly blinding the trio.
The trio gasped and kept their mouths shut, not wanting to make a sound. Sweat trickled down Ten Cents' face, and Zorran was almost considering turning around and going back. However, it was almost impossible to do it in these conditions. Sunshine meanwhile had his eyes closed, tears slowly creeping out. A minute later, the light slowly faded away.
Now was their chance!
Ten Cents and Sunshine bravely pushed on through the fog, with Zorran following close behind. As they got closer to where they had seen the light, they noticed that the fog was starting to disperse, making navigation a lot easier. Then, they spotted Columbus and a tug standing right next to him. They flashed their lights at the tug, ready to pounce if necessary. What they saw caught them off guard.
"Hercules, what are you doing all the way out here!?"