Chapter 15Notes:
(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)
Chapter Text
The Boardwalk, Brockton Bay
Nor'easters, a powerful type of extratropical cyclone, were well known to the citizens of Brockton Bay. Such as the one in '76, which dropped over 56 inches of snow on the city. Or the one in '93 considered the Storm of the Century, which grew so large that it affected the entire eastern US and parts of eastern Canada. The one currently blowing outside Fugly Bob's had already dropped over a foot of snow and didn't appear to be letting up.
Inside the warm restaurant were two shipgirls sharing a meal, the only customers who braved the horrible weather and weren't really bothered by it. The owner, the grandson of the original Bob, had closed the restaurant only once before due to weather, and that was due to damage to the boardwalk. With everyone else told to stay home, only he and his son were working and happy to serve the two shipgirls.
"You're insane. Have I told you that?" Eagle pointed a french fry at the Coast Guard shipgirl.
Spinner cackled, "Oh, come on, the waves were only sixteen feet high. Pretty much your typical October storm."
"No, it's not. I thought I was going to die," Eagle grumbled, taking a bite from her hamburger, which only caused her friend to cackle again.
Most who lived in Brockton Bay would agree with the US Navy shipgirl, as parts of the city were already flooded due to the five-foot storm surge. To make things even more treacherous, along with the almost hurricane winds, the temperature suddenly dropped below freezing, causing all sorts of trouble for the residents.
In the morning, working with the Coast Guard station Point Judith, the two had been out on the Sound, escorting those back to port who should have known better than to be out and about. For Eagle, though, she was happy not to be on the water right now. Unfortunately, the poor sea-keeping qualities of her class had made the trip back a little more exciting than necessary. The USCGC Spinner treated the experience as if they were at some sort of waterpark.
Suddenly, the door opened, surprising only the young man behind the counter. Shaking the snow off her umbrella, HMHS Newfoundland approached after a quick greeting to her companions.
"As much as I adore your establishment, you might wish to close early. There is water already past Fifteen Street up to Saint Claire, where I just helped a couple of stranded motorists. Unless, of course, you have transportation that can drive in such conditions?"
The young man at the counter just groaned. "Pretty sure my car would just float away."
Turning around, he yelled into the kitchen, "Dad, you might want to hear this."
"What's up, Jeffry?" A fifty-something man's head leaned out the window. "Oh, Newfoundland."
"Hello, sir. Do you have a moment?"
After a quick discussion, which included checking the forecast, Jeffry said, "Dad, I think we should go."
Bob grumbled, "Your mother wants us out of here too; the weather outside is only going to get worse."
"A wise woman," the hospital shipgirl nodded. "Although, might I suggest I drop you off at home or close to it."
"That's right, you have that big ambulance," Jeffry pointed out. "Dad owns a four-wheel, but it's in the shop, so we took my Bug."
Bob finished sending a text and agreed, "Yeah, we probably should have taken your sister's jeep. My wife says she will pick us up at Snappy Six, you know, the one on Washinton Ave. Even in this weather, I'm sure old Tom's is still open for business. However, I insist I feed you first."
"Sounds lovely; how about we make it to go," Newfoundland insisted.
As predicted, the storm turned for the worse, so it was good that the restaurant had closed. Taylor answered her phone inside her warm ambulance while watching Bob get into his wife's car.
She pulled onto the street with one last wave after greeting her mother. "So, I imagine dinner with Aunt Lacey and Uncle Kurt tonight is canceled,"
"Yes, we'll reschedule," her mom laughed. "Looks like you won't have school tomorrow either. The college did the same for all morning classes, though if it's still like this tomorrow, I don't think I will have my afternoon ones either."
"I'll drive you to work if you want," Taylor offered, turning the ambulance toward the docks.
"That would be interesting. However, the streets should be mostly clear by the time we wake up."
"That's only if they can keep up with the snow," Taylor pointed out. "The interchange comes first before the city streets. Remember when I was little, our old neighbor, Sam, put that shovel on his truck so everyone could get to work."
"I remember it took two weeks for us to see a city snowplow. So, what are the three of you doing now? Other than helping stranded motorists," Her mom sounded concerned. "You're not planning to go out on the ocean in this weather?"
"No, although I can't promise Spinner won't if they call."
This was true to a point, as her mother knew quite well. If needed, all three shipgirls would come to the aid of whoever needed help, no matter the weather.
"Oh, let me call you back, Mom. Amy's calling me."
With blizzard conditions now present, the trip to Brockton Bay General Hospital took much longer than usual. Only after taking some side roads did Newfoundland finally manage to pull into the mostly empty parking lot.
"Alright, girls," she called out. "Let's head inside."
"Did those people really just abandon their cars in the streets?" Eagle asked, shutting the ambulance door.
It took as long as it did because abandoned cars blocked several streets. The radio also confirmed that both the interchange and I-95 were becoming parking lots.
Newfoundland, too, was surprised, "Hopefully, they will find a safe place to stay,"
Spinner looked up as she jumped out. "Can't imagine why Vickey doesn't want to fly in this weather,"
Eagle quickly ran up to join them as they all braved the frigid winds. "I am surprised your friend's mother allowed her to come to work."
"She didn't," Newfoundland sighed. "When Arcadia shut down early, Amy said instead of taking the bus home, she went straight here."
"Well, you didn't go home either, ma'am," Eagle pointed out with a grin.
"Yes, well, not everyone owns a fabulous ambulance like mine."
As soon as the three shipgirls passed through the emergency room doors, they were approached by a nurse.
"Oh, hello, Newfoundland. I'm glad you're here. It doesn't look like we are going anywhere, but Panacea doesn't have to, nor should she spend the night here."
Newfoundland smiled, "I most heartily agree, Sandy. Spinner, Eagle, let me introduce you to the woman in charge of things around here."
"Not true, but you're sweet to think so," the older woman laughed. "Will you both be joining Newfoundland when she comes by on Thursdays?"
"Yes, ma'am, one of us will be her escort," Eagle replied.
"That's a navy thing, right?" the former army charge nurse winked at the hospital ship.
Newfoundland chuckled. "I assume Amy's in the breakroom?"
The girl in question looked up and smiled as the three shipgirls approached.
"Hey, do you think they mind if I get something to drink?" Spinner wondered as she made her way to the vending machines.
"Knock yourself out," Amy replied, then turned to the new girl. "Hi, you must be Eagle. My name is Panacea or Amy when not working."
"It's nice to meet you," Eagle stepped aside.
Newfoundland then took a seat across from the teenage parahuman and inquired, "Isn't this your day off?"
"Err, well, since I didn't have school, I figured I might as well get some hours in," Amy lamely explained while putting her schoolwork into her backpack,
"Hmm, I guess I won't need to come by on Thursday, as you will be home."
Amy looked down at her phone. "Can't believe how quickly the weather turned. Dad told me the streets were a mess."
Spinner dropped into a seat beside her with a drink and a couple of candy bars in hand. "Glad I'm not driving."
Eagle chuckled, "The anchor clanker here thinks it's just a normal October squall."
Spinner twisted the bottle top, took a sip, and prepared a snarky reply.
"Ladies," Newfoundland interrupted. "Let's get Amy home."
After saying farewell to various emergency room staff, the four halted in front of the doors.
"Looks cold," Amy closed her coat tighter, wondering how they would make it to her house as the visibility was close to zero.
"Here," Newfoundland suddenly produced a large, heavy, dark blue navy coat. "You're not dressed properly. And here's a woolen cap."
"She's like a mom," Spinner snickered.
"Or like most good nurses here," Amy thanked Newfoundland, looking happy at the coat's warmth as they stepped outside.
"Where's the ambulance? Wasn't it over there someplace," Eagle looked puzzled, peering into the blizzard.
"I unsummoned it. I believe Amy had no desire to brave the parking lot," Newfound explained; then, with a wave of her hand, the ambulance appeared in front of them.
"Shotgun," Amy called out with a giggle and climbed on board.
As expected, it took some time to safely traverse the streets of Brockton Bay before the group turned into the Dallon family's driveway.
"This coat is nice and warm," Amy thanked her friend, following the shipgirls to the front door.
"You can keep it," Newfoundland insisted.
"Really?"
"I own quite a few others," she nodded as Vickie threw the door open.
"Come inside; it's frigid out there."
With the door closed, the group moved to the living room, where Amy's dad had the television on.
"Oh, Newfoundland, thank you for picking up my daughter. Truthfully, none of us were looking forward to the drive to the hospital," Mark Dallon gave his daughter an exasperated sigh before wrapping his arms around her.
"Sorry, Dad."
"Well, I'm just glad you're safe."
"So am I," Carole, who had been upstairs, said as she entered the room. "It's nice to see you again, Newfoundland."
"Hello again, Mrs. Dallon. Let me introduce you to my two escorts. The one in the shark hoodie over with your other daughter is Spinner, and this lovely lass next to me is Eagle."
The Navy patrol boat nodded, "Ma'am."
"Escorts?" Mark asked.
Spinner, who had her smartphone out, showed Vickie a PHO thread the two were following; without even looking up, Spinner responded, "Yes, sir. Hospital ships shouldn't be traveling without them."
"Even then, it doesn't always turn out well," Eagle sadly added.
"Sorry Vickie, distress call," Spinner's phone suddenly vanished, and now wearing a headset, called out, "Starlight Trader, three-hundred-foot container ship out of Port Savannah; she's twenty-three miles south of New Shoreham and is reporting steering issues."
"Excuse me," Newfoundland said to the two adults. "Has Point Judith responded?"
The room became quiet as the two continued.
"Yes, ma'am; Dogfish is on the way, but it will still take over an hour for her to get there. Oh, Blacktip's closer," Spinner then looked towards the older shipgirl. "Ma'am, there's a second distress call."
Newfoundland nodded, then turned to the Dallons, "Sorry to make the visit short, we're needed."
Hebert Household, Brockton Bay
Annette rubbed her eyes as she joined her daughter on the living room couch. After a quick murmured good morning, Taylor grabbed a Boston Red Sox quilt and threw it over them, snuggling to her side.
"Looks like school will be open tomorrow," she hummed. "Melissa will be happy, considering how much work she and Sarah have already done for their costumes."
"They are the ones in your class who like all those Japanese cartoons, right?"
"Anime, but yeah. A bunch of people in my class are going in costume on Friday, which should be interesting."
Annette looked down at her daughter. "You haven't said anything about dressing up."
"Hadn't thought about it," Taylor looked up and grinned. "I have several vintage naval uniforms I could wear."
Her mom looked thoughtful. "That might not be a bad idea."
"Really? Well, I'll think about it, but you're right, it might be fun."
The station switched to regional news, covered the storm's damage, and reported on two at-sea rescues.
"You made the news again," Annette noted, then added after a moment. "That's a nice shot of Eagle and Yūdachi together."
"You would think people would have better things to do than take a video during an emergency," Taylor grumbled.
When it switched to financial news, the two got up and started to make breakfast.
Annette poured herself some coffee. "Snow should stop this afternoon, in theory anyway, but I still canceled my afternoon class."
Taylor leaned back, staring at the TV as the news returned to the weather. "Doubt they could get there anyway; most of the streets haven't been cleared. Oh, do you mind if I bring Eagle here?"
"What about Spinner?" Her mom slapped a good amount of crème cheese on a bagel before passing it to her daughter.
Taylor happily took it, then said, "She's already out, meeting with some of the brass in Boothbay Harbor later today."
"The one in Maine, right? You went up there over the summer."
"Near Monhegan Island, it's a shame that no one lives on the island anymore. The whole area's very pretty. If the Navy and Coast Guard agree that we can put a shipgirl bath up there, Vulcan will have to take a trip."
"Well, that's fine, just make sure it's on a weekend. Anyway, yes, bring Eagle on over; I assume she's at your warehouse."
"Still asleep after spending most of the night in the bath. She's such a trooper; the weather did quite the number on her, but no complaints. Once this all shakes out, she will remain stationed in Brockton Bay, patrolling and helping the Coasties. Spinner, who has a much longer range, will bounce all over New England."
"And you?"
"Go where I'm needed," Taylor shrugged. "Spinner will be back Friday; she has plans to go trick or treating on the boardwalk with Vista."
"It should be a nice night, if a bit cold. Is Eagle going to be joining Yūdachi at Jenny's house afterward, or is it Keiko's?"
"Jenny's, and yes, she told me to bring whomever. Though, I really should find out what mischief Spinner will be up to."
The Boardwalk, Brockton Bay
One would not have guessed that the whole city had been shut down earlier in the week due to a massive storm hitting the region. Where it was once below freezing, the temperature sat at a cool, crisp 53 degrees (12c). And unlike many years before, when this had once been an annual event, the boardwalk was packed full of citizens of Brockton Bay. Many couples with young children's parents were present, although they wouldn't remain long, and soon, more adults and teenagers were enjoying a night out.
A group of girls walked among them, wearing light jackets over matching black, white, and blue Japanese school uniforms. If asked, they were the Shiratsuyu sisters: Yamakaze (Mei), with long blue-green waving hair and a big dark-blue bow; Harusame (Ana), with hair the color of cherry blossoms; Kawakaze (Alice), with long red hair tied into low twin tails with red ribbons and the eldest Shiratsuyu (Keiko), with her short brown hair secured with a hairband, but what stood out, were her orange eyes—the last of the sisters, the blonde Yūdachi, and the black haired Shigure (Jenny) walked arm in arm surrounded by the two.
"Have I told you that you guys are the best," Yūdachi smiled at her friends.
"Well, of course we are, poi," Ana nudged the blonde with her shoulder. "You Ok."
Yūdachi just nodded happily.
"They really went all out, didn't they?" Mei said as the group walked out of a store with more candy. The Brockton Bay merchant association had given everyone who asked for official trick-or-treat bags.
Alice pointed two doors down. "Let's check out Baxter's; I need a new hair clip anyway."
"Kinda expensive," Mei pointed out.
"Yeah, but it won't break like the cheap one I picked up the other day."
"Works for me," Ana happily agreed.
The group took only a few steps before they were stopped by a man who wanted to take their photos. Jenny's mom and dad, who were following behind them, talked to the guy for a moment and then found out he was a photographer for the merchant's association.
"Alright, let me have your jackets," she said, taking each before stepping away to avoid getting in the picture.
The young man fiddled with his camera for a moment, then said, "You know, the one with blonde hair, you look a lot like that girl on the news; I can't remember her name. Anyway, alright, everyone stands up straight. If you can get a little closer together, that's perfect. Smile."
The photographer took a few more photos, promised Jenny's mom to send them copies, took all the girls' names, and began looking for more people to photograph.
Ana leaned over; everyone had given their real names for the photo. "What name did you give Yūdachi?"
The blonde grinned. "Fubiki."
On the other side of the boardwalk, closer to Fugly Bob's, a group of Wards and three members of the Protectorate team, Assault, Battery, and Miss Militia, readied themselves. They didn't expect any problems, quite the opposite, really, but this was an excellent event for them to participate in.
"Kinda lame," Shadow Stalker whispered to the other female Ward.
"Nothing lames about free candy," Vista grinned at her friend. For some reason, she had been overly amused by this whole event.
Shadow Stalker acknowledged the comment with a nod.
"Ok, everyone ready? Miss Milita asked.
The group gave various answers, but one stood out: "Aye, Aye, ma'am."
The three adult parahumans turned and found two not really strangers had somehow joined their group.
"You don't look like Wards," Assault said dryly but with a sparkle in his eye.
"No sir, we're shipgirls. I am USS Eagle-56, and my companion is USCGC Spinner."
"Hey Vista, I told you we would drop by," the white-haired shipgirl waved happily as the two approached.
"I take it you've met," Battery questioned.
Vista, who was trying not to giggle, nodded.
"Is Archerfish around," Shadow Stalker asked.
"Nope, just us today," Spinner then saluted Miss Militia. "Ready and able to trick or treat, ma'am."
"I'll call it in," Battery murmured, then nodded with approval after a few minutes.
The flag-wearing parahuman sighed and turned to Vista. "We will talk later. Alright, let's go."
While Spinner made the rounds with the Wards, Eagle stepped forward. "I apologize, ma'am if we're causing problems."
"It's fine, just unexpected," Miss Militia gave her a tired smile.
"Would you mind walking with us? We have a few questions," Battery asked.
Eagle nodded. "My flagship authorized me to answer any if asked."
"Within reason, I take it," Assault added.
"Within reason," the Navy shipgirl agreed.