41.29445 -71.75604

  The sea was a little heavy; a summer storm had churned up things during the night, so not a day for your average pleasure craft boater but wasn't even noticed by those on the patrol boat. On its bridge, Lieutenant Alan Evans, US Navy, brought up his binoculars, scanned the waters around him, then looked at his watch.

  "Seaman?"

  "Nothing yet, sir?"

  The young woman who commanded the Coast Guard patrol boat smiled. "She'll be on time."

  "Archerfish breaking the surface off to starboard," a seaman suddenly called out.

  Unsummoning most of her rigging, Taylor noted that Coastal Patrol Boat rolled a bit, making her approach a bit more challenging.

  Now, almost alongside and seeing the familiar face waiting for her on deck, she called out, "Permission to come aboard."

  "Permission granted."

  Timing it right, she grabbed the ladder and became more girl than ship in less than a second, pulling herself on deck with a slight flourish. "Another pleasant day on the sound, eh, Emilia?"

  "Typical September morning," the Coast Guard officer replied with a chuckle. "Come inside; I have a present for you and someone who's interested in meeting you."

  "Oh?" Taylor raised an eyebrow.

  When the door opened, the Navy lieutenant assumed that this was the person he had been ordered to meet. USN Archerfish, or at least who she claimed to be, was a tall, athletic-looking young woman wearing a two-color grey one-piece with the words US Navy printed on one side and SS-311 on her right breast. Long snow-white hair was up in a neat ponytail, but what made her stand out were her almost glowing sky-blue eyes.

  "This is Lieutenant Evans," Emilia started introductions.

  Taylor half expected it to be a PRT agent or someone from the Protectorate when Emilia mentioned a visitor, not the Navy. That part of her that was more Archerfish was slightly annoyed. They had kept her in service until she was unfit for duty before torpedoing her off the coast of San Diago.

  Towards the end, she hoped they would make her the centerpiece of some oceanography museum. Or even better, bought by Hollywood to be used for those war movies they loved to make. But that was not the case, as it was the way of things. Still, the Navy being interested in her again did warm her engines a little

  "And you must be Archerfish."

  Even in a bathing suit, the Navy lieutenant noticed the young woman didn't appear to be particularly cold, unlike the rest of the crew, who wore thick jackets.

  "Guilty as charged, so what's the Navy doing hanging with the Coasties?" Taylor asked with a Maine accent.

  "Inter services corporation," Emilia replied, walking to the back of the room and bringing out a long map case.

  "Is that what they call it now," Taylor laughed. "So, is this what I think it is?"

  "Yep, Captain Daily had no problems giving you updated charts?"

  "Charts?"

  "Navigation and depth charts," Taylor explained to the Navy Lieutenant. "I thought about ordering them from the OCS or NOAA, but Emilia made an offer I couldn't refuse. Although I still have the ones from 43' when I underwent my shakedown cruise, then again in 57' when I was part of operation 'Sea Scan.' However, Levithan did a number on navigation since then, so I've been finding them to be useless more often than not."

  Emilia motioned to her. "Go ahead and pull out the old ones. I bet Alan is interested in looking at them or at least the one from your shakedown cruise."

  "Really?" Taylor shrugged, and suddenly, a chart appeared in her hands, which she set on the table in front of the navy lieutenant.

  "Mind if I take a photo?" He asked, reaching for his phone.

  "Knock yourself out, although I imagine the Navy probably has a copy or two in the National Archives."

  "If you like those, Alan, you should have Archerfish show the charts when she sank the Shinano."

  "Oh, right, you haven't heard all of the story, just seen the sketches." Taylor hummed. "Though you always seem more interested in 'Sea Scan.' No matter, oh, did I ever tell you that you know a movie star?"

  "What, really?"

  "I was in a couple of motion pictures back in the 60s; in one of them, the director even painted my hull pink."

  "You played the Sea Tiger in 'Operation Petticoat," the navy lieutenant almost shouted excitedly. "My Dad loves that movie."

  "Yep, that was me. I'm glad someone remembers; it's been a while." Taylor smiled and then frowned. "Oh, right, Shinano."

  She then placed a new chart on the table.

  "Not sure if you know my service history, but we pretty much struck out on my first four patrols, much to the frustration of my Captain and crew. For our fifth, our primary duty was lifeguard duty for the crews of the B-29s returning after bombing Tokyo. If a plane went into the drink, we'd pick them up. Anyway, on the 28th of November 44, with no strikes planned, our command ordered us to hunt the seas around Tokyo Bay. Later that evening, one of my watchmen spotted what we thought at the time was a massive tanker with a screen of four other ships."

  Taylor rang a finger along her route.

  "Commander Enright tracked the carrier for six hours. It was then that Shinano's Captain made a fatal mistake turning right into our path —giving us a nearly ideal firing situation. I think the Japanese had reports that a submarine was in the area, so that's probably what spooked him. Of the six torpedoes fired, four of them hit. We heard her death throes for almost an hour before she broke up and sank."

  "Naval intelligence believed we sunk a large cruiser," she rolled her eyes. "But my Captain was smart and made sketches of our target. Eventually, we were given credit for sinking a twenty-eight-thousand-ton aircraft carrier that was upgraded later to seventy-two thousand when they learned who we had sunk after the war ended."

  Taylor smiled, rolling up her carts, and then both old and new vanished. "Emilia, I'll talk to you later. Lieutenant Evans, been a pleasure."

  She knew that the Coast Guard had been trying to figure her out. She didn't mind, really. Even if it were true, most people would have a hard time believing if someone claimed to be a submarine. The 'Sea Scan' questions had been rather direct, even if asked without sounding like an interrogation. Well, at least Taylor now had a nice set of updated charts after her off-hand remark about having to manage with ones over 40 years old.

  "Archerfish," the Navy Lieutenant called out, following her outside. "Can I ask you a question before you leave?"

  "Sure."

  "Do you know the Yuudachi?" He frowned for a moment. "She's the IJN Yuudachi, isn't she?"

  "Yes, and we do know one another. We're sisters of the sea, after all," Taylor answered warmly.

  "And Newfoundland?"

  "I do. She has been making the news, hasn't she? As a hospital ship, she might be more comfortable on land than the rest of us with her ambulances and staff car, cheeky Brit."

  The navy lieutenant nodded. "Are there more of you?"

  "Now that would be telling." With a two-finger salute, Taylor jumped off the side of the boat and disappeared beneath the waves.

  Station Point Judith, Rhode Island

  When Lieutenant Evans followed Lieutenant Bianchi and entered the office of Captain Daily, who was in Command of Station Point Judith, he didn't expect to join a conference call with the Captains in charge of New York and Boston sectors and Rear-Admiral Peeks, the District Commander of all of New England.

  "Welcome back, Emilia; everything turns out as expected with Archerfish?" her commanding officer asked.

  "Yes, sir," she replied after saluting the officers in the room and on screen. "She was very thankful for the charts."

  "So, Lieutenant Evans, glad you could make it here without any trouble. I'm aware that you were sent specifically because you have experience. So, what do you think of Archerfish? Do you think she's a parahuman?" the Rear-Admiral asked.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  "My first thought was yes; obviously, someone using either tinker-tech or a combination with a parahuman ability. But now, since meeting her, I'm not sure, sir."

  Captain Daily looked towards the Rear-Admiral. "I have an overview of what we have discovered so far, if you wish me to review it, Sir."

  "Go ahead, Tom. I'm sure the Navy Lieutenant would like to bring back as much information as possible to his boss."

  Lieutenant Evans noticed the screen split, revealing a grainy grey image of a World War Two Japanese destroyer and, next to it, a blonde-haired girl with a red hair ribbon on top wearing some sort of sailor suit. He would have said her green eyes stood out, except she was literally standing on the water wearing some kind of backpack. From what he could tell, it appeared to be the superstructure of the Japanese destroyer in the other picture.

  "We first became aware of Yūdachi after her encounter with the freighter Taganrog on July 11th. At eleven-twenty-two, she spotted a freighter in Ipswich Bay heading northwest when she thought she heard a woman's scream. Deciding to investigate, Yūdachi approached but came under small arms fire."

  "Excuse me, sir, what's in her right hand?"

  Captain Daily smiled. "Ahh, that's one of her 12.7 cm Type 3 naval guns. The IJN Yūdachi has five of them, including a smattering of anti-aircraft guns, plus eight torpedoes."

  Lieutenant Evans released a soft whistle, now understanding why the report mentioned she didn't return fire. As a destroyer, she would have made quick work of the ship if she had brought her guns to bear.

  "As you're aware, Yūdachi boarded the freighter and subdued the crew. Casualties were light, broken bones, and a few concussions, mainly because the majority surrendered once they realized she was immune to small-arms fire. "

  "The report she gave to Lieutenant-Commander Davens was precise, giving times and actions in clear English, although she interacted with the captives in Japanese. At the time, she wasn't wearing what she calls her rigging, which you can see on the screen. However, it appeared on her back when she took to the water again."

  "Does Archerfish have rigging?" he turned to Emilia.

  "Yes, it looks like, well, part of the hull of a submarine. She also has a deck gun, which I have seen several times but generally only when surfaced."

  "Official contact with Yūdachi has not occurred since; however, she has become quite popular with several fishing vessels she regularly meets. Apparently, she's quite fond of fresh fish," Captain Daily chuckled, then brought up a couple of new images on the screen.

  Lieutenant Evans recognized Archerfish, who sat on the stern of a small pleasure craft while sharing what appeared to be ice cream with a young girl. Next to her photo was a colored image of a submarine.

  "We believe that Archerfish is the fleet's spokesperson, or at least the one that interacts with us most of the time. Looking through older reports, she had been active since around the same time as the Yūdachi, but it wasn't until Lieutenant Bianchi answered a distress call that we became aware of her presence."

  "Lieutenant, you'll be interested to know that the original communications were in code. She apologized, and we set up something with her that we could read. The code she tells us is from the 1944 Western Pacific Command. We have a copy of it if you want to confirm it."

  Lieutenant Evan's eyes opened wide in surprise. It was one thing to have old navigation charts and another to be able to communicate in code from World War II.

  "We have also been asking her questions on and off about 'Operation Sea Scan.' There are several scientists still alive with whom we are in contact. I know she finds the whole thing amusing," Emilia smiled.

  "Does she manage to answer correctly?"

  "She does and often adds additional information that the scientists have forgotten."

  "What about her Navy crew?" Lieutenant Evans sat forward. "She was active until nineteen sixty-eight."

  "I spoke to your Admiral Bently recently. I imagine you will have orders soon, Lieutenant, to contact the Archerfish Association to see who's willing to work with us," the Rear-Admiral replied.

  Nodding, he looked up as the screen changed again, this time to a familiar young woman he had seen on the news along with an unfamiliar ship.

  "His Majesty's Royal Mail Ship Newfoundland has been making the news recently," Captain Daily continued. Although she had only been encountered on land, Archerfish confirmed that she was part of her fleet. Besides having an ambulance, we have very little information on her."

  The Rear-Admiral nodded. "Be aware that the Royal Navy has recently expressed interest in interviewing her. We will need to contact Archerfish if and when they wish to meet."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Sir, I also want to add that the PRT is calling her a Parahuman, and there's quite a discussion about her powers currently going on in PHO," Emilia said. "There is a belief, but it hasn't been confirmed, that she has some healing powers."

  "Like the new parahuman Panacea?"

  "Yes, sir."

  The Rear-Admiral nodded. "Is there more information out of Station Rockland about unconfirmed sightings of a young woman whose appearance resembles Yuudachi off the Maine coast earlier in the month?"

  "Yes, sir, I just spoke to Lieutenant Commander Merrick; I believe there were sightings from a couple of weeks ago," Captain Juan Lorenzo, Boston commander, replied.

  "So, they appear to be active along the east coast from Long Island to the Coast of Maine. Although, except for Newfoundland, they have somehow been able to stay out of the news."

  Captain Zeita Kokinos, the commander of the New York sector, noted, "Being only active on the water has helped. Although I imagine that won't last. Someone will post something about Yūdachi or Archerfish online sooner or later."

  A new photo appeared on the screen, next to a black-and-white image of another ship. One was a young woman in a navy boiler suit holding her left hand in a victory sign, while next to her was a teenage girl in white, also posing. They both were grinning broadly.

  "Emilia, you have this one?"

  "Yes, sir, this is what we assume to be USS Vulcan, AR-5. She was the lead ship of her class of repair ships. Commissioned in nineteen forty-one and decommissioned in nineteen-ninety-one. The young lady in the boiler suit contacted us through Archerfish. She has volunteered her time to help repair and raise the Saint Margaret, which currently blocks the main channel of Brockton Bay."

  "Who is the one with the crown in the photo?" Lieutenant Evan asked.

  "Oh," she smiled. "That's Glory Girl from New Wave. She has been assisting the Dock Works Association in salvaging the wreck."

  "Vulcan, was she also the one who suggested we reopen the Coast Guard Office in Brockton Bay?" Rear-Admiral asked.

  "Yes, Sir."

  Captain Daily said, "After the initial meeting, one of my chiefs met with Vulcan with questions. Later, he wanted to know how we could convince her to come to work for us. So, she is either an engineer, having worked on both old and modern ships, or"

  "She's the spirit of a World War Two ship taken human form, as Lieutenant Bianchi suggested in our last meeting," Rear-Admiral Peeks smiled. "Frankly, I'm also beginning to come to that conclusion."

  The New York sector commander just snorted. "Sir, I still think they are Parahumans, just maybe something we haven't met before."

  "Zeita, I'm aware of your opinion. And you're most likely right, as much as I wish it to be otherwise. However, whether spirits or parahumans, they are willing to work with us. All of them have gone out of their way to help people, often putting themselves in harm's way. The Commandant himself has told me that until we have orders from the President to the contrary, we will continue to work with them. Lieutenant Bianchi, please continue your excellent work. Lieutenant Evans, I am sure we will hear from you again."

  The Boardwalk, Brockton Bay

  Running silent and deep, Taylor slipped into Brockton Bay an hour later. Kurt had ordered her to stay away from the Saint Margaret, and Lacey had mentioned that Rachael zonked out. So, what to do? Looking at the time, the girls were probably only half awake. They were supposed to meet for lunch outside Asia Garden, a small Chinese takeout stand near Aoki's family's store. It wasn't a bad place to eat, but they would probably go somewhere else.

  "Food sounds nice, though," Taylor murmured after her chief mentioned that it might be a good idea to resupply if there was time. Between feeding the DWA and then burning extra fuel while sailing on the rough seas, it wouldn't hurt. Oh sure, it wasn't an emergency, but there was no reason for her not to stock up now. Plus, it kept her from gorging herself in front of her friends later.

  Thankfully, the boardwalk didn't lack for places to eat, and it wasn't unusual to find sunbathers walking around in their beachwear, and the weather had turned rather warm. So, no one would think of a girl wandering about in a bathing suit. Especially with it being a school holiday, plenty of kids would be trying to get some sun before the season finally changed, even if most beachgoers didn't bother to go into the water.

  Before she surfaced, Taylor vanished her rigging and swam up to the beach. She wasn't particularly worried about being seen. No one knew who she was. And worst comes to worst, if she needed to, she could disappear. Well, sort of. She had discovered that she might have what the PRT would call a stranger-like ability while on land as a submarine. It was odd. Oh, people did notice her, well, sort of, their eyes scanning her location, but it was as if it didn't register. It was almost like looking at the ocean, not realizing there was a U-boat beneath your keel.

  In the water, Taylor could slip through places without anyone noticing. Well, unless a destroyer was banging away on their acoustic sonar. But for her to have a similar ability on land was both helpful and a bit amusing, much to the annoyance of her mother. Playing around a bit, she discovered Yuu was scads better at it, but people treated her like a child, so Taylor climbed up the steps to the boardwalk as Archerfish. Plus, it wasn't the first time she had eaten at Fugly Bob's as a USN submarine.

  During times like these, she found the ability to store items in her Captain's cabin helpful, as she always had access to things she needed or a change of clothes. Even better, no matter what ship she turned into, it was always the same cabin, so there was no need to transfer her things.

  Now dressed in a wrap, sandals on her feet, a purse slung over her shoulder, and sunglasses perched on top of her head, she found a free table setting a little metal stick with a number on top of it. It was still early for most people for lunch, and most tourists who enjoyed cape-watching wouldn't be around until the weekend, so finding a seat was easy enough.

  No one noticed her other than the fact that she was a young woman in a bathing suit. Her visits had been quite mundane, except when she had given some blonde an aneurysm. The girl had taken one look at Archerfish, gave her a foxlike grin, and suddenly looked like she was having a panic attack and fled the restaurant.

  Taylor now kept the smirk off her face when the serving girl gave her a look after she dropped off a tray with a double bacon cheeseburger, chocolate malt, and a double order of sweet potato fries. On Archerfish's first visit, she finished a Fugly Bob's challenge, shocking the patrons, which made her engineer chiefs happy, considering the amount of grease she ingested.

  "Rory, dude, you're staring," she heard a boy whisper off her port side loudly.

  "Sorry, she reminds me of someone."

  "Who, the girl in the bathing suit?" a boy with long hair asked.

  "She's pretty cute," a third boy commented. "Hey Carlos, want the rest of your fries?"

  The three were eating at a couple of tables over. The older of the trio had noticed her almost immediately when she entered the restaurant. At the same time, the other two looked up but kept to themselves. At least they weren't rude about it, unlike some men she had passed while walking on the boardwalk.

  Taylor was about to ignore them until she heard.

  "Don't turn around, Dennis, but did you notice the numbers on her chest?"

  "Err, sort of," the boy in question looked at his plate, embarrassed, which amused Taylor. "Sorry, I just noticed there was lettering."

  "So, what's going on, Roy?" The boy called Carlos asked, taking a bite out of his burger.

  "Not sure, just later, OK."

  And odd conversation, to be sure, so Taylor wasn't sure what to make of it. Obviously, the one called Roy noticed the ship numbers on her bathing suit. Maybe he was related to someone in the Coast Guard, and it's not like she was hiding. Anyway, if it became too annoying, there were other submarines that would like nothing else but to have a chance to complete the Fugly Bob's challenge.