Stepping out of the neon pink car rented out for her, slightly gagging at the sight, Constitution looked at the dockyards of Brockton Bay. Her contact should be arriving shortly. She could count on one hand the number of people who know her outside of Section 24 on one hand with fingers left over, and he is one of them. Seeing a DWU van drive up and a familiar red-haired man rolled down the window.
“Ma’am, I heard you need to talk to Danny.” The man said, his Dockworkers uniform name tag saying, O’Malley.
“I do; it's about the fun side of the Navy,” Constitution said with a sarcastic undertone. “And you are no longer a Sailor of the US Navy; you don’t have to call me ma’am, especially after that incident with the Senator.”
“Yes, ma’am, sorry, ma’am,” O’Malley said with a shit-eating smirk.
“Cheeky Pollywog.” Constitution snarked, knowing O’Malley never made it to his next Post on the Enterprise, thanks to his forced discharge.
“What can I do, you old Wooden Shellback. Do you want a lift, or do you want the Barbie Mobile?” O’Malley said with a small smile.
“I am taking the van because, as today's youth say, fuck that car.” Constitution said as she got into the back of the van.
“Danny is expecting you, at least a Naval Officer. But you never specified why you needed him.” O’Malley informed Constitution.
“Big Wigs are looking at the Bay as a good spot for a future base. As for why, that is classified all to hell. I can only say that if the principal goes loud and things escalate, you can expect to see some irregular events.” Constitution responded.
“Irregular like, a 217-year-old ship, saving me from being dishonorably discharged on paper, or like the fox-girl-thing in ABB territory?” Questioned O’Malley
“No comment, and for the record, the fox girl is called a Kitsune and is most likely five centuries old,” Constitution remarked, giving a nod in affirmative.
The two fell into a comfortable silence as the radio played a popular song on Aleph. Taking Constitution through the facilities left to rot and decay, she could almost feel the sadness and stubbornness of the port itself, as much of it looked like it could still be used. When the van stopped, and Constitution stepped out, she spotted a tall woman sitting on a crane with raven hair and a green eye as the other was closed. The woman's clothing was ripped and patched poorly but functional. But it was a fleeting spirit, a very young one compared to Charleston or even Staten Island.
“Connie, you ok?” O’Malley asked as he looked over Constitution's shoulder.
“Yes, just seeing the decrepit state of the bay,” Constitution responded as she turned to the main offices of the DWU. “No harbor should be like this, especially with the men and women I see walking around,” she whispered to herself.
=======
Piorun hated driving, not because she was bad behind the wheel, but because of situations like this.
“Miss, I know it's Brockton Bay, but having a middle schooler driving is illegal.” The beat cop that had pulled Piorun and Enterprise over was slapping handcuffs on the two.
“Umm, Piorun is actually an adult.” Enterprise tried to reason with the officer. Adding another place where she would never drive unless ordered to.
“Right, miss, I have to take you two to the station and get this sorted out.” Officer Brown said with a ragged sigh.
“Tell you what, call in that you have NOPI Special Agent Piorun, badge number 17731940, in custody. Because if you drag me to the slammer, then so help you and your career because my bosses will not be happy with you or your bosses. And while you are at it, mention this is the 22nd time I have been pulled over.” Piorun grunted out in frustration. When the officer repeated that into his radio, a minute passed as his phone rang.
“Officer Brown, this is Director Davidson of the Naval Office of Paranormal Investigation. I understand you have pulled over one of my agents for underage driving.” Officer Brown's face paled as he realized how badly he fucked up.
“Sorry, I thought her ID was faked; the Empire has almost perfect replicas, so we tend to err on caution.” Officer Brown replied with a subdued tone.
“Why hasn’t that been escalated to the FBI or another Federal Policing Branch?”
“Dunno, some chick in a fedora claiming to be from WatchDog, and the PRT said they are looking into it and not to worry.”
“That is concerning. Well, Special Agent Piorun is who she claims to be, so if you don’t mind letting her go.”
“Yessir, sorry, sir.” Officer Brown said as he fumbled for the keys to the handcuffs. “Sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am.”
“It’s annoying more than anything else,” Piorun said as she rubbed the cuff marks. They are always tight on her wrists and a pain in the ass. Getting in the car as Enterprise got in the passenger seat.
“I have a question,” Enterprise asked as the car started again.
“I have an answer; depending how stupid the question is will depend on how stupid the answer is,” Piorun responded as she got the car moving.
“Why did grandmother let you drive the normal car while she got the car that looks like a 7-year-old painted?” Enterprise asked.
“Because the last time I got a car like that, it was conveniently destroyed by a copious amount of Tannerite found on a crime scene that made its way into the vehicle,” Piorun responded with a shrug. The rest of the trip to the Hebert residence was quiet, except when Piorun got a CD case and slid a CD playing The Beatles. When the pair pulled up next to the house, Piorun patted Enterprise's shirt and passed a card with phone numbers on top of a NOKIA.
“We find that these phones aren’t crushed by accidental shipgirl strength, and tinker tech tends to fail when handled by the supernatural. If you need anything, the top number is for Constitution, and the second is mine. We will get you some better clothes tomorrow on Constitution’s dime. As far as I have heard, she has been itching to spoil the younger American Shipgirls for a while.” Piorun said with a small smile. After looking at the phone, Enterprise nodded, opened the car door, and walked inside. When she collapsed onto the couch and turned on the TV, she noted that the newest Aleph import of The Next Generation was finally airing.
======
Piorun finally met up with Constellation, who was waiting at their hotel. The only thing missing was the eye-watering pink car parked up front. Section 24 QRF personnel and a few casters on loan from the Division walked to and fro, unloading equipment to establish their temporary HQ in the city.
“Shouldn’t we have a better place? Normally we operate out of Navy Bases.” Piorun points out as one of the Division agents places some warding lines on the entrance with Iron infused ink.
“Last minute, plus it's next to the Dockyards. The Director bought out this place and will turn it over to the Navy when they arrive to bring the dockyards up to snuff. For now, it will serve as our HQ and a consolidation point for all future awakenings. As for why we aren’t using a local Police precinct or the comfortable PRT offices. Constellation is going mole hunting, and our job at laying the groundwork for the Paranormal Fleet will get in her way. Agent Doe will give us up-to-date information on how that is going.” Constitution said with a shrug. “How is the principle?”
“Good, but next time, I am getting a driver,” Piorun grumbled. “What happened to your rental?”
“Carjacked by local gangs. But who gives a shit; it's a rental.” Constitution responded. While the two were walking through the lobby, Tiffany put down the phone and waved the two over.
“We just got word of a new unawakened. Samantha Burns, age 19, recently applied to Drivermax. Got into a fight with eight people, including the son of the local PRT director, Adam Jenkins. Adam tried to get frisky with Samantha and her friends. The second a punch was thrown her way, she went to town. Adam and 3 of his friends require Panacea intervention for a functional life. Injuries include the complete removal of Adam’s left eye and 27 shattered bones, consistent infertility as all but one have lost their johnson to blunt force injuries. Subtle tests done by the Division have concluded that she belongs in our house.” Tiffany states with a sour look.
“What's wrong?” Constitution asked.
“She is being charged, and the PRT is railroading it. The Director is trying to get the Navy or the Marines to give her a plea to join either branch, but neither can get close to the judge to offer that. The local PRT is concluding Samantha is a brute who attacked Adam Jenkins without provocation.” Tiffany got out with a defeated sigh.
“One Second,” Constitution said as she walked away. Pulling out her phone and calling a number; it rang a few times before being answered.
“Yes, Iron Sides; anything I can do for you?” Director Piggot said with a cautious tone.
“Samantha Burns, see if you can get her to serve her false probation in the ENE. She falls under Section 24’s wheelhouse, but we can't get her due to the local PRT and Politics. See if you can get her proper Parahuman Testing when she arrives, you won’t find anything, but it would open up her parole options for us to take her in properly.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Is there anything else?” Piggot said with a sigh.
“We will make a proper Naval Base in the coming months, so be prepared,” Constitution said as she hung up. “Sometimes I wish I could join Constellation at a bar.”
“I have some liquor that could help.” A voice was heard as guns were leveled at an innocent-looking shrine maiden. Gesturing for everyone to lower their arms, Constitution looked hard, noting the subtle ripple in the air around her rear and her head.
“I wasn’t expecting you here, so why come?” Constitution remarked. To which a slip of paper was tossed through the air.
“I am just a messenger, and I wanted to properly declare my shrine as a neutral zone.” The woman said as she turned and held her hand as if waiting for something.
“Tiffany, mark the shrine as a neutral point; it would be good to know for potential resolutions. As for you, I have received your letter, and I acknowledge your neutrality; if you are expecting paperwork, don’t. I hate that stuff and don’t operate like Mikasa and Victory. You may leave with my blessing, but in the future, do call before visiting. The phone is still plugged in for a reason.” Constitution said as she gestured towards the door.
