And Here's to You Mrs. Robinson....

Two somewhat now tired men, of which the non-military member of the two, look down at the coffee that had been delivered from the on-base galley. Since that emergency conference had taken place during around 9 PM local time in Washington state (which of course meant it had been around 11 AM in Japan), meant that of course their superiors had flown into a tizzy over one G*d D*mn simple f*cking question. . . meant for a rather long and stressful night. A night of planning, strategizing, and also waiting for the core component of this latest (and rather desperate) scheme to arrive, which was proving to be emotionally and physically exhausting for a lot here. Simply said, there was a LOT now riding on this; as if there hadn't been before!!

Fieldwork still continued, but it didn't mean much for him! By asking one question, he'd gotten bumped up in importance (somehow) and was being actually included MUCH more in the planning part of things. When he much would rather be out and about doing things!! Smythe muttered something next time keeping his mouth shut before sighing, knowing it had been done. It had needed to have been done if THIS was how the other Feds had reacted, d*mn it to Hell!

Why hadn't any of the eggheads even . . .?!

No, the marshal reigned in his emotions and sighed. By NOW with the jet fighter option being utilized, it was coming up on the time for the shipgirl Saratoga to be arriving and the next phase can begin instead of most of everyone in the building just plotting and planning.

The regular coffee maker was out of service after somebody had broken it, so to make sure all got their needed caffeine fix, runners had been sent out.

Needing some air anyway and a bite to eat, he'd made a quick Starbucks run for himself and others. Sometimes gestures like that go a long way, and brother was it needed right now for frayed nerves. That aside, Janson Smythe had gotten the usual for another party in his little specialized part in this play. When she arrived from yet another less than successful lead, they'd try hashing out some kind of new strategy for their own little team.

In the meantime, Dan Murray had been kind enough to provide his own special brand of caffeine for the marshal. Yes, the marshal had gotten something before coming but figured that if he was going to keep this frantic pace up he'd better double down. That and it was just polite to accept.

That is until he took a sip of it! Coughing, he looked first at the coffee and then at Murray (who was glaring at his coffee).

"Really?!" Janson Smythe frowned, pouring out the toxic waste masquerading as coffee into the trash. "Not only does this Navy coffee taste horrible as advertised, but to add insult to injury ya'all are serving only decaffeinated? Thanks anyway, but I'll stick with my first choice."

As per usual, Smythe's Texas drawl grew a bit when roused up.

Meanwhile, Murray is giving the enlisted personnel--a young boy who looks barely old enough to shave if the marshal was any judge of things--the evil eye.

"Sir!" the poor sailor stutters. "This is what they handed over to me when I ran down to take the order, sir!"

"Go back and try again Seaman," the Navy official said in a tight, controlled voice.

A stuttered "sir!" is heard right before the young sailor goes scampering away to get the right order this time around.

Tempers had been running high after a long, stressful night caused by a fit of paranoia due to one question. That and something of a possible break given that though Trinitite had indeed used a burner phone to make that call, the FBI had been busy with getting the telephone company's data.

Now instead of a frenzy of almost lashing out blindly, tracking down even the thinnest of leads, it was an operation of tracking down locations. Locations like just where the call took place had been done about an hour ago, turning up pretty much nothing. Not even a scrap of plastic, which pretty much was what Smythe had feared would have been the result. Trin had apparently eaten the cellphone, leaving no traces. That or she had been even MORE skilled in hiding the burner phone after using it than even the veteran FBI agents had anticipated.

Would have been nice to at least had the confirmation of where the phone call had taken place beyond mere data for professional pride, but it was not to be.

For whatever reason, the efforts to track down the location data of where the blasted Abyssal had bought the cellphone was taking longer than expected. That was causing delays and making a long night LONGER.

Saratoga was landing sooner or later and the plan was to have her with them to try to perhaps track down Trinitite and make what would be a very stressful confrontation . . .less stressful.

Yes, "capture" was a valid option. However, if they could do a possibly less violent bringing the wayward Wo-class into custody with persuasion? That was much more appealing.

Now, it would be more appealing to have a possible lead on where to go, like that store that had been the place where the phone had been purchased in hand when Saratoga arrived. But . . .some things just couldn't be rushed, apparently.

Then again, if they could rush things to their supposed maximum then Saratoga would have been here already. Yes, fighter planes from Asia to America could in theory do it in three hours non-stop, but things like refueling (and wear and tear on the jet trying such a stunt) made that unfeasible.

"Ayep, I'll stick with my Starbucks 'foo foo' coffee," Smythe muttered, sipping his triple expresso and shaking his head after looking at his watch. "But how about you take the double expresso Mocca since it has caffeine and my deputy is late for whatever reason you might as well have it."

Shaking his head, he mentally made a note to stop doing that. It could almost seem like he was getting too "possessive" with the PI there. He was friendly with her but didn't "own" her. Best to tone it down. Avoid needless misunderstandings.

"I'm stepping outside to see if I can contact Ms. Harmon," Smythe continued. getting to the door. "The idea had been to get together in person to hash out some possible places in town on the slight chance somebody there might have recognized Trinitite buying the burner phone with cash, but looks like playing phone tag is the thing tonight."

Not what he'd call an elegant or efficient plan at tackling this, but the tech boys were having issues so might as well do it and pray to get lucky here. Beats just plotting and planning in a vacuum!

Murray nods, thanking the marshall for both the coffee and the effort. He's only starting at sipping his drink when he gets the word.

"What, the admiral from Japan is calling?" he mutters to himself as he heads over to a side office with secure telephone lines. "What could possibly be happening over there at this time now?"

He very soon learns just what is happening, indeed.

*****

Meanwhile, outside in town at the local Walmart parking lot...

The car is still somewhat shaking on its shocks from the "nudge" that had been done to the car's being. While it had not been enough to cause the automobile to slam up against the car parked beside her, the private detective found suddenly the idea of trying to flee her car through the rear door she'd been next to impossible.

Trin probably put quite a dent in her car, though.

"I'll just be borrowing this for a moment," the human appearing entity before Katie Harmon says softly, taking the now unlocked cellphone from her right after having relieved the private detective of her revolver. "But thank you for not causing a needless scene there and getting into the back. I'd rather avoid violence near such a crowded store with your Navy allies, you know."

She gestures at the deputy badge/wallet holder she'd been stuck with and forced to wear on her breast pocket almost everywhere she'd needed to be during this investigation. Janson had been kind enough. Had believed in her skills when the other Federal buttheads wanted her gone. Still, Smythe had insisted, what with him being a stickler for protocol despite her objections.

While technically correct, she almost wanted to correct Trinitite about her being an "ally" to the Navy (and by extension motherf*cking Commander Dan Murray). But . . .

Now? She had just f*cked up mere moments ago, blanching and pulling at her gun when she'd spotted her abductor. Maybe had royally messed up having chosen to park further away from the Walmart's entrance than advisable at night, even. But the fast-food place's parking lot had been packed, but this part of the Walmart parking lot was available.

Now, this!

"So much for your F*cking situational awareness Katie!" she whispered viciously to herself.

She had just wanted to grab a bite to eat before going back to base to talk with the cowboy, d*mnit! H*ll, she had contacted one of the FBI drones ahead of time to confirm the lead about the Abyssal being spotted at Walmart was just Shangri La shopping for snacks!

As it turned out, that lead wasn't so false as advertised if the Abyssal in front of her was any indication. Sitting down quickly and low, Trinitite glances back through the rear window and sees that Shangri La had failed to notice her (for now).

Since she was here already and stuck until the Essex-class shipgirl left the area, Trinitite figured she might as well make the best of things. Not only would the phone be actually even more useful than the one she had just bought, but . . .having one of those who were allied with the Navy could be useful to ask a few questions.

Oh, the Wo-class thinks to herself as she starts nibbling on the detective's revolver. And besides a small snack would be rather nice.

High-quality steel and brass. Yum!

Wide-eyed (and not at all angered at having lost one of her more valued sidearms), the private eye blinks as her revolver quickly goes down the Abyssals throat.

"Ah . . .needing more iron in the diet?" Harmon chuckled nervously.

"Yes, you could say that!" smiled Trinitite slightly, seeing what the humor was in what the private investigator had just said. "Nothing like steel, the stuff that put plating between your ribs you know. Well, at least for Abyssals and I suppose shipgirls, anyway it does."

"Uh right," Harmon muttered before finally daring to ask it. "And what is . . .going to happen to me hereafter you use my phone?"

Making an aborted move to swipe at her face (probably to avoid smearing the makeup she'd been using to blend in with humanity), Trinitite instead sighs and looks tiredly at Harmon.

"I'll ask you a few questions," she explains. "With that and calling my mother here? I'm leaving. And I am VERY much suggesting you do not cause a problem for me by following or screaming."

The last was said with a low tone, followed up with a brief relighting of Trinitite's eyes. Blue and orange orbs drill into Katie Harmon's as if promising a rather messy end for such actions.

Trinitite wouldn't actually intentionally bring harm to Katie, but she'd done that to remind her what she was facing. That and how violent shipgirl/Abyssal battles could be (even on land). Wouldn't want the PI or innocent humans to get caught in the proximity, right?

And of course, that is when the cellphone begins to ring, which caused the Abyssal to mutter a slight curse before hitting the decline icon on Katie's phone and the PI blinking a bit. She'd known that Trinitite had made an international phone call with a burner phone, but Trin seemed to be showing all sorts of tech-savvy here.

That floozy Nashville was still all fumbles with her smartphone, and here this Abyssal is showing a LOT more tech-savviness. No wonder they'd been having all sorts of problems with catching Trinitite. Much more on the ball tech-wise than that floozy. Must be the desperation to get back to Saratoga that was fueling the rise in skills, even IF exceeding Nashville was a low bar to clear.

. . .

Yes, Katie Harmon was bitter over her apologies to Nashville had been rebuffed. Thank you for asking.

Dialing the number, Katie couldn't fail but notice something.

No, it wasn't that Trinitite had been using her phone instead of yet another burner phone. Cheeky as that was, it made a bit of sense. It saved any burner phone the Abyssal had bought for later use and was using the assets of her enemy against them. Ironic. And maybe confusing enough for long enough for anyone trying to wiretap/trace the call for Trinitite to get away scot-free.

No, instead it was something simpler here.

"What?" the PI blinks. "Not trying to dial Japan again? Thanks for not running up my minutes like that but where'd you'd get your Mom's number? Surely not how'd you had gotten the Japanese bases number, right?"

"Shimikaze--the Destroyer was the secretary who answered the phone--provided it in case we got cut off," the Abyssal supplied, finishing up dialing the number. "Friendly shipgirl, that one!"

"Oh," blinked Katie. That was just a bit surreal. "Of course they did that with just some stranger calling out of the blue for Saratoga. Why not?"

Trinitite frowned a little bit in sadness, ignoring the PI's befuddlement. If it hadn't been for the whole trying to kill each other out on the oceans before her princess had been abducted, she could have easily seen her and that destroyer being easy friends. Shame that!

Real d*mn shame.

<******>

Back on base

"Oh my God!" a certain aircraft carrier groaned, still somewhat woozy from a non-stop flight across the Pacific in less than stellar seating. "Is this what it feels like to be airsick?"

Shipgirls of Saratoga's type, as well as other aircraft carrier shipgirls were not known for getting airsick, usually. What Saratoga had gone through was hardly normal.

Well, at least she was finally OUT of that damn jet fight and back on the ground! Though the rushed Humvee right to this spot right from the landing strip hadn't added anything good to her rolling stomach.

"Okay, follow me and . . .," the young FBI agent (Penelton? Penderson? Wenderson?) said, directing the airsick shipgirl up the steps and past some angrily muttering man with an accent that sounded something like from Texas if Saratoga would take a guess.

Wait! That was the man who'd indirectly gotten her permission to GET here! How'd she not recognize US Marshal Smythe right off the bat?

As worried as she was about actually meeting her wayward Wo-class daughter (she was NOT going back Abyssal!!), she at least owed the man for making it possible for her to find Trinitite!

Now if only it hadn't involved that plane ride from Hell!!

"Deputy, why aren't you answering?" she heard him muttering before he jumped a little bit in surprise when making her presence.

"You're here!" Smythe blinks before putting his phone away and reaching out a hand to the shipgirl for a handshake. "I uh. . . .glad to see you! Hope the trip wasn't too bad?"

"It was but let's not mention . . .," Saratoga begins, shaking the man's hand only to pause when her cellphone begins ringing. Dropping Smythe's hand, she instead pulls out her smartphone.

It wasn't a number she recognized, but one that Smythe could not fail to notice. After all, it was only just a moment ago he had been trying to call that very number!

"Okay," Smythe asked himself, at a loss. "Just why is my deputy trying to contact Saratoga? What's she trying here?"

"Uh hello?" the red-headed shipgirl known as Saratoga answered her phone, putting it on speaker after glancing at Smythe. She didn't know who this deputy was, but it might be important towards finding her daughter, maybe? "USS Saratoga speaking. Who may I say is calling?"

"Mother!" a young female voice says from the other end, somebody that Janson Smythe knew was NOT Katie Harmon, but instead was the entity they'd been VERY much interested in capturing (or otherwise bringing into custody). "It's me again! I said I would call back when I could."

"Trinitite," Smythe said, interrupting whatever the Abyssal Wo OR Saratoga had been about to say. "Why are you using my deputy's cellphone? What have you done with her? Where is she?!"

The last was said at almost a shout.

"Cowboy?" a somewhat subdued Katie Harmon calls over the phone after a beep that signified that Trinitite had put her side on speakerphone so all could participate. "I'm . . .alright right now. Ah, and I found Mrs. Robinson but . . .she found me?"

"Yes," Trinitite adds after a second of silence. "And she'll be okay for now as well, for now. I'm just using her cellphone to speak with my mother. So after you explain what this Mrs. Robinson business is with me, whoever in the Deep you happen to be 'Cowboy', you can kindly put her back on the phone!"

"I'm still here Trin," Saratoga says, worry in her voice. "I didn't leave and Mr. Smythe did not take the phone from me. We're on speakerphone."

"Heh heh," Katie Harmon laughs nervously. "That's good. So we're all talking in a group! But as for Misses Robinson, that's part of a Beatles song where one line goes 'Wo wo wo'. Your codename."

"Ah deputy . . .you're not supposed to share that secret squirrel sh*t over the telephone?" the US marshal sighed in a somewhat put upon voice, but knowing that at this point Katie might be under a little stress so it was something that could be overlooked, right? Gesturing towards the door for everyone. "But let's ALL just . . .get inside so we can . . ."

Of course, somebody had to interrupt and what was meant as interrupt was Commander Murray coming out of the said door in a rush.

God, that had been a phone call that had been both lessened and increased his stress levels.

Good news? Well, according to the Japanese Admiral who'd called Murray there had been an accidental summoning back in Japan at the base Saratoga had been training the Japanese aircraft carriers. Current theory from some local scientist that only God knows where they'd dug him up had suggested that Saratoga had passed too close to the Summoning pool. Probably happened right after that stressful phonecall, and it had reached out into the limbo of where ever Trinitite's dead sisters had dwelled and called them back, albeit as shipgirls who were Essex-class aircraft carriers with decidedly Wo-class touches to the mix!!

They were cooperative for now, but not for much longer unless Saratoga got on the horn here, Admiral or no Admiral. They wanted answers. They wanted their mother.

Seemed to be a running theme here.

The same researcher, a Dr. Takahashi (but might as well be called Dr. Insano from the way he came off to Murray), had been able to conduct some basic, preliminary tests.

Well, turns out they remembered their names. They remember basic things from their earlier lives, but it was very scrambled and fuzzy. And they'd STAY that way permanently for the most part. For the most part! Any attempt by an Abyssal to use what a one-time re-summoned (more about that in a moment) Trinitite to infiltrate humanity would have a VERY bad time of it. That was good! That is unless by some chance a plucky an eccentric Abyssal Princess should utilize a Deep Hypnosis technique (swinging gold watch and all that new age bullsh*t in Murray's opinion) to unlock those memories. Of all their faults, at least the Abyssal Princesses didn't practice that . . .drivel.

...

Which was turning out to not be drivel after all. God, why?

Oh yeah, the good doctor had performed that on both Hypocenter and Firestorm near the end. NOW, they remember everything, and isn't THAT something of a headache for the Kanmusu of the Japanese base.

Oh, they are still open to being folded into the Kanmusu ranks. But they DO remember those who'd attack their Abyssal home, and there was still a lot of bad feelings about it!

They wanted to talk with their mother about it, honestly. To help them make final decisions like who exactly to swear allegiance. It might be with the US since Saratoga had (but wanted her inputs about just why she had done that, considering the betrayal they'd done their mother with "the fire"). That and they had been somewhat put off by that DARPA official who'd contacted them. It might be with the Japanese. It might even be with the Canadians. That one admiral had been MOST eager for their service.

Seems that the doctor noted that there were some personal skills that carried over from past lifetimes. For an Abyssal aircraft carrier, that meant that while their crew of fairies had to retrain from scratch, the Abyssals themselves had remembered things about how to teach those skills. Meaning a quicker turn around in getting their fairies up to something approaching sufficient for their needs. Not great, but could be a concern in later years when/if the Abyssal aircraft become ace teachers and such, pushing up their threat levels by default.

In the case of other fodder Abyssals? Well, that was up in the air, but it was worrisome to the doctor. And the doctor had made enough of a point to worry the Japanese admiral with those findings and theories.

Oh, and let us not forget two other things the good Dr. Insa . . .Dr. Takahashi mentioned.

First, he wanted to speak to US Marshal Janson Smythe. He wished to thank him for having inadvertently causing somebody in power to finally take him seriously with his "perfectly scientifically sound" theories about Abyssal. Though he added he'd had never spoken to Smythe so was dead on curious to discover how he'd learned of Takahashi's theorems.

Second, he wished to somehow arrange for Saratoga to be present for an experiment he wished to conduct. Something about wanting to replicate the accidental summoning so that it would bolster humanity's forces with more ship girls while depriving Abyssals of said same ship girls/fodder Abyssals.

Not totally an insane idea, considering that Trinitite showed that "fodder" Abyssals weren't mere drones. The question comes up about how practical that was, though. Just because the last batch of Kanmusu-ized Abyssals is still perfectly loyal to Saratoga (and thus friendly with humanity by default) did not mean that the next time around would produce the same good results.

Murray had said as much (much to the scorn of Dr. Takashi who "knew better") but had added that perhaps he should utilize the former Abyssal Crane Princess for those tests. Zuikaku was back that way. Was available for the doctor's use. And Zuikaku was read into the program (as it were), so wouldn't leak details to the wrong ears. Besides, Saratoga was under enough stress as it was. No need to add to it by using her as a lab rat for testing purposes. She needed a break!

Hell, he needed a long break after all this if he didn't get court-martialed or just thrown out of the Navy for this debacle!

"Oh thank God!" Murray muttered upon seeing Saratoga, not thinking about just why everyone was hanging around her while she was on the phone.

He really should have wondered why.

"Hey! Everyone inside!" he says in a rush. "We got something to brief about concerning Misses Robinson's lost sisters! They . . . we found that they aren't lost anymore. The 'firecracker' of the two is almost beside herself demanding to see her mother here and are on the teleconference right now.

"They showed up at the 'special' pool back in Japan and . . .oh fuck," he finally notices the wide-eyed and frantically gesturing Smythe pointing at Saratoga's phone. "So uh. . .that is the person that Saratoga got a phone call earlier, eh?"

He winces, glad he hadn't accidentally said too much for Trinitite to give up the game. And everyone ELSE had been pretty much briefed about giving away the game to outsiders. Pretty much did that down to the bedrock, as it were.

Oh, he'd play that card if he had to in order to bring Trinitite into the fold. But not yet and only if he needed to here.

But it was an option that could be used and his superiors would be fine with it (as long as it got results that is it should be said).

That and he was going to tell Saratoga about his latest development. He WAS, really. It was just he wanted to do it in a tactful and gentle manner. Poor shipgirl was under enough stress as it was, you know.

But, too bad that wasn't to be. You do recall what Katie did there earlier, right?

Well, the good thing here is that the PI probably won't make any friends with that slip. But she had only tipped Murray's hand early. Meaning that Harmon did security "boo boo" a moments ago, Murray might just be the thing to help her avoid possible jail time?

Still, in all fairness what could Katie have done under the gun like that? It is not like she could have come up with a good LIE on the spot that was both believable and good enough that the others on the phone would be able to play along with her. Somehow, she doubts that she could have managed to pull the wool over Trinitite's eyes here. She'd have been naive at times, but at other times been too cagey. So...the truth. Which might get her in hot water. Might not.

1. "What?!" It only took seconds for two aircraft carriers (one Abyssal and one shipgirl) to connect the dots.

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