Silent Mobius Fan Fiction ❯ Red Destiny - Book 1: New York ❯ Liquid Assets ( Chapter 6 )

Silent Mobius: Red Destiny

Book 1: New York

Chapter 6: Liquid Assets

Authors: OSTOCOM

E-mail and Website: See our profile

Rating: PG-13, bordering R for language

Disclaimer: We do not own Silent Mobius or its characters, but we do own our own characters. See Authors' Notes for complete disclaimer.

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"Do you have a self-made video collection?"

"Yes."

"Four points. Do you write fanfic at least once a month?"

"I used to. Are we counting now or then?"

"Hmm…let's say then."

"Okay, another four points. Have you ever written smut completely lacking in plot?"

"No."

"Oh come on! You are *so* lying!" Amber threw up her hands and gave Miakoda a glare. The psychic quickly turned her gaze away from Amber.

"Then somebody else give me this quiz. Honestly, I didn't think they'd ask questions like that! Where'd you get this, anyway?" Miakoda asked, hoping that her dark skin would hide the blush burning across her cheeks.

"Calixta recommended it to me." Amber nodded in Calixta's direction. "Some website that lists all kinds of quizzes to gauge your different obsessions. So if you're going to blame somebody, don't blame me!"

"Or me," Calixta quickly added. "I only gave it to her because she asked."

Adara just shook her head at the entire incident. She couldn't even imagine what she would say if Mackenzie walked in and found them lounging around, eating take-out Chinese and quizzing Miakoda on her X-Files obsession.

That is, until Mackenzie actually did walk in.

The four ECC members quickly straightened themselves up to at least appear like they were doing something useful. If Mackenzie suspected that they were being unproductive, she chose not to say anything about it. "Break's over, people. We just got a call from a small town in Maine. Apparently several people have reported seeing 'huge monsters' out on this island a few miles from the mainland. I know this is out of our way, but we're taking the assignment. It's better that we take care of this now than have the local authority try to keep it under control and end up leaving us with their fiasco."

"No problem," Adara said. "Is the 'Aurora' ready for launching?"

Mackenzie hesitated. "I'm afraid you'll only be able to use the STAV to get to Maine. From there, you'll have to use ground transportation. The conditions on the coast right now are poor. I've already arranged for a sea vessel to take you out to the island. You'll rendezvous with the captain in about three hours at a dock in Rockport."

"Sea vessel? You mean the Coast Guard's taking us there?" Calixta's uncertainly spoke for the entire group.

"Actually, I would rather not involve the Coast Guard in this. We have enough trouble with the local PD here without involving another department entirely. I had to do a bit of quick research, but there's a civilian vessel that's gained a good reputation with the Coast Guard for its reliability. That will be your transportation to the island." Mackenzie turned to leave the office. "I suggest you all bring some warm clothing."

After Mackenzie exited, everyone else looked at Adara. "Lucifer Hawk sightings in Maine? We've never had a report outside of the city. Don't you think that's odd?" Amber asked.

"It's certainly the first time I've heard of it," Adara said, getting up from her desk. "But if they are out there in a less populated area, it can only be a bad sign…it means they're getting more numerous."

"Then I say we go check this out," Miakoda said. "Mackenzie is right. The sooner we deal with this, the better off we are."

Everyone looked at her nervously. Until then, they had tacitly assumed that the Hawks preferred the cities and would only attack there, since there were a lot more people and a lot more places to hide. More importantly, they were used to fighting Lucifer Hawks in urban surroundings and weren't even sure if they had the equipment or the knowledge to do battle in a more open setting. However, no one was going to debate Mackenzie's orders, so they prepared to leave for Maine.

------

"We're getting to Damariscove Island on *that*?" Calixta said incredulously. "I've seen more seaworthy bath toys!"

"Well, Mackenzie said this boat is supposedly very reliable, so that must mean it can get through weather like this easier than other boats," Amber said.

"I still don't see why we couldn't take the STAV..." Calixta said with a disappointed glance at the cloudy sky.

"You want to try and find a place to land on that island, be my guest," Adara said. "You heard what the Chief said...this place is too remote for one of our transports to fly or land safely."

The members of the ECC stood awkwardly on the dock, looking up at the lobster fishing boat that was to be their transportation to the island. The name 'Nauticus' was stencilled in bold white letters on the side. None of them had actually been on a real fishing boat before, and they were not looking forward to the experience.

There was a heavy silence before the captain of the humble craft finally stepped out. She was a woman in her early twenties, with sea-blue eyes and long, blonde hair pulled back in a wind-whipped ponytail. She was fairly tall, with a slim, muscular build, and had the weathered look of someone who had spent most of her life outdoors. She scanned the ECC quickly and narrowed her eyes in a look of annoyance.

"So...you're the crew of landlubbers I'm supposed to haul over to Damariscove Island."

"That's us," Miakoda replied.

The captain scoffed. "What's with the uniforms? You in some kind of band?"

"We're the ECC," Adara flashed her badge, as did all the others. "We're a branch of the Department of Agriculture."

"Department of *Agriculture*?! What the fuck does ECC stand for, then?"

The crew could see that there would be no keeping this woman out of their business. "It stands for Equine Cleanup and Control."

The captain seemed on the verge of laughter, but she stopped herself. "So this is where my tax dollars go. Picking up horseshit."

Adara nearly laughed herself. "Yeah, that pretty much pegs it."

"Well, at least you damn feds are finally coming clean with what you're up to-pardon the pun." She clambered over the edge of the boat's railing and landed in front of them. "My name's Maris Lynn. I'll be your captain for this little three-hour tour, which basically means you shut up and do whatever I tell you. The sea's a monster in more ways than one, and the last thing I need's a drowned government employee on my hands."

Most of the women expressed a little annoyance at the suggestion that they were incapable. But none of the said anything, and one by one boarded 'Nauticus'.

Miakoda scanned the deck, her face full of concern. "Don't you have any life jackets?"

Maris, who had been busy tightening some ropes, stopped and blinked a few times. "Life jackets?"

"Yeah. You know, those things that keep you from drowning?"

"I almost never take passengers," Maris stated simply before quickly stepping off to straighten something else.

"That...doesn't answer my question..."

"It's about two and a half hours to the island, so I suggest you get yourselves comfortable. Of course, that probably won't be easy."

The team members each found a bench or other hard surface to sit on, and tried to hide their discomfort. The entire ship reeked of salt and brine and pungent fish…very different from the clean office building they were used to.

"All hands on deck?" Maris bellowed as she released the ropes that bound the ship to the dock. "Say goodbye to your precious dry land, gals!"

In the back, someone quietly muttered, "Goodbye."

'Nauticus' charged forward into the foreboding fog as if powered by reckless energy. For the longest time, no one said anything…it was impossible to tell where they were or how long they had travelled. They let Maris do all of the work guiding the ship, since she was apparently very good at it. But after a while, they had noticed that she had stopped and was now staring at them with something between suspicion and amusement.

"You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amber responded indignantly.

"Let me guess…you were told by your superior officer that you needed to come to this island to do work or whatever."

"Why else would we be going?" Calixta responded.

Maris laughed. "You're the 'Equine Cleanup and Control,' right? Well, I hate to tell you this, but there ain't no equine on Damariscove Island. Never have been, never will be. How are you supposed to pick up horseshit if there ain't no horses to shit?"

A very nervous silence followed. Knowing there was no way they could answer the question, Amber posed one of her own. "If you knew there were no horses on the island, why did you load us up and start taking us there in the first place?"

"Because…" Maris attempted to hold back bursts of laughter. "I get a kick out of seeing just how damn stupid you government folks really are!"

Most of the members squirmed in their seats as Maris guffawed annoyingly at their expense. "Don't worry about it, I'll take you guys back," Maris said, reaching for the wheel. "I know a place we can get some clam chowder to die for, and laugh this whole thing off."

"Ahh, that won't be necessary…" Adara warned as Maris started to turn the ship around. "We still need to go to the island-"

Adara was interrupted by a very loud THUMP from below, which caused the ship to rock violently. All of the members quickly found something to grab onto as a second THUMP rattled the craft again. Maris rushed to the edge and glared down into the angry waves. "Dammit! Not now, you fucking bastards!"

"What's going on?" The women of ECC, curious about what happening below, left their positions and also looked over the railing. A flash of black and blue skin appeared beneath the water, and an unfortunately familiar build…

"A Lucifer Hawk!" Calixta cried out.

"They can live in the water?" Amber asked.

"How are we supposed to fight a water Lucifer Hawk?!" Miakoda yelled.

The Hawk reared up to its full height, which was nearly as tall as the boat itself. If it was a Category Two, it didn't waste time talking to them, but launched into an attack. The boat nearly capsized as the Hawk forced a wall of water over the unlucky passengers.

Miakoda tried to start a spell, but the rolling deck kept breaking her concentration. Adara tossed a quick fireball at the enemy, but the ever-present seawater rendered her attack ineffective. Calixta and Amber pulled out their guns and attempted to fire at the Hawk, but could never get a clear enough shot with the boat's wake. The Hawk sensed that its opponents were weak and unprepared, and it began to launch an attack that would certainly overturn the boat. And just as the Lucifer Hawk reared back, Maris leapt overboard.

"Where the hell is *she* going?!" Amber cried.

"The same place we are in just a minute!" Calixta said, holding on tight to the boat's railing.

Just as the Hawk charged forward, a loud voice resonated from below. The Lucifer Hawk also heard, and stared down at the water.

"Nauticus, come to me!"

Maris was down in the waves, having no problem swimming. She pulled her hand out of the water…and in her grasp was a sword. The blade was long and silver-blue, and seemed to be made of liquid itself. The Lucifer Hawk saw Maris and the sword, and swam back in apprehension.

"Why can't you bastards ever learn your LESSON!" Maris roared, and swung the sword with incredible force at the Hawk. One of its limbs disintegrated on contact with the blade, and it howled in anger. It now turned its full attention to Maris, and swung its tail at her. Maris disappeared beneath the waves just before the strike, and it slammed against the side of the boat, rocking the occupants harshly.

The Hawk waited for Maris to surface again. And waited. And waited. Still, nothing happened. As the seconds crawled by, it began to dawn on both the Lucifer Hawk and the ECC that the captain had drowned.

That is, until a long flash of silver shot through the waves directly beneath the Hawk's neck. The creature wailed as the sword cut through again, this time across its belly, sending water and foam everywhere. The water Lucifer Hawk sank, disintegrated, and was gone.

Nobody said a word as Maris found a rope and clambered back onto the deck. She groaned, shook the water out of her hair, and attempted to wring out her clothes while still holding the liquid sword. She stopped as she noticed the entire ECC staring at her with eyes wide and jaws gaping.

"Do you want a job?"

Adara gave Amber a hard jab in the ribs. "Um, what we mean to say is…that was some pretty impressive, er…fighting that you did back there."

"Okay, just forget that ever happened," Maris said with a dangerous glare. "This is why I never take passengers, 'cause those damn things come and then everyone freaks out…"

"Oh don't worry, we're used to this sort of thing," Amber explained, resulting in another rib jab from Adara.

Maris narrowed her eyes in suspicion once again. "Used to being attacked by those bastard monsters, eh? What, do you clean up their shit, too?"

"You could say that…" Amber said, this time dodging the jab from Adara.

"All right…" Maris pointed the huge sword at them warningly. "I am turning this thing around, and you damn feds are going to be *straight* with me for once!" She let go of the sword, which then proceeded to liquefy and then evaporate into thin air.

"All right, but only if you come clean with us as well," Miakoda said. "I may not know much about boats and fishing, but I know that most lobster boat captains *don't* go around wielding magic swords or fighting Lucifer Hawks."

"Oh, so that's what they're called?" Maris laughed. "I just called them 'Those Damn Bastards.' Fine, then. I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours. Over clam chowder, of course…can't have stories without clam chowder."

"If it involves food, I'm there!" Amber said.

"Before we do any eating, we should at least get to the island like we were supposed to," Adara reminded them. "There were several reports of Lucifer Hawk activity there…"

"I know that island real well. Those Damn…Hawks, whatever you call them, pop up along the shoreline often. But judging from the way you guys dealt with this one, I wouldn't recommend going to the island now. Are all your sting operations this shitty?"

Calixta glared. "We just hadn't seen one in the water. Most of them are spotted on land."

"In any case, let's discuss this off the water. This is bad sailing weather, and I personally want to get dried off," Maris said, giving the wheel a sharp turn. The lobster boat obeyed her command and slowly turned about-face, heading back towards the mainland.

------

Before long, the ECC were seated at a worn wooden bar, watching a frizzled old New England woman give them the same annoyed look Maris had first given them. A few of them squirmed uncomfortably in their seats.

"You folks from the government?" the bartender drawled.

"They're with me," Maris called out. She emerged from the bathroom, rubbing her hair down with a towel. "We need clam chowder and ale for the five of us."

"Er, water as well," Miakoda quickly added.

"Thought you couldn't stand politicians, Maris," the bartender said.

"They ain't politicians, they're feds," Maris commented. "They fight crime and poke their nose in other people's shit, y'know."

"Did somebody get murdered or somethin'?"

"No, hon, nothing like that. Don't worry about it. Just go get us some grub…oh, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't listen in on us. You know, it's government talk; all very hush-hush and whatever."

The bartender raised her eyebrows in surprise…apparently this was a rare request from Maris. She then disappeared into the kitchen.

"Now, remind me of all your guys' names again," Maris said.

"I'm Adara; I'm the field commander. This is Amber, Calixta and Miakoda," Adara said, pointing to each person in turn. "And our Chief back at headquarters is Mackenzie."

"All women, eh?" Maris said. "I'd have to say, concerning the American government, that's a first."

"The ECC is exclusively women," Calixta said with pride. "You expect a man to be able to handle something like a Lucifer Hawk?"

"Good point," Maris grinned. "Although women or not, it takes more than just brains to kill one of those things. What exactly is the government equipping you with?"

"To tell you the truth, about the only thing the government's handing over is our pay checks," Miakoda said. "All of the firepower depends on us."

Maris gave them a quizzical look at that statement.

"Let me just put it this way…nobody 'normal' could be in the ECC," Adara said.

Maris raised her hand. "Hi! I'm Maris, and I'm a freak!" she said mockingly.

Now just about all of the ECC glared at her. "I don't think 'freak' is the exact term for us," Miakoda responded.

"Relax, I'm just kiddin' ya," Maris said, raising her hands in defense. "I mean it in the best possible way. Besides, even if I did mean it the wrong way, I'd only be calling myself the same thing."

"Have you been fighting Lucifer Hawks for a while?" Amber asked, trying to change the subject.

"For about five years," Maris said. "Since I first encountered one…off the coast of that island, actually."

"Where did you get that sword?" Miakoda asked. "I've never seen a sword like that before."

"I didn't find Nauticus…he found me," Maris said with a small smile. "He is wherever there is water. I first found him when I saw my first Lucifer Hawk along the shoreline. I know I couldn't have beaten it if Nauticus hadn't been there. He's been my best friend these past five years…"

"What did you mean by, 'he is wherever there is water'?" Miakoda asked as the bartender returned with their clam chowder and ale.

"*So* glad you asked." Maris grinned. She walked over to Miakoda and grabbed her pitcher of water. "Mind if I borrow this for minute?"

Miakoda watched, horrified, as Maris suddenly thrust her hand into the pitcher of water. She shouted, "Nauticus, come to me!" in the same way as when she had fought the Lucifer Hawk. When she pulled her hand back out again, the same enormous silver sword grew out of the pitcher until it was fully formed in her hand.

/There aren't any of those creatures here, are there?/ A deep male voice said close to Maris. It took everyone a few seconds to realize it had come from Nauticus.

"No…I just wanted to show you off to all my new friends, here. They fight monsters, too."

/I'm flattered, Ms. Lynn./

The bartender, who had just given them their food, gave a warning glance to Maris. "Maris dear, how many times do I have to tell you not to bring out Nauticus indoors?"

"Relax hon, it's just for a little bit." Maris grinned cheekily. She turned back to the ECC. "I keep telling Nauticus to call me Maris, but he insists on Ms. Lynn. If only all men were this polite."

Everyone generally nodded, although Miakoda just stared into her water and decided that she wasn't really that thirsty anymore.

"He's incredibly light, but incredibly strong," Maris continued. "I thought perhaps I had a knack for sword fighting and tried to use different swords, but they didn't work. Everything else is so unwieldy! Besides, how many other swords can carry on a conversation with you?"

"Actually, he reminds me of Katsumi's sword Grosspoliner," Adara mentioned. "He could talk, too."

"One of our associates in Tokyo," Calixta informed Maris.

"Hmm…it seems we'll have to meet him sometime, then," Maris told Nauticus. She then let go of Nauticus, and the sword again evaporated into nothing. "As much as I do enjoy kicking the asses of Those Damn Hawks, lobster fishing is my first love. I grew up in the industry…part of the family business."

"Hmm…and how does your family feel about your hobby of Lucifer Hawk slaying?" Amber asked.

"Family…" Maris's bright tone suddenly turned rather dark. "Nauticus is about the only family I have now."

The lobster boat captain decided that now would be a good time to dig into her clam chowder. She took a few bites and a swig of her ale before starting into her story, which she knew everyone was now expecting.

"I haven't seen my family since I was seventeen. We were on a routine fishing trip off the coast of Rockport. We got caught in a really bad freak storm…caught us completely by surprise. It was my family and my best friend's family on our little fishing boat, and the nine of us together couldn't get the sail down or the nets up. This is saying something, since all nine people were born and bred seadogs. Anyway, I was helping hoist up some netting on the starboard side, and this bastard wave comes clear over the deck and sends me overboard. Now, normally I would've popped back up like a cork, but I must've hit my head on a rock or somethin', 'cause I remember a shitload of water and nothing else.

"When I woke up again, I couldn't hear anything but water. I opened my eyes, and saw the surface about, oh, 30 feet above me. Yup, I'm on the *ocean floor*. I'm thinking, 'How the hell can I still be thinking?' But I could breathe just fine…water's just a lot heavier than air. So here I am, a seventeen-year-old girl, sittin' at the bottom of the ocean and just chillin'. I finally start thinking, 'Hey, maybe the family's worried about me.' So I make my way up to the surface, only to see there's no boat in sight…no storm, even. I'm thinking, 'Well then, I guess I'll try and find my way back to shore.' So I go the direction I remember land being in and follow the ocean bottom until I hit shoreline. I'm feeling pretty damn good about myself, except for the fact that I have salt in my eyes and hair and I smell like fish.

"I don't know why I was not expecting my family to freak out. I guess I thought they had always known I could breathe underwater, and were going to tell me when I was eighteen because it was, you know, that kind of thing. So anyway, I come strollin' into the house like there's no such thing as shit, and my mom drops this halibut casserole on my little sister…turns out she was taking it to my funeral. The entire family started freaking out; started yelling about ghosts and stuff. When they finally calmed down enough I explained what had happened. I figured they could handle it…I'd only been underwater for about three days. Nope…they came up with this idea that I was a mermaid, or sea nymph or shit like that, and freaked out even more. My entire childhood hometown is *really* superstitious, you understand. For a while, I almost thought I was a mermaid myself. As far as my parents were concerned, they weren't going to let any trickster sea nymph pretend to be *their* daughter…they kicked me out of the house. Didn't let me take anything. Didn't…" Maris stopped. She sucked in her breath suddenly, and her face appeared more pained than usual.

She continued, "I went around to my friends' and neighbors' houses to try and find a place to stay, but I just got the same response. When one of my neighbors…I think we called him Mr. Nibbles for some odd reason…asked if I would give myself over to the government for research, I gave up. I left the town…walked for several days until I hit the next town.

"My life has pretty much been that way ever since…moving from town to town along the coast. I got work wherever and whenever I could. I've learned not to tell my story to too many people…the gal who runs this place and maybe two other people know."

"You must trust us quite a bit to have told us all this, then," Adara commented.

Maris laughed somewhat. "Well, at least you didn't freak when Nauticus or one of Those Damn Bastards showed up, so I figured it would be okay."

"You haven't tried to contact your family at all?" Amber asked.

"No. What the fuck would I say? 'Hi Mom, it's your daughter from five years ago. Guess what! I can still breathe underwater, only now I also own a magic sword I can talk to and I fight giant sea monsters in my spare time. How have you been?...' No, I really don't think it would work out." She paused to take another bite of her clam chowder. "I do wonder how they're doing, though…"

There were a few moments of somber silence. Most of the members there had lost parents or other family members, and they sympathized with the young fisherwoman.

"So, that's pretty much my story," Maris said as she finished her clam chowder. "Not much of a conclusion, though…I still don't know how I can breathe underwater or why Nauticus found me in the first place. Obviously I don't have a very happy story; I'm sure your guys' stories are friendlier than mine."

"Want to bet?" Calixta snickered under her breath.

"All right, it's *your* turn to spill guts here," Maris stated. "Since when did the government start having branches associated with fighting giant monsters?"

"Since Mulder and Scully," Miakoda said with a deadpan serious expression. A round of odd stares from the rest of the group caused her grin a bit and add a quick "Sorry."

Adara did a quick glance around the room to make sure nobody was listening, then leaned in closer to Maris. "I'll give you a small idea on who we are and what we do on one condition: you must *never* breathe a word of it to anyone else for any reason. I'm not going to tell you the whole story, because this is extremely dangerous information, and if it were to get out into the general public, there would be nothing less than mass panic. I believe you can handle this information, but I *know* that everyone else can't. Will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"You have the word of a lobster boat fishing captain," Maris said with a grin. "You don't know how lucky you are."

Adara gave a sideways glance to Amber, who was sitting nearby. Amber stared at Maris for a moment and then gave a nod of approval. Whether or not Maris actually kept her promise, she at least had every intention of trying.

"Well, you know about the Silent Crisis, right?" Adara began.

"Who the hell doesn't?"

"The Lucifer Hawk are somehow a result of that. Since the Silent Crisis, they have shown up in increasingly greater numbers. They feed almost exclusively on humans. To our knowledge there are three different types, two of which we can communicate with. They vary in size and strength, from the pitifully weak to the unbelievably strong.

"Each of us has a special skill that contributes to fighting Lucifer Hawks," Adara continued. "Calixta Solaris is a master of computers and holoprograms. Miakoda Nakai is a psychic. Amber Ramirez is a truthsayer. And I…" Adara brought up a tiny flame in the palm of her hand, "…like to play with fire."

"Very interesting," Maris said, staring at the flame, "that such unusual people should all be gathered together in one place fighting for the same thing."

"Well, that's another story entirely," Adara said, extinguishing the flame in her fist.

"Now you've gone and piqued my curiosity," Maris scolded. "I've seen strange people come in here with even stranger stories, but I'd have to say that a group of feds that fight inter-dimensional monsters takes the cake. It's a shame I can't share it with other people."

"You may not be able to share it…but you could perhaps be a part of it," Amber said.

Maris blinked once or twice. "What are you saying? That I leave lobster fishing and join the superhero team? Make Lucifer Hawk fighting my job?"

"You get a government salary! And a great dental and retirement plan!" Amber added.

"If you *live* to retire…" Calixta mumbled under her breath.

"Why are you so desperate to recruit her?" Miakoda whispered to Amber.

"I like her. She's honest, and she knows good food!" Amber smiled. "And I think the Chief would be more than happy to have a fifth person."

"You realize that you're asking quite a lot here," Maris said incredulously. "I like kicking the asses of those Lucifer Bastards as much as the next gal. But I believe I mentioned before that lobster fishing is my first love; and you're wanting me to work for the government…something I swore I'd never do."

"We could really use your help," Amber interjected. "You said so yourself…there's no way we'd be able to fight water Lucifer Hawks with the tools we have now. You and Nauticus would be such a great asset on the battlefield."

Before Maris could reply, Adara interrupted with a look at Amber. "Can I speak to you privately for a minute, Amber?"

Amber nodded, suddenly looking worried that she had done something wrong. She and Adara walked off to a different table, and after an awkward moment, Miakoda and Calixta decided to join them. Maris watched them go incredulously, and hid her apprehensive frown behind her ale mug.

"Amber, I understand you see the value in such strong offensive powers," Adara began, "but I really think you're being a bit too free with your information. We don't tell most other Navy officers what we do, much less civilians. And then to ask her to join this suddenly? Considering it's not really our place to make hiring decisions, I think it may come off as presumptuous to the Chief. Not to mention the fact that we know next to nothing about her background."

"I would have to agree with Adara," Calixta added. "We just met her today. How do we know if she's really trustworthy? And yes, she's good at fighting Lucifer Hawks, but she could easily have connections to them that we don't know about."

"Well, *I* can tell whether or not she's trustworthy," Amber retorted. "She hasn't lied to us once since we've met her, and that's more than I can say for most people I meet on the street. If there's anybody we should be hiring, it's people who can be honest with us."

"Okay, so she's honest," Adara said. "That doesn't guarantee she'd make a good team-mate. You've heard her…she's so honest she's practically rude. And something like that may not be the best thing for ECC's image right now."

"Since when have we ever cared about ECC's image?" Amber pointed out.

"She does have a point there…" Miakoda sighed.

"I just really think it would help to have more people fighting with us," Amber argued. "And you said so yourself, Adara…her water sword was similar to Katsumi's sword. Maybe that warrants some more investigation. It just doesn't seem right that we meet someone trustworthy who is *already* good at fighting Lucifer Hawks and then not do anything about it."

Adara looked up at Miakoda and Calixta, who were all thinking over Amber's arguments. Finally, Adara sighed, and leaned back in her chair. "I'll tell you what…I'll give Mackenzie a call and explain the situation to her. Depending on what she says, then we'll make the offer to Maris. It's ultimately her decision."

Amber bit her lip, then nodded in compliance. Adara pulled out her cell phone, which thankfully hadn't gotten soaked in the Hawk attack, and called ECC headquarters back home. Calixta turned to Amber. "And what will you do if Mackenzie says no but Maris says yes? We would have gone to all that trouble for nothing."

"Well, I felt it was worth a shot," Amber responded. Calixta just sighed…while Amber's enthusiasm was helpful in many situations, there were times it could cause more problems than it solved. The three women turned to glance over at Maris…she was still watching them, but was apparently not happy with the fact that she wasn't being included in their conversation. Amber offered a small smile that she hoped read as 'we're almost done over here.'

After a few more minutes, Adara hung up and turned back to them. "Well, Mackenzie is interested…she said that if Maris expresses interest, then she can come with us back home, take some basic training and see if she's right for ECC."

The four ECC members returned to the bar where Maris was waiting. She had finished off her ale, and was looking rather impatient. "What, did you have to call the President and see if there is any government testing for sea nymphs available?"

"No, of course not," Adara responded. "We were just getting the okay from our superior about you coming in for some basic training. That is, if you're willing to try it."

For the first time ever, it looked like Maris didn't have anything to say. She looked carefully at the ECC, and then back at her empty bowl and mug. The group couldn't tell if she was just debating whether or not becoming a 'damn fed' was a good idea, or whether there was something really important that she was reluctant to leave behind. Finally, she asked, "This isn't one of those 'be one of us or we kill you' things, is it? I mean, I can join you guys for a month or something, and then quit if I decide I don't like how it's going?"

"Well, technically it's possible…" Calixta sighed. "It's not like there's a secret law saying that you can't quit once you join. But the paperwork involved in a quick decision like that would make fighting Lucifer Hawks look like a vacation."

Maris smirked. "So either way I look at it, I'm still screwed by the bureaucracy."

"Yes, that part can be annoying," Adara said. "But I think I speak for everyone when I say that the satisfaction you get out of the job far outweighs the less glamorous parts. Obviously we can't make you join the ECC. If you've got some reason to stay here, then you should stay."

Maris looked away again, but this time she smiled. "Why the fuck not?" She stood up decisively. "What the hell, I'll give this thing a shot. What kind of a sailor would I be if I wasn't willing to take risks?"

Amber grinned in response, and the other three members looked on warily, but supportively. Whether or not this sometimes obnoxious seawoman would fare well in their company and environment, they all knew it was never a bad thing to have more people on their side. Adara shook hands with Maris. "If you want, we can go back to your place and you can pack up whatever you want. I'm sure we can find you a place to stay in New York."

Maris raised her eyebrows. "New York? You mean big city, lots of skyscrapers, lots of people New York?"

"No, we mean the little one with no skyscrapers or people," Calixta said. "Of course New York. Why?"

"I've just…never been there," Maris mused. "I've always been along the coastline of Maine. I've never had the resources to go anywhere else. And besides, what good am I going to be able to do if there's no water for me to breathe in?"

"I'd say you're plenty good with Nauticus in and out of the water," Amber pointed out. "All you need is some container of water to carry around with you, and you can fight in the city. You don't have to be on the coast all the time."

"Well, this will certainly be a change of pace," Maris said thoughtfully. "You may have to show me how things work around the city…but only if *I* get to show you around whatever ports are there; 'cause you four desperately need some advice on how to handle those water Lucifer Bastards."

"Fair enough." Adara shrugged. "Well, you don't have too much stuff at your house, do you? Because I'm assuming you'll want to be taking stuff from there and your boat, and there's only so much room in the STAV."

"My boat *is* my house," Maris said. "Trust me, I don't live on much. It shouldn't be that hard to get a few basic things together. Although that government salary better be as good as it sounds, because I doubt I have the funds to shell out for an entirely new apartment in New York."

"I'm sure we can all help pitch in," Miakoda suggested. Of course, when she said that, she, Amber and Calixta all looked pointedly at Adara, who pretended not to notice.

The bartender returned, and Maris paid her for their meal. The ECC began to get packed up and ready to head back to Maris's boat so she could gather up some of her belongings. Adara shook her head in amazement…all in one day they had discovered that Lucifer Hawks could live in the water as well as on land, along with a rather foul-mouthed new member. (Here's hoping we're not making a big mistake…)

------

"I give her two weeks," Calixta announced to the ECC as Adara closed the file she was working on. "Do you honestly think she'll be able to last long in this sort of environment? Working for the government like this? We can all tell…she really belongs out on her boat."

"It's not a matter of where she belongs, it's a matter of what she wants to be doing," Miakoda responded. "Besides, I'm not exactly all that easy with the government, either. And neither are you. But that's not stopping us, is it?"

"Perhaps not…it's just a feeling I'm getting." Calixta waved it off.

"Hey, that's my job," Miakoda said.

The four of them looked up as Mackenzie entered the main office, with Maris behind her. Mackenzie had few problems with admitting a new member, but she made several thorough background checks on Maris out of both habit and necessity. She had been somewhat disappointed that they hadn't been able to make it out to the island, but understood the necessity of needing more information on the water Lucifer Hawks before they could fight them. If there was one thing that was good in new situations, it was some inside information.

"I'd like to introduce you all to your new team-mate, Ensign Maris Lynn," Mackenzie announced to the group. "She's passed the introduction training, and has agreed to stay with us as an official member. However, she still needs at least two weeks' worth of formal police training before she can officially be a part of the group. I expect you all to help show her around the place and inform her of any policies and rules that she chooses to ignore in her acceptance forms." Behind her, Maris grunted something incomprehensible. It was clear that Mackenzie was forming her own impression of Maris right from the start. Miakoda, Adara, Amber and Calixta all nodded in obedience at Mackenzie's commanding look.

"That'll be all for now. Keep up the good work," She turned on her heel and left to return to her private office, leaving Maris standing awkwardly in the middle of the common room.

Maris inspected her new uniform somewhat dubiously, and was no doubt wishing she hadn't made the comment about band uniforms the day they met. She tugged at the sleeves uncomfortably with one hand, while holding an Evian water bottle in the other. "I'd figure if you guys were going to be doing something like killing Lucifer Hawks, you'd be doing it in more comfortable clothes."

"You'll get used to it," Adara said simply. "Just wait until you see the dress uniforms."

Calixta nodded at her particular choice of water bottle. "Evian, Maris? A little high-class for the rugged lobster fisherwoman, isn't it?"

Maris just rolled her eyes. "Nauticus. He insists on Evian," she said flatly.

The others tried desperately to hold back snorts of laughter, some better than others. Maris fumed. "Honestly! Just because we're in New York, he thinks he has to be all high-society or something. I keep telling him that water is water, and that he should know that better than anyone."

"Well, welcome to the group!" Amber announced, figuring that she should say it if no one else was going to. "We need to celebrate your decision to work with us. We should go out to eat tonight. I know this great Mexican place on Fifth Avenue that serves these fish tacos to die for."

"Fish tacos? I don't think so," Maris said simply. "Mexicans can do chicken just fine, I'll give them that, but the only good fish you're gonna get is from the North Atlantic. None of that 'Mahi-Mahi' shit or whatever. You want fish, I'll find you a place here in New York that serves real honest New England food."

"Excuse me? I think I know a good fish taco when I see one, Ms. Lobster Fisherwoman. If you *even* think of joining these losers in their crusade to avoid my cooking…"

"I ain't a part of any crusade. I'm just saying that New England seafood is the only seafood worth shelling out your money for. Anything else is just a waste of your time and salary."

Calixta looked over at Adara unsteadily as Maris and Amber continued to argue back and forth, with Maris gesturing her point with the water bottle every now and then. "I know it's a good thing for us to have an extra member on the team, but are you sure it was a good idea for us to ask *her* to join?" Calixta asked quietly.

Adara just looked back at the two newer members. With the way they were arguing, it was only a matter of time before they resorted to the basic 'New England!' 'Mexican!' 'New England!' 'Mexican!' banter. She sighed and shook her head. "Probably not. But it's not like bad ideas are all that uncommon around here."

---------------------------------------------

Next Episode Preview:

Amber: "In the bitter cold of mid-February, our intrepid heroines face the greatest challenge of their careers: bad pick-up lines. Will they conquer this insurmountable obstacle and find true love? Will Maris learn to embrace her gentle, feminine side?"

Tad (offscreen): "Ow! My arm!"

Amber: "Okay…maybe not."

Episode 7: 'Like Water for Chocolate Truffles.'