Legends

Chapter 38~ The Big Apple

Henry Hudson Dr was a beautiful road, surrounded on both sides by thick old growth forest as the Palisades descended to the river below. It was hard to believe that just across the river was one of the world's largest cities. The six kanmusu looked like your average person walking down the shoulder of the road. More like a paved trail, it was barely wide enough to allow one vehicle through and given the situation in New York right now, almost no one was out and about. Constitution was leading them with Titanic close behind. Both had enough experience in being human that the blocker pills didn't affect them too much. That was not the case for the others. United States struggled to keep herself from breaking into a jog just to resume her normal speed. Olympia staggered along as though she was drunk and the schooners had an odd gate that was half walk, half skip.

Henry Hudson terminated in a roundabout just before the bridge forcing a change of plans. Fortunately for them, there was a side path that led the group up to the top of the bank and onto the Parkway. They emerged into oncoming traffic. There were so many cars trying to escape New York the road looked like a parking lot. Likewise, there was an equal amount of pedestrian traffic.

"This should make it easier to keep hidden." Olympia said.

"Perhaps but Tosa will be able to spot people going the opposite direction from everyone else very easily." Constitution answered.

United States was eying the bridge in front of them and she had an idea. "We could try the lower level." She said.

"There's no path for us to walk in there though. If traffic comes through at the wrong time-" Titanic began.

"We have no choice but to risk it." Constitution decided. "Okay, here's how we're going to do this. I'll go in front. If anyone's going to get hit in this endeavor it's me. The two maniacs will go next." Bluenose and Theabaud exchanged high fives at the name calling. Titanic shook her head. They were just as crazy as the Taffies. "Titanic and Olympia, you'll come next. Big U will watch our sterns. Eyes only, no radar." Constitution warned.

"I doubt I could use it now anyways." United States replied. Just trying left her dizzy.

The group entered the lower level of the George Washington bridge. Entering on the northbound side, they had little traffic to contend with although the honks of those crossing the opposite direction could be heard through the concrete walls. It was a long several minutes before they emerged above The Little Red Lighthouse. They followed the looping exits down onto Riverside and stepped off the main roads into the bushes as soon as they could. The Greenway provided perfect cover for their approach into Harem. The tracks brought them to within a 1/4 mile of their target.

Once again Bluenose volunteered to go forward and watch and/or distract the guard but this job required someone with speed so United States was substituted. By this point the blockers had worn off enough that even though they would still appear human to the Abyssals, the liner could call upon her famous speed with little effort.

"Be quick." Titanic told her.

"Always am, darlin'." United States winked and simply stepped out of the bushes, striding towards the guard.

"Halt!" The destroyer was surprised to see a human female simply step out of the trees but stranger things had happened in New York.

United States for her part was about to display her superb acting skills. "Hey, why don't you go back to Jersey you bum! You lot, causing all kinds of chaos on my railroad. Well I'm not having it! I'll tell ya!!" She snapped.

"I said halt!" The destroyer growled, deploying her rigging. It took all of United States' skill to avoid shivering as the familiar chill began to work its way up her spine.

"Go back to Jersey!" She snarled.

"I'm not from Jersey!" The destroyer advanced on her. Now was their chance.

Titanic, the second fastest of the bunch and more familiar with how to control the effects of the blockers than the rest of them, slipped out from her hiding place behind the Handball courts and stalked up next to Liberte. "Keep quiet if you want to live." She whispered.

Liberte was surprised to see her. "Mon dieu." She whispered as Titanic removed her gag and began working on her restraints. She'd seen this style before. While easily able to be cut with bolt cutters, they prevented a kanmusu from using her abilities to free herself.

"We need to get out of here." Liberte said.

"I know. We're making it to Boston." Titanic replied.

"No, you don't understand!" Liberte was desperate. "Tosa-she's rigged the city. We all need to get clear."

"Rigged it? What do you mean rigged it? Rigged it with what?" Titanic's line of questioning was interrupted by a shell that landed within feet of them. Looking up revealed the destroyer guard standing there glaring at them both.

"Well, well what have we here? Another kanmusu or just an annoying human?" She purred. "Either way, my queen will be pleased."

Titanic then did something either very foolish or very brave. She summoned her rigging. The effort nearly made her keel over but she was able to resist the blocker's effects long enough for it to materialize. The Abyssal's grin faded away. To the casual observer Titanic and Olympic were identical. Only a few subtle differences distinguished their profiles that only an expert eye could detect.

This Abyssal was not an expert. "My-my queen I-" She began.

Titanic used the hesitation to her advantage. She took the chains around the Abyssal, securing her. "You are now my prisoner, understood?" She asked.

The Abyssal nodded. "My name is Re-4. I am the flagship of Her Majesty's Destroyer Squadrons and was assigned to Tosa's command for this venture."

"And what precisely were Tosa's orders?" Titanic asked as she guided Re-4 towards the shore with Liberte following.

"We are here to ensure the fall of this country happens on our terms. Look at you lot, this is all that's left of the endless wave of steel. While now that wave has dried up!" Re-4 grinned.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." United States purred. "Clearly Tosa didn't inform you of the run ins she's had with our Pacific forces. You're safe from it now because you're with us but Tosa soon won't be."

"Whatever you're planning, tell me now!" Re-4 snarled.

Titanic pulled the chains tighter. "Ah-we ask all the questions now dearie." She purred. "I ask again, what is Tosa planning?" She turned to Liberte.

"She's put napolm bombs in every building. All set on a timer. They're due to go off in 5 hours." Liberte replied.

"And she intended for the firestorm to take you with it." Titanic concluded. So that's why Liberte was spared. A temporary reprieve at best. The Abyssal fleet would be safe out in the harbor but this close to the shore, Liberte would've had no chance.

"Where is Tosa going next?" Titanic asked.

"I don't know." Re-4 said, yelping as Titanic rattled the chains again. "Okay-okay. Boston. She's going to attack, Boston."

"When?!" Titanic all but demanded.

"12 hours!"

Titanic turned to Constitution. "Can we make it there in time?" She asked.

"No way." The frigate replied, her tone resigned.

"The real question is, what do we do with this bitch?" United States poked Re-4's nose. Restrained as she was, the Abyssal could do no more than spit at her.

"She wasn't harsh to me but she wasn't nice either." Liberte said.

"You were dead anyways. Anyone else have an opinion?" Titanic asked.

"I say we leave her here." Constitution said. "She'll only slow us down."

"And let her inform Tosa as soon as we do. No." Titanic growled, staring the frigate down. And Constitution had to admit she was right.

"This one deserves to die." Theabaud hissed. The darkness in the schooner's voice surprised everyone and Bluenose most of all. The Canadian was about to try calming her down when Theabaud added "she was the one who hit me at Lakehurst." Then in the next instant it was Theabaud who was holding Bluenose's collar as she tried to jump Re-4 and punch her face in.

"Knock her out?" Liberte finally suggested.

"Hmm, works for me. And with these chains it wouldn't take much either." Titanic purred. "We should give her blocker too for good measure."

"That means we'll be a dose short." Theabaud said.

"We would be short anyways with this one." Titanic thumbed at Liberte who shrugged. '

"Knocking out works for me." Constitution agreed. "Bluenose, just make her blue and black. Nothing more."

Bluenose nodded furiously and Theabaud released her. With a furious war cry like some Indian warrior, the schooner literally launched herself onto the Abyssal and began beating her face in with her bare hands. Re-4 was knocked unconscious almost by the first punch but Bluenose did not quit for several minutes. Finally, exhaustion took its toll and she took a step back, panting. Her hands were marked raw by her act.

"Okay, we have 5 hours to get out of this city. Presumably any Abyssal forces are on their way the hell out so if we stick more towards the inland side of these islands we should be clear." United States said.

"You're the expert, lead on." Constitution ordered and United States did so. Titanic set the Re-4 down, placing a note in her hand. It read simply "We need to talk. Come find me - 401."

The message would make its way into Olympic's hands eventually. Titanic briefly wondered what Olympic would think of it. Would she be outraged her sister had been alive this whole time? Would she think the whole thing was a hoax and kill her subordinates in a murderous rage? The liner shook her head and followed the others. New York was lost but Boston and all its inhabitants depended on them.