“There she is.”
Doctor Bill Adorno stands in a shipyard in the small city of Bremerton, Washington. It’s only been eight months since his deal with Senator Malthus, a shockingly quick turnaround for such a decision. He had been expecting to wait for more than a year before he would be able to stand here, yet the senator had come through big time.
Resting in the dock is the former USS Narwhal, retired from Naval service in July and recommissioned as the NOAAS Narwhal. A fully capable nuclear submarine, the Narwhal was now one of the NOAA’s most expensive assets, and Bill would be leading her first project. It’s been six months since the ship was officially retired from military duty, and in the biting January cold, Bill looks the vessel over, pulling his coat tight around his neck as a frigid wind blows off the water. She’s been stripped of her weapons, the Navy making sure to remove everything before she became a civilian vessel. But now the real work would start as Bill and his colleagues had the job of refitting the submarine as a research vessel.
Small moving trucks loaded with new equipment sit alongside the sub and unload. Bill watches with tension plastered on his face as the workers handle the expensive instruments. He scratches at a thick, white beard that’s filled his face over the past few months. It’s complemented by long, disheveled hair and heavy, dark-colored bags under his eyes. In his work to get things ready he’s replaced sleep and relaxation with coffee and energy drinks. His foot taps the concrete, induced by nerves and caffeine.
A hand, clad in a thick, black glove, plops onto Bill’s shoulder. Turning, he sees the person trying to keep his stress under some semblance of control: Charlie Robin. She was one of the first people Bill had picked for the expedition. Standing a few inches taller than him with short black hair poking out from under her hat, her eyes, dark brown and sitting above a pair of reading glasses that she always forgets to take off, look concerned.
Charlie is young, only half a decade out of grad school, but Bill saw her potential long before she graduated. She has passion and curiosity, but a critical eye, all traits that help make her a great scientist. After meeting her at a career fair in her undergraduate years, Bill ended up becoming something of a mentor to her. She joined him in the NOAA first as an intern, then as his assistant, and now she was a full-time, independent researcher. Though the two no longer always worked side-by-side, they never fell out of contact as close friends. At least once a week they’d meet up, have a cup of coffee and talk about whatever they were working on. Julia, of course, was a common topic of discussion.
Bill’s work on Julia wasn’t something he could have ever hoped to keep from Charlie. He had been pursuing it since before the two met, and she learned about his research almost as soon as she started interning under him.
Though Charlie and Bill had grown apart professionally since her days as his assistant, she always kept a keen ear open for developments on Julia. It was a project far too interesting for her to ignore and so when Bill paid her a visit late one evening to tell her that the Narwhal was theirs, she just about accepted his invitation to join the crew before he got the chance to ask.
Now, standing by Bill’s side, Charlie is excited but also concerned. He had put so much of himself into the project, that she saw it was starting to wear him down.
“Bill,” Charlie says with a sharp look in her eyes.
“Now, how many times have you given me that look in the past few months?” He smirks. “I’m fine, honest.”
“Bullshit. Why did you even come out here today? It’s freezing.” She pulls her arms around her chest and shivers.
Bill chuffs. “Didn’t want anyone to break anything.”
“Bill, we won’t be leaving for a couple more months. Would it kill you to take that time to rest up? Recharge your batteries before we go? Please?”
“You act like I’m some old man.”
“You are an old man, old man. Stop stressing yourself out, it’s not doing you any favors.”
“Fine, alright, I get it. I’ll try to take it a bit easier.”
Charlie smiles. “Good, come on.” She tugs his arm. “Let’s go get a cup of coffee and get out of this cold.”
Bill nods. “Alright, kid, let’s get out of here.”
A fifteen-minute drive later, Bill and Charlie sit across from each other in a small coffee shop tucked away in the city. It’s busy inside, the morning rush in full swing as people pop in to grab something on their way to work. Bells jingle above the door as they come and go. The two NOAA researchers are some of the only people who don’t take their coffee and bolt out the door.
Unzipping their jackets Bill and Charlie drape them over the backs of their chairs and sit.
“I’ll go up and order for us,” Bill says, “want anything special?”
Charlie shakes her head. “Just a coffee.”
“Black?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Despite a long line of customers, the line moves quickly and Bill gets to the counter in just a few minutes.
A pale young man with the energy of someone drinking a lot of the shop’s coffee takes his order.
“One black coffee and a double espresso, please,” Bill asks.
A moment later and Bill gets his order. He pays, trying to move fast to avoid holding up the line, then returns to the table.
“Thank you again,” Charlie says as Bill places her cup in front of her.
She moves to take a cautious taste. Too hot for anything but the tiniest sips, the coffee barely touches her lips. It’s strong though, and even the minuscule drop blasts her with a dark, bitter flavor. She smiles, content, and puts the cup down.
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Bill, on the other hand, chooses to wait a moment and let his cool down.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” Charlie says.
“I can,” Bill replies, “maybe not this soon, but I wouldn’t have been able to retire until I had gotten this done.”
“Speaking of which.”
Bill holds up a hand. “Now hold on, I’m only sixty-six, still got plenty of juice left in me when we’re done here.”
“You look more like a freshly squeezed orange to me.”
“Nah, you should’ve seen me in Malthus’s office over the summer, it was like I was twenty years younger. Julia gives me life.”
“Yeah, and now you look twenty years older. Julia giveth and Julia taketh away. I just worry about you, you know? At the very least, I’d rather you didn’t push yourself so hard.”
“I know, I’m sorry to be such a pain in the ass. It’s just, this is what I’ve been working toward for half my life.”
Charlie nods. “I just worry is all, you can’t push yourself like this forever. I’m not asking you to retire, but at least take some time off once we’re done with this and back on dry land. You deserve it.”
“I will and I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Charlie smiles. This isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation. Like it or not, she could see he was getting older, and as much as he didn’t like to admit it, he was feeling it. Bill had given his entire life to the NOAA but Charlie didn’t want to see him work himself to death for them. He was like family to her. He had always been there for her through plenty of tough times in her school and work years, and she cared deeply about him, enough to worry that his hard work might send him to an early grave. She wasn’t sure how much of his agreeing to take time off would ring truthful by the time they got back home from this expedition, but it was comforting that he was finally willing to relent to her and say it at least.
The two sit quietly for a while. It’s a comfortable silence, nothing more needing to be said. Bill and Charlie sip their drinks and watch the cold, gray streets outside. Flurries of snow begin to drop onto the ground as the skies darken and the rising sun vanishes into a thick layer of clouds.
“Hmm,” Bill begins. “I never checked the weather today. Is it supposed to snow?”
Charlie bites the inside of her cheek and shrugs. “Same here, no idea.”
“Don’t like the look of those clouds. Maybe we should head back to the hotel for now. Wouldn’t wanna get stuck in the snow.”
Charlie nods and they tip their cups up to finish off their drinks, stand up, and grab their coats. Dropping their empty cups in the trash, Charlie and Bill leave the coffee shop behind. They each have their own rental cars, Bill’s parked close by, Charlie’s at the far end of the lot, so the two split to meet up again at their hotel in a few minutes.
As Bill approaches his car, he notices a large, blue pickup truck next to it with a figure leaning against the tailgate.
He’s tall, built like a tank, and wearing only a tight sweatshirt despite the cold. His head is bald but his face is covered by a bushy gray beard. A slight scowl can be seen beneath all of the wiry facial hair.
Bill shakes his head and chuckles when he sees him, unphased by the man’s imposing figure and displeased expression.
“Bill, you sonuvabitch,” the man stands up as Bill approaches.
He stomps over the pavement to close the remaining distance and stares down at Bill, then extends his hand, and the two exchange a rough handshake.
“You know, I had a feeling I’d be seeing you soon, but not this soon, Lewis. How the hell did you even know where to find me?”
“I stay connected, even in retirement. Heard some interesting rumors and decided to check ‘em out myself.”
The man is Lewis Ho, and he’s a handful of years older than Bill though with a fire in him that seemed to only burn brighter each time they met. Lewis is a retired Navy captain, and an old friend. The two became acquainted at a conference about severe weather at sea years ago, and bonded over their experiences and shared love of the water despite the differences in their careers.
“Well, you saved me a phone call, so I can’t say I’m unhappy to see you,” Bill says.
“You goddamn better have been ready to make that call. You don’t just take my girl out of service and then slink off into the night with her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bill puts a hand to his chin. “Although, the captain I talked to did mention that his predecessor was a crazy old man.”
Lewis scoffs. “Doubt Johnson would’ve said that, too scared of me. And he’d agree with me that there ain’t no better captain for the Narwhal than me. That’s my boat you got in the harbor, and I’ll be damned if I’m not gettin’ in on whatever you got planned for her.”
“That confident?”
“Damn straight. You said it yourself, I’m saving you a phone call, so you were already angling to grab me up. ‘Sides, who else you gonna call? You got other submarine captain friends that you keeping secret from me?”
Bill laughs. “You staying nearby? Looks like snow, so maybe we should continue this elsewhere.”
“Ain’t got a room yet, just got into town.”
“There’s still rooms where Charlie and me are staying, let’s head there and we can catch up.”
Lewis nods and the two drive off, just in time too, as, during the short drive to the hotel, the weather continues to worsen. The wind starts to pick up as the sky darkens and snow falls in heavier clumps, pushed sideways by strong gusts.
Bill and Lewis pull into the hotel parking lot just as the weather escalates into a full-scale blizzard. They brush snow out of their hair as they enter the lobby.
“Phew,” Bill says, “that got bad fast.”
“Got here just in time,” Lewis replies. “I’m gonna go get a room.”
“I’m in 204, come by once you're settled in.”
Lewis nods and Bill heads to his room.
Twenty minutes later and there’s a knock on the door. Bill opens it up and Lewis steps in and takes a seat at a small table in the corner. Bill sits across from him and waits for Lewis to start asking questions.
“Alright, spill it. What do you got planned for my girl?”
Bill nods. “An expedition. Down south, under the ice, there’s something down there, a new species, and we’re looking to find it.”
“So it’s a fishing trip?”
Bill shrugs. “I guess it sort of is. Big fish though, really big, like rewriting the zoology books big.”
“A sea monster?” Lewis chuckles.
“For lack of a better term.”
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.”
“We’re trying to keep it pretty hush-hush for the time being, at least until we get back with proof.”
Lewis smirks. “I can keep a secret. Got one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I’m coming with.”
“Wouldn’t have told you if you weren’t.”
“When do we leave?”
Bill sighs. “Not sure yet. We still need to finish kitting out the Narwhal, and then there’s the matter of crew. I can handle getting some scientists, but we aren’t exactly in a position to poach a submarine crew from the Navy.”
“Maybe you ain’t, but--” Lewis scratches at his beard. “--since this ain’t a military job, we can run a skeleton crew of, say, thirty. I can rassle up thirty sailors, easy.”
“Really? You’d be doing me a huge favor.”
Lewis scoffs. “Please. If I’m gonna captain the ship, I’m gonna pick my crew, simple as that. Gimme a month.”
“Thank you. Just, uh, while you're out recruiting, try not to give too much away.”
“Secret mission and all that, I know. Don’t worry, a submarine crew oughta be used to getting on board without knowing what the hell the plan is.”
With business out of the way, the two continue chatting through the morning. Bill gets the sense from their conversation that Lewis had grown weary of retired life. Buying a boat and going out fishing hadn’t scratched the same itch that commanding a ship did, so when he’d heard the rumors that the NOAA bought his old sub--and that an old friend was in charge of it--he packed up right away and left for Washington. It was just like Lewis--who seemed to always have a bottomless well of energy to pull from--to get restless enough to jump across the country on the chance that a rumor held true.