TUGS: The New Series "Cargo"

Cargo is the first episode of the second season of TUGS: The New Series. It was written by TenCents.
==Plot==
The tramper Kerst was travelling through the estuary in the Bigg City Port very quietly in the dead of night. Onboard was a secret cargo, marked “FRAGILE”. It also carried a strange marking on it. The Kerst’s job was to deliver the cargo to a dock up river, where it would be picked up by 2 government agents. The Kerst’s involvement was so secret not even the port authority was aware of the cargo: only the Coast Guard was authorized to know that it was vital that the Kerst reach up river.
What the Kerst did not count on was a spy. A spy onboard the ship had told a Japanese sub about the secret cargo, and the submarine Cherry Blossom was trailing the Kerst.
The sub’s job was to ram into the Kerst and sink it. Once the Kerst was sinking, the Cherry Blossom could take the mysterious cargo and bring it back to Japan for their own reasons.
Night was waning, and the Cherry Blossom didn’t have much time. The Kerst was already nearing the port. The Cherry Blossom revved it’s engines and rammed straight into the Kerst! A hole opened up, and the crew was forced to abandon ship. The Cherry Blossom was preparing to board the Kerst when it heard a blast. A nearby cruiser had spotted it, and had sent off a depth charge to warn it. The Cherry Blossom quickly dove and hid in an underwater cave, waiting for the right moment.
I was alerted of the mysterious cargo, and that I needed to send my 2 strongest tugs to help move the cargo to the rendezvous point up river. It was lucky for me that Hercules’s up the coast trip had been cancelled due to “certain problems”. I was also lucky that Big Mac’s logging trip had been cancelled for “unspecified reasons”. While the other tugs left for work, I held them behind and briefed them on what was happening.
“We’ll get the job done, Captain Star,” said Big Mac.“We’ll get it done as if our lives depended on it,” said Hercules. Hercules didn’t know it then, but their lives, as well as the lives of the American people, depended on this.
Hercules and Big Mac went up to the estuary. The two government tugs were already there, guarding the spot where the Kerst had sank. “Nice weather, isn’t it?” asked one. “Certainly is,” said Hercules. “But I’m pretty sure those are storm clouds up there.” “What’re you talking about?!” Ten Cents called from a short distance away. “Its supposed to be sunny for a week!” “Maybe it’s not the best idea for you to say the phrase out loud,” said the other tug. “Allow us to introduce ourselves. That’s John, and I’m Doe.” Big Mac stifled a laugh. Hercules gave him a warning glance, and he quickly shut up.“We already sent one of our subs down to the bottom to pick up the cargo,” said John. “Once he retrieves it, he’s gonna place it inside that barge we have right there. We’re gonna cover the barge with a tarp. Your job is to take the barge discreetly up river to the rendezvous point, near Dun Tuggin’.” “What if someone stops to talk to us?” asked Big Mac. “You can just strike up a regular conversation,” said John. “But it’s vital that you get the cargo to the rendezvous point before 8 PM. And if they ask you what’s in the barge, say ‘Eh, who knows? I’m just the deliverer’ or something to that effect. Got it?” “Certainly,” said Hercules.
The government sub resurfaced. “Warning,” he said. “I spotted a Jap in an underwater cave nearby. You need to deliver that crate pronto.” “Uh, before we go,” said Hercules. “Is there anything about the sub you can tell us?” “His name is the Cherry Blossom,” said Doe. “He has a very strange ability.” “What’s that?” asked Big Mac. “Any situation you have with him turns into one of those Warner Brothers cartoons.” “Beg pardon?” “Don’t worry. But remember, you will have the upper advantage if you have confidence. Now get going!” and they left. "Feds." sighed Big Mac. "So mysterious."
The government tugs had barely left the spot when a submarine surfaced. They had never seen it before. "Hello there," said Big Mac. "Hi," said the sub. "You wouldn't have happened to see a submarine around here, would you?" asked Hercules. "A submarine?" asked the sub. "You mean one that dives like this?" He dove and resurfaced. "Yes." "One with a periscope that looks like this?" "Yes." "One that is looking for a barge with a tarp on it?" "Yes! Have you seen it?" "Can't say that I have," said the sub. Hercules and Big Mac weren't fooled. "Have you by any chance seen a suspicious barge?" asked the sub. "You mean one that looks like this?" "Yeah." "One that has a tarp on it?" "Yes." "One that has a secret cargo on board?" "Yes! Have you seen it?" "Can't say that we have," said Big Mac. "So long, Cherry Blossom." "So long fellas," said the Cherry Blossom, watching them leave. "Such nice fellows...wait a minute..."
Hercules and Big Mac tried to get through the harbor as inconspicuously as they could. Then Sunshine came up with Scuttlebutt Pete. “Hello there, you two,” said Sunshine. “Umm, what’s that you got in your barge?” “Eh, who knows?” Hercules said. His age made this a very hard thing to say. “We’re just the deliverers.” And they steamed of as quickly as they could. Sunshine was a bit taken aback, but decided not to pursue the subject.
“Cherry Blossom at 3 o’clock,” said Hercules. “Hello there,” said the Cherry Blossom. “That’s a very nice barge you have there.” “Isn’t it?” asked Hercules. “But it sure doesn’t beat the barge they have over there.” “Oh,” said the Cherry Blossom. “That is a nice barge…” He didn’t realize until too late that Hercules and Big Mac had given him the slip.
“You know,” said Big Mac as they reached a nice quiet spot where no one was watching. “I can’t help but wonder what’s in the crate.”
“I was thinking the exact same thing,” said Hercules. “It must be important for the war effort.”
“If it is, I’d hate to find out what it does,” Big Mac mused. Hercules glanced at the tarp on the barge. What was in that crate?
They reached the rendezvous point. The barge was unloaded by a small crane, and was placed on a small black car. The goverment agents in black suits and army officers swarmed the pier. Some even ran onto the tugs, much to their dismay! Suddenly, the crate tipped over, and chaos ensued. Some of it’s contents spilled onto the dock. Hercules only got a quick glance at it before the agents quickly placed everything back in the crate, but he could’ve sworn he saw some packages that looked somewhat…scary. They were all somewhat see-through, and there was some kind of strange metal inside.“You didn’t see anything,” said the car as the crate was reloaded. Hercules watched as the car screeched away. The agents finally got off the tugs and sped away. "Huh." replied Hercules. “Submarine at five-thirty,” said Big Mac. “I have a present for you,” said the Cherry Blossom. He lifted up a pipe bomb. “Oh, I don’t want it,” said Hercules.
“Oh yes you do.”
“Oh no I don’t.”
“Oh yes you do.”
“Oh no I don’t.”
“Oh yes you do.”
“Oh…yes I do.”
“Oh no you don’t.”
“Oh yes I do.”
“Oh no you don’t.”
“Oh yes I do.”
“Look bub, you don’t want it, and that’s final!” the Cherry Blossom snarled, and he took the pipe bomb back. “Fine,” said Hercules, and he and Big Mac quickly moved away. “Ha!” said the Cherry Blossom. “I sure showed h—oh no.”
"There's a guy who went up in smoke," Big Mac commented a few seconds later.
“Mr. Fermi, we have the yellow cake,” said an agent in his telephone. What was the yellow cake, you may ask? I know very little about that. What I do know is that a few years later, a nuclear bomb was dropped by the bomber Enola Gay on Hiroshima.
Category:TUGS: The New Series Episodes