Pipp looked over to see another tugboat arriving nearby and stopping at a ramp. "Thank you for using Zero Marine and Water Taxis!" the tugboat said.

Pipp began to make her way down from the station to ground level, walking along the ground until she reached the dockside. To her absolute amazement, her family members were approaching her position. She wasn't alone out here! They had come to find her!

"MOM! ZIPP!" she called, and broke into a sprint towards them. Of course, she slowed down as she got closer to avoid knocking them over, as this was a routine she knew somewhat well.

Within moments they were in the same place, and mother and daughter embraced as if they had been apart for decades.

"Thanks for coming to look for me," Pipp said quietly.

Lady Haven was smiling herself. "I'm just so glad you're safe, Pipp. But how did you get here?"

"Hello, your majesticfulness!" said Izzy, who had somehow appeared near them.

"How did you get here?" Zipp asked.

"Oh, I walked across another bridge whilst the narrator was focusing on Pipp and Lady Haven."

Zipp shrugged. "Forget I asked."

"I'd been meaning to ask that too," Lady Haven said, having broken from the embrace with her daughter. "How precisely did you get here?"

"Well, Izzy found a rock, and-"

Lady Haven glanced around. "Perhaps not here. Let's find a coffee shop somewhere and unwind over a hot drink. No doubt we could all use the caffeine given our minds think we're in a different time zone. Zipp!"

"Yes?" said two voices at once, one of which belonged to the tugboat.

"There are two Zipps?" Izzy asked.

"One with two Ps, one with one P," the tugboat helpfully clarified.

"The Zipp with two Ps then," Lady Haven said. "We're off to find a coffee shop. Good thing I always carry a card with US dollars on it."

The Mean Bean Cafe quickly proved to be ideal for their needs, even if the proprietor was a slightly strange fellow who had very unusual mannerisms. Even so, the drinks were pretty good.

Pipp and Izzy soon got Lady Haven and Zipp up to speed on all that had happened. "That sounds like quite the adventure," Zipp said. "What is it with us and being randomly teleported between different places on the planet? I thought this happened last Spring!"

"It did, this Spring," Pipp said, sipping some of her drink. "The flat white's good."

"I'm surprised you didn't go for a latte, Pipp," Zipp said. "This one's pretty good."

"No. Way," Pipp replied. "Far too many calories."

Izzy shrugged. "I guess were just used to being weirdness magnets by now."

"Do you still have the thing that brought you here?" Lady Haven asked, looking closely at Izzy.

Izzy quickly felt through her pockets, but couldn't find anything as her face shifted to a look of panic. "Oh no! I must have dropped it when I first arrived in Lake Michigan!"

"That brings the list of things we have to solve up to four," Zipp noted. "What was this stone, and why did it teleport you here?"

"Why are you asking us?" Pipp asked.

"It's a question to be answered later," Zipp replied. "Rhetorical query."

Suddenly, the two of them spotted a very odd looking figure passing by their position. She seemed to be muttering to herself, but since they were inside a building they couldn't figure out what she was saying.

Izzy nodded. "I can't help but feel that's somehow important."

Pipp looked over. "Agreed," she said. She pulled up a map on her phone. "She seems to be heading away from us towards the seafront."

Lady Haven glanced around. "We'll finish up here, then follow her. Agreed?"

So they did. Leaving the cafe, they followed at a safe distance before stopping to observe the woman. She seemed to be behaving very erratically.

"You sure she isn't on something?" Zipp asked.

"I somehow doubt it," Pipp replied. "That wouldn't exactly explain why she's gone here and not somewhere else."

Izzy, on the other hand, had climbed a fire escape and was looking through a pair of binoculars. "Wait," she said. "They seem to be boarding a train!"

"Keep filling us in, Izzy!" Zipp said.

"Right, she's on it now, and she just closed the door. And now the train is starting to move, and it's running out into the harbour."

"Sorry, what?" Pipp asked.

"Yeah, I know! It's running downward into the dockside, probably into a tunnel or something like that. This is like Seattle sometimes!"

Once the road was clear, they hopped off the street and headed in the direction of the train. Or rather where Izzy had seen the train. As when they arrived there was nothing there. Not even a hole in the ground.

"You looking for the disappearing train?"

The team looked over to see OJ sitting there. "Many have tried to solve that mystery."

Pipp looked to Izzy. "I think we need to ask Captain Star for help. Can you give us a lift to the Star Fleet dock?"

"I'm just on my way back from a job, so I can do that. Just let me moor up first, and then we shall set sail."

The journey back to the Star Fleet dock proved to be a much smoother one than any outbound journey. "How did you get here, may I ask?" Pipp asked.

"We used the Magic Railway," Zipp replied.

"It seems to be much smoother than the last time," Lady Haven said. "I don't think I'll ever get used to floating down the line, though. It's still too surreal to be considered a part of everyday discussion."

"They used to say that about non-faceless vehicles," Zipp pointed out. "OK, Swanage was unusual in being home to three, but there was at least mountains of empirical evidence they had existed."

OJ sounded his whistle. "Next stop, Star Fleet Dock!"

As the old tugboat pulled into the dock, they saw Captain Star talking to the woman from earlier.

"The ship is near!" she said. "If I could borrow some of your tugs and some machinery, I could pull it out of the seas and we'd all be better off!"

Captain Star seemed moderately annoyed. "None of my vessels are for sale," he said. "Besides, I'm running a business, not a charity. If you want to gain the services of the Star Fleet you'll need to go through the official channels. In short, no."

The woman walked off, looking rather annoyed.

Captain Star sighed. "And I thought dealing with Burke and Blair was bad enough." Just then, he noticed Pipp and her friends. "Ah! Hello again! I see you brought friends!"

"I did indeed!" Pipp said. "Sir, this is my sister Zipp, and my mom." She helpfully indicated to two different people.

Captain Star looked amazed. "I never thought I'd have English nobility visit!" he said, looking stunned.

"Never mind that," Lady Haven said, getting down to business. "I'd prefer you call me Elizabeth. May I ask who the woman was?"

Captain Star nodded. "Her name is Calla Lily- sometimes you get strange names around here. But she is a rather odd customer. She turns up, asks all sorts of strange questions, once gave me a very odd invitation to a ball of some sort, has a train that seemingly goes nowhere (as nobody has been able to figure out where it starts or ends), a book in a language I can't read-"

"What's the name of the book, may I ask?" Zipp enquired.

"Die Vliegende Hollander, I think," Captain Star said. He either didn't noticed or ignored their looks of shock as he continued. "And finally, the missing barges. I can't quite pin it back to her, but I think she's somehow connected to it. She's one slippery customer."

"Thank you for your time, Captain Star," Lady Haven said. "But we should probably be finding ourselves a place to stay in the city, as we may be here a while."

"I have a few that I would recommend," the Captain smiled.

The Grand Union Hotel in Chicago was about as far removed from the industrial outer levels of Chicago where the tugboats resided. A massive building constructed in the Roaring Twenties, the main lobby was built around a massive arched roof which spanned the length of the concourse, and was elaborately decorated with golden patterns laid against a white background. Each arch had a stained glass window, which was set in a circle, and a square stained glass window below it. The floors were laid out in marble, and had fountains inside which sent water straight upwards. The check in desks were made of wood, and were also elaborately decorated.

People sat at chairs around tables, chatting, reading newspapers, or checking the news on their phones.

"Wonder how much a night here costs," Izzy mused.

"Probably a lot," Zipp said.

"Luckily, I have a little trick up my sleeve," Lady Haven smiled, as they approached the desk. "Good evening."

The greeter smiled. "Good evening, ma'am. How can I help you today?"

"One room, please." Lady Haven handed him a card. "I am aware my appearance is unconventional, but I can assure you I am who I say I am."

The greeter looked astonished. "I never imagined I would find myself in your presence, in the presence of English nobility," he said. "I'll get the best suite set up right away." He got on the phone and began talking. "Yes? I have the Duchess and her family here. We need room 507 prepped immediately." He put the phone down. "The staff are on their way. Everything should be ready for you when you arrive."

"Thank you," Lady Haven said.

As they walked away, Izzy looked stunned. "What just happened?" she asked.

"Mom's very well connected," Pipp explained. "Part of being nobility!"

Lady Haven overheard the conversation, and dropped back. "Family connection. As you can probably guess from my accent my mother was American, and she was quite the connected figure. Her family had an arrangement for staying in several hotels, and when she married my father that arrangement covered the Havens as well. Besides, it always looks good for a hotel if you have English nobility in the guest list, as Americans are fascinated by anything British."

Once inside the rather cavernous hotel room (and Pipp had taken receipt of a large box), Zipp's phone suddenly buzzed. She pulled it out, and looked at the message on it.

"Have finished decoding the book. May want to take note. Flying Dutchman was a man called Captain Mitchell. Haunted seas. May be active where you are." She sighed. "Such a shame the Ghostbusters don't operate in Chicago."

Izzy thought to herself. "Maybe it connects to the green door I heard about."

"Huh?"

"The pirates I overheard! They mentioned a green door!"

"Possibly the Green Door Tavern?" Lady Haven suggested. "It's a former speakeasy. I went there when I visited Chicago in the 1990s."

Pipp then popped into the bathroom with something. "One of the other items was for you, mom!"

"Thank you, dear!" Lady Haven said, and picked the other box up.

"Pipp, what are you doing?" Zipp asked.

"Getting changed!" Pipp replied. "If we're going to a speakeasy I need to look the part!"

"Pipp!" Zipp said through the bathroom door. "It states that period costume isn't needed. Besides, it's not as if you have-"

Suddenly, the door opened, and Pipp stepped out looking as though she'd escaped from a Speakeasy. She'd swapped her usual footwear for a pair of heels, a pink dress with a low neckline, short sleeves, and a knee length pleated skirt, a necklace of beads, and white elbow length gloves.

"Have what?" Pipp asked, picking up a handbag.

"How did you get that here given you teleported into Lake Michigan?" Zipp asked.

"I ordered it in from Crandall's! They have a branch in Chicago and I'm on their loyalty program!"

"Wow!" Izzy said. "Suits you, Pipp! Gonna sing the blues?"

"If I get the chance," Pipp smiled. "Now then, let's go. The Green Door Tavern won't come to us!"

"Not quite yet!" called Lady Haven. "I'm still getting dressed. Zipp, be a dear and help me with the corset, will you?"

Pipp nodded. "Sure thing, mom! Just need to mail the arrangements!"

The three of them left the room, Zipp still in a state of disbelief as to what she had just witnessed.

Author's Note

Welcome back to another exciting chapter! The crew is now together, and can start to work together to bring the evidence together.

The Mean Bean Cafe is a double reference. In the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, the Mean Bean Cafe is an establishment in Green Hills, MT, where the main characters live. The Cafe's name is itself a reference; Dr. Robotnik' Mean Bean Machine was a Tetris-style game for the Mega Drive/Genesis which saw the player stacking beans to generate combos. The interior is partly inspired by a coffee shop at Nottingham I often went to whilst a student.

The lobby of the hotel the characters stay in is based on Union Station in St. Louis. Originally opened in 1894, it operated until 1978, when it was converted into a hotel. I nearly stayed there when in St. Louis, but my travel companion had a Marriot membership so we stayed there instead.

The Green Door Tavern will be discussed in the next chapter, but safe to say it is well worth a visit.

Pipp's dress and flapper outfit is based on this piece of fanart:

In the main show, Pipp's overall design is heavily inspired by flapper fashion, a western fashion subculture characterised by short hair, short skirts (knee length was short by 1920s standards), and a rather more relaxed attitude to social norms.

The coronet she wears is inspired by jewellery popular amongst young women in the 1920s, and her wings are meant to resemble a feather boa, which was a popular fashion item amongst flappers. This fits with the overall art deco and Roaring Twenties aesthetic of Zephyr Heights, and when I visited Chicago I couldn't help but wonder if the city's inner core was a reference point for G5's animators.

That's all for now! See you after the weekend for the next chapter!