Chicago was one of the major cities to nurture the jazz phenomenon, before it spread across the United States and the world. This was due to its status as a major transport hub where people would change trains and boats to continue travelling (and increasingly changing planes). As a result, the city maintained a lively jazz scene, and people often crowded into bars to listen to bands playing the music.

Safe to say, Chicago had many, many jazz fans.

Grampus, I am sorry to say, was not one of them.

The Bridge Street Cafe Band was giving him another of his sleepless nights. "Honestly, why do they have to play so loudly?" he grumbled to himself. "We all need to sleep!" He sighed. "Maybe I should have moored at the Star Fleet Dock tonight."

Suddenly, some strange noises caught his attention from nearby, and he saw two vessels on the move. "That's funny. There weren't any towing moves scheduled for this section of the canal tonight."

He decided that an investigation was in order, and as such quickly filled his ballast tanks. The submarine dropped below the surface of the water and soon began to follow the two tugboats, both of whom seemed to be pulling something heavy.

Grampus kept at a constant depth and a safe distance, aware he would need to stop at points on the surface in order to recharge his batteries. But he was determined to solve the mystery, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Pipp and her associates made their way to the Green Door Tavern, suitably dressed up (except for Zipp and Izzy, of course). What Lady Haven had picked surprised even Pipp, though. Her mother had chosen a smaller white gown with a high waist and a green backing (the white section seemingly sitting on top of another dress). The skirt was covered in white embroidered patterns, and the high neckline was a distinct contrast to what she normally wore to balls. The sleeves were fairly loose and quite puffy as well.

Izzy glanced over to Lady Haven. "So, why the choice of dress?"

Lady Haven looked over. "Oh! This! I chose an Edwardian design partly for reasons of practicality- the skirt is much easier to move about in an enclosed space, and you'd hardly want to be bumping into things constantly, would you? That and I'm far too old to be a flapper, so representing a member of the older generation made more sense." She smiled though. "Having said that, I do have fond memories of a Jazz ball where I did choose the flapper aesthetic."

Izzy was silent for a moment. "Breathing OK?"

"I don't quite understand, Izzy."

"You're wearing one of the tightening things."

"That's because it's period accurate," Lady Haven replied. "And it's actually not that awkward. The idea that corsets were torture devices is a modern myth- they were set to be comfortable to the wearer, and the tightlacing that so many associate with the aesthetic is more of an 1870s thing, having fallen out of fashion by the 1910s. I've owned two during my adult life, actually, both custom made."

"Interesting!" Izzy said. "But why two?"

"They're designed to fit the wearer, and after I had Pipp and Zipp I'd put on rather a lot of weight, not all of which I was able to get off. So the old one no longer fitted, and I had to have a new one made, which I've worn ever since."

"That must have been awkward," Izzy said. Lady Haven was pretty slim by modern standards- which spoke volumes.

Lady Haven laughed. "Having twins does strange things to your body. But I always say it was more than worth any inconvenience. Ah! Here's the Green Door Tavern!"

And sure enough, there it was. The large, wooden framed building sat there before them, seemingly a tiny bit wobbly as the walls weren't quite aligned properly, and seemed to slump over to one side. The rest of the structure appeared to be fairly stable, and music could be heard from inside.

"Good! A jazz band!" Pipp said. "This will fit so perfectly."

"So, we know the plan?" Izzy asked.

"Yep," Zipp said. "You guys will keep them distracted. I'll try and find this meeting, and Izzy will record it on her phone. That way, we'll have evidence to take to the authorities and shut these pirates down for good."

With that settled, they stepped in through the door, and almost immediately were assailed with the sound of live music.

"Hey! It's Armstrong!" Pipp smiled, as she walked through the room and looked for a table. "One over here, guys!"

The four soon took seats around a table that had a good view of the stage, and gave good accoustics as well. The band was certainly in top form that night.

Zipp sat for a moment, and then dropped out of view as the band stopped playing and the Master of Ceremonies stepped forward. "Thank you, thank you! May I thank our musicians for tonight, the Golden Avenue Jazz Band!"

There was raptorous applause, and the crowd was clearly delighted with the performance.

"Now then, for our next act, I am proud to confirm we have a surprise guest. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a singer from overseas. Although her output is not usually that of the Roaring Twenties, I can see from here her Flapper spirit is unmatched. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage... Pipp Petals!"

There were looks of mild confusion as Pipp made her way to the stage, but polite applause anyway. Pipp stopped in front of the mic and moved it down slightly. "That's better. Good evening, Chicago! I know I probably wasn't whom you expected to see tonight-"

"Aren't you that kiddie music maker?" asked a heckler.

"If I may finish," Pipp said, silencing him with a glare. "But jazz is a genre close to my heart. And for having such a solid introduction to the genre I have my mom to thank. Those records were an influence on me, and now I'll bring you a Jazz inspired revamp of one of my best performing songs!"

She pushed a button, which automatically updated the music stands with new music.

"Take it away, boys!"

The jazz band nodded, albeit in slight confusion, and the trumpeter launched into a descending chromatic scale that would have made Fletcher Henderson proud.

Pipp bopped up and down slightly, and then started to sing.

"I know you're feelin' like there's somethin' wrong/
But don't you worry, I have just the song for you! (Mm-hmm!)
Just for you-ooh-ooh! (you-ooh-ooh)
So kick those feet up in these comfy chairs/
And you'll forget about those cares in a minute or two!
Yeah! That's what you'll do-ooh-ooh!" (do-ooh-ooh)

Zipp could hear the music from upstairs, and continued to make her way down a flight of steps towards the basement. "You can always count on my sister to draw people to her with music," she said to herself, before stopping at the bottom and slipping through the door.

"Deal me in," she said, as she dropped onto a table with a group of other people holding cards. They all looked very fishy.

"Imagine that noise from up there," said one of the pirates. "I can't call myself a fan of that sound. Put the Who on any day."

Zipp nodded, not wanting to give away the musician he'd just insulted was her sister.

"Where is it?" said another.

"The contact or the wreck?" asked the first.

"The contact is already here," said another voice, as they took a table. "And our work is close to done. Another of the ships located the wreck, and we can move on its location soon."

The hair. The voice. The clothing. It was unmistakably familiar. Zipp recognised it. "Hey, it's that woman we encountered on Misty Island!" she thought to herself.

Allura looked at the assembled sailors. "The Nova Charm will soon be in our grasp," she said. "We just have to find it before they do. Then can we move forward with the plan.

"And what about the USS Nightmare?" asked another.

"We know where that is. It'll be all hands on deck to deal with that one, but the cover of night will help us on that front."

"Besides, we know the prophecy," said another pirate. "If the Nightmare rises, the seas will rise and claim vengeance over those who hurt them."

Zipp thought she knew where this was going. "The pirates want to raise the USS Nightmare from the seabed and use it to take over the world!" she thought. She had to warn the others somehow, but how would she do this without blowing her cover?

She had to wait. Wait for a distraction and then exit the room. Her eyes scanned the room, listening closely for anything that might give her an edge.

Suddenly, applause from overhead have her an opening. "Uh, I gotta use the bathroom. See you in a bit!" She vanished out of the room at speed.

Suddenly, Allura looked over, clearly recognising the voice. "I don't think so- Zipp Storm."

Grampus surfaced near the outer port entrance, looking around him for evidence of the strange tugboats he had heard mentioned. "Now, where am I?"

"Fancy seeing you here, Grampus."

Grampus glanced over to see Big Mac sitting there. "Oh. Hello Big Mac. Seen anything?"

"Apart from all the boats drifting about, nothing. The lake is as flat as a plate of glass."

"Funny. The inner waterways are busy, and-"

Suddenly, a strange noise echoed across the harbour.

"Did you hear that?" Big Mac asked.

"I sure did," Grampus replied. "But what in the name of the oceans is out there?"

Suddenly, a selection of ghostly shapes began to steam across the bay. These boats were completely white, and seemed to be making no sound at all.

"Is that what I think it is?" Grampus asked.

"It's precisely what I think it is," Big Mac said, his voice shaking. "Ghosts!"

Suddenly, there was a whirring noise on the radio. "Eh, Big Mac, you there?"

"Loud and clear, over!"

"We need a bit of help! Sunshine and me can't get this thing into port! Warrior's doing his best, but we need more boats!"

"On my way," Big Mac replied. "I'll round up OJ and see if we can get his help too!"

"Thanks, Big Mac!"

Big Mac fired up his engines, and began to hammer across the bay. "Hopefully Zorran won't be up to his usual nonsense."

Zipp popped back up, and to her astonishment Pipp wasn't on the stage. It was her mother!

"I remember not so long ago/
The feeling of the light!
As he kissed my cheek, my time to speak/
Came and went like night!

"The crack of dawn, the curtain drawn/
The mountains I have climbed!
The truth is if it happened once/
It happened a hundred times!"

And all I have to show for it now/
Is-"

Suddenly, a loud horn blast interrupted her singing.

Zorran pulled up next to a tramp steamer. "You waiting for a tow?"

"Yes indeed, but preferably for free. You see, the waterways belong to nobody-"

"You're just as much of a cheapskate as ever, Izzy. Captain Zero's not running a charity, and Captain Star's lot will give you the same. Now pay up, or sit here."

"You're unreasonable."

"Whatever." Zorran steamed off. "No doubt some other boats will have gotten lost in the fog. Could make a bit of cash bringing them in."

As he moved off, he stopped in surprise. In front of him, five ghostly ships passed by. "What in the Seven Seas was that?"

As he glanced over, he suddenly spotted Anenome had appeared on the dockside. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"It's coming true!" she said, looking worried. "The nightmare has arrived!"

Suddenly, her words were cut off by a loud horn blast.

Zorran glanced over. "Probably best we get back to the dock. Captain Zero's probably wondering where we are, eh?"

Pipp and her friends dashed outside the Green Door Tavern, looking about in confusion. "What the blazes was that?!" Lady Haven asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good!" Izzy replied.

Suddenly, a nearby billboard lit up, and on it appeared a face they knew all too well.

"Allura!" Pipp said. "Is she behind this?"

"Citizens of Chicago," Allura began to say. "I must warn you that your city is in grave danger. Dark forces intend to destroy all you hold dear, and with it your entire way of life. I do not seek the suffering of your city, but we must work together to stop the Flying Dutchman. Our group of pirates are working now to contain him. So we will not be stopped."

Zipp shook her head. "You aren't fooling me, Allura. No doubt this is some scheme to disguise from your true plans!"

"Who is Allura?" Lady Haven asked, somewhat confused.

"Some woman we encountered on Misty Island whilst we were missing on Sodor!" Pipp explained. "But if she's here, this is really, really bad!"

Izzy looked around, before suddenly a device in her pocket buzzed. She pulled it out and took a look. "Guys, you might want to hear this!"

"Push harder, Ten Cents! The boat is about to hit the dock!"

"I'm trying, but Warrior's in the way!"

"I'm trying, but me rudder's jammed!"

"I'll try pulling, if that'll help!"

"Top Hat, either shut up or back off!"

Zipp looked at the others. "To the Star Dock!"

On the other side of the world, a loud horn blast awoke Sunny with a start. "Huh? What was that?"

She clambered out of bed and looked out to sea. The seas were exceptionally choppy tonight.

Misty suddenly appeared. "Did you feel that?"

"The sound?"

"Yeah!" Misty said. "It knocked me out of bed!"

Gradually, the others started to arrive. "Considering prior experiences," Hitch said, "this does not bode well at all."

Argyle arrived, and was frantically flipping through the book. "I can't find any reference to a loud horn in what we've translated," he said. "But I fear it could be worse. An ancient prophecy states that the end of the world shall begin when a trumpet is blown that wakes the dead. And I'm not prepared to rule anything out at this rate."

Sunny's phone buzzed, and she checked it. "It's a message from Chicago!" she said. "Big problems. Please send help. Izzy." Her face went white. "Izzy's in trouble!"

"We have to go and help them!" Misty said. "But how are we going to get there!"

"The exact same way we got to Sodor the last time," Argyle said. "If they got to Chicago that quickly, that would suggest that somewhere in the local area is a branch of the Magic Railway. We can ride that to Chicago and help them out!"

Goldie had joined them. "Let's not stand about like lemons, then!" she said. "Let's go!"

The team moved off, ready to save the day by any means neccesary.

Author's Note

Hello again, folkies, and I hope you had a good weekend. We now return to the story, with a fresh set of revelations.

The Green Door Tavern is an original Speakeasy from the 1920s, housed in the last surviving wooden framed building in Chicago (after the fire of 1871, all buildings had to be built with steel frames owing to its fire-resistant properties). The building is notable for having a slight lean owing to the lack of a steel frame, and the interior has been returned to how it would have looked in the 1930s. I had an evening meal there, and I would personally recommend it.

Lady Haven is wearing this:

These were typically worn to garden parties on hot days, and given that Chicago can get fairly sticky it is a good choice. I also felt it would be good to diversify beyond the usual selections of hoopskirts and bustle gowns.

The songs in this chapter are both from Make your Mark; Everything is Gonna be OK has appeared earlier in the series, but Pony Love (originally from Portrait of a Princess) appears here with modified lyrics. Pony Love is sung by Queen Haven; the fanbase quickly concluded the song was about her missing (possibly deceased) lover, and I have chosen to run with this interpretation, with a minor change that the subject of the lyrics is, of course, still alive.

Izzy Gomez makes a brief cameo in this chapter. Although a fondly remembered character by Tugs fans, he is a rather unfortunate national stereotype (that of the lazy Mexican). Safe to say, this is a charicature that would not fly on TV today.

And now the rest of the team are moving in to join the fight! What will happen next? Find out more in tomorrow's chapter!