Terminal Island Two-Step, Part III
Posted on Mon Apr 27th, 2026 @ 1:00am by Ensign Garabed "Garo" Hakobyan & Lieutenant Commander Ryan Keel & Josef Forstinger & Lieutenant JG Jason Williams III
1,490 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Shadow in the Static
Location: Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California, Earth
Timeline: April 1944, 0350 Hours
Tony figured that Eddie was heading to the office to place a call to the cops. He moved after him, signally Frankie to stay with Lawrence. As he and Eddie reached the office, Tony finally spoke. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Eddie Kline." He paused as the he allowed the realization that he knew the man's full name sink in.
Eddie froze in place for a solid three seconds before continuing, shaking his head dismissively.
"Knowing my goddamned name is supposed to scare me?" He reached the wall telephone and set down the clipboard.
"That’s right. I know who you are. I also know that you live at 321 Fremont Court, out in East LA, in a modest little two story ranch, with your wife and crippled mother-in-law." He paused again as he saw the other man's hand freeze just before picking up the phone. "Right now you're asking yourself, how does he know this? Well, Eddie... its my business to know everything about these docks and everyone who works here. This is a union dockyard after all." He took a breath, then continued.
Eddie knew this to be a real strong-arm tactic. This fellow could drop personal information and make him back off, but it still didn't bring back two missing crates. The manifest was his responsibility and there's no way some wise guy was going to walk onto his pier and make threats.
"Now, I would strongly suggest that you forget this whole encounter and simply carry on with your job. I'd really hate it if something... unfortunate were to happen to you or your family."
He nodded at Tony's suggestion before taking a step forward. Eddie was not afraid.
"You might know my name and where I live," he said in a low voice. "But you ain't scarin' me. I was at Guadalcanal. You don't rate."
Eddie rolled-up the sleeve of his right arm to the elbow, displaying a off-green tattoo of an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor and waited, hoping to see Tony back off.
Tony was silent for a beat, his face turning to stone. He then replied. "Yeah? And I was at Pearl that morning," meaning the morning the Japanese succeeded on their disastrous attack on Pearl Harbor. "I lost my brother on the Arizona and I took three pieces of shrapnel from a zero that strafed the tender I was on." His jaw clenched as the the memories ran through his mind. "So how about we put the dick measuring to the side and come to an arrangement here, eh?"
Flashing a broad grin without any humour, Eddie stared the man down.
"You ain't puttin' hands on any of my men," he said coolly. "Take your cheap suits and your bad manners back to whatever hole you crawled out of. This is my pier."
Tony wasn't impressed with Eddie's bravado. "Your pier?" He chuckled a soft, humorless sound. "This pier is run by the union. And we run the union. It would be best for all concerned if you drop your attitude. Be a shame if your workforce suddenly stopped coming in."
With that, Tony turned and left Eddie standing there, confident in his place in the world. While Eddie might make things a bit difficult, Tony knew all the right people...and all the wrong people too.
Eddie could almost feel his heart ricocheting off his ribs as Tony disappeared through the door and out to the parking lot.
"Christ," Eddie said, grasping his chest and watching the door latch itself shut. "I thought I was about to get waxed."
"He's bluffing, Ed. Those guidos don't control the union--this side of the ocean anyway. They're all up in the east." Josef had no clue what anything he just said meant, but for some odd reason, he did say it. "But if they're dumb or brave enough to pull this they must really want... well, what did they want anyway?" he bluffed, or, or for some reason he thought he was bluffing but not about what. God, these holo programs seemed confusing.
Eddie picked up his clipboard and composed himself.
"Unions or not," he said, slipping the pencil behind his ear, "if they ain't here to stop a bullet, they can't help ya."
[Parking Area]
As he made his way back to the truck, where Lawrence and Frankie were standing. "Lawrence," he said with a dangerous growl. "If i have to come down here again to pick up my merchandise, you will not be a happy man, capice?" He stared the other man down, then tossed the truck keys to Frankie. "You drive kid, I gotta do some thinking." He then moved to the passenger side of the truck and climbed in.
Catching the keys deftly, Frankie looked back to where Lawrence stood neutral in expression but rigid in form like a man who knows the song but not the dance. He threw him a smirk and turned to the Deuce, a footstep behind his boss.
"Where to, Tony?"
Tony was thinking about that same question when Frankie asked it. Looking out at the pier, he knew that if they returned to the club empty-handed, the Boss would skin him alive. Thankfully, this pier wasn't the only source he had for the product. Growing up, his father would take him hunting and they'd watch the mountain lions and bears stalk their prey. He learned that every good hunter always had a plan b prey. "Head to the other side of the bay. Warehouse district."
Frankie nodded. "You got it, boss." He slid behind the wheel and shut the door with a hollow, tinny thunk that inspired very little confidence. The Deuce smelled like old oil and damp wool.
He turned the key and the engine coughed twice before settling into a low, stubborn rumble. The whole frame of the vehicle shivered beneath them as he put it into gear and they pulled out of the Terminal Island lot, the San Pedro Bay disappearing behind them.
[The Pier]
By the time Eddie made it back down toward the working end of the pier, the sky had evidently decided it was almost morning. Not quite light just yet. Just a little less dark with heavier shades of grey that made everything seem somehow more tired.
Herb kept pace beside him so as not to be confused for dock furniture while Lawrence trailed a step behind, still rubbing at his jaw.
Ahead of them, the crane was now in motion while chains screamed overhead as the operator swung a load out over the dock. Sparks rained down from scaffolding that had been bolted along the base.
Eddie stopped and tipped his head back, a gloved hand sheltered his eyes.
"Makowski!" he barked.
'Yeah!?' came the thickly-accented reply. 'Whaddya needing?' He jogged on over, seeing the sparks and going white. 'I'll get my kit bossman, just wait a second.' Collecting his toolbox, gas and gloves he headed over to Eddie.
As soon as Szymon made his way down to join the trio, Eddie lowered his voice.
"You saw 'em, right?" He fixed the welder with a stern look.
'Maybe I saw something,' Szymon replied with a grimace, lifting his hat and scratching his forehead. 'Maybe I don't want any trouble Eddie y'knowing? I got a good job, good pay. I can't lose it ...'
Eddie didn't waste time. "You had a good vantage point up on that scaffolding to see what happened over by the dispatch office."
Nobody said anything while Eddie did the math in his head.
"Don't like it," he went on. "Don't like the crates. Don't like the count. And I especially don't like strangers puttin' hands on the morning foreman when he don't have to answer to nobody." He looked at his watch. "I'm calling Butch over at the union. ILWU's gonna want to hear about this before it ends up being something we ain't able to walk back."
Lawrence looked pale as a sheet. "Eddie, you kick up a fuss and they're gonna... come for me. Or worse. My family."
Herbert Smith (Josef Forstinger)
Civillian
USS Astrea
Frankie "No Brakes" Mancini (Garo Hakobyan)
Transporter Specialist
USS Astrea
(NPC of JB Dorsainvil)
Szymon Makowski (portrayed by Ryan Keel)
Chief of Diplomatic Intelligence
USS Astrea
Tony "The Blade" Scarpelli (Jason Williams III)
Squadron Leader
USS Astrea
(NPC of Maxun Spello)
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