the nearest supported structure. Em’s chair rode the wave quite easily. He remained upright. Jeff abruptly became quiet. Em heard nothing but the crashing waves until he spoke again.
“And if everything goes according to plan this time, then we will only be near the coast for the low tide. When high tide rolls in, we will ride it back out and be on our way home.”
Em had heard most everything he had said. He was not, however, ready for what came next. He heard noise coming from topside and looked up just in time to see a pair of legs descending into the cabin. Colonel Roth barely had any rain on his uniform. Em wondered if an officer could command even the weather. He barely had a chance to get to the bottom of the stairs when Em saw another pair of legs emerging into the interior of the small cabin. This time, the legs were smaller and definitely not male. The woman was covered in heavy rain gear, but Em had no doubt that she was a woman. One more pair of legs came down the ladder. This time, they were covered in a military uniform. The plain fatigues were filled with a large man. He was black, and he had very dark skin. He immediately reached for the woman and embraced her, before he turned and looked at all the men gathered in the small lower deck of the boat.
“Jack, Em, Sergeant Barnes, this is my mother and father. Hank, Mari, meet Jack, Em, and Kevil.”
Before Em’s mind could even process this, a loud air horn sounded from up top. Em had no idea what to do and only knew that something was not right when Sergeant Cannon got up and sprinted toward the stairs. Jeff quickly followed him. Jeff’s father smiled at his wife and turned to follow the other two.
Colonel Roth turned toward Em and said, “Good to see you again, Story. I guess we can catch up later. I better get up there.”
All of them climbed the stairs and left Sergeant Barnes sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him on the floor. He had sat down in the only dry place that he had found when he came down there. Em thought that his legs had looked a little wobbly since the sling ride. “And why the hell are we going to Japan anyway? I think we got what we came for, so let’s just get the hell back to Hawaii and away from them little nips.” The first thing that Em noticed was that the sergeant was no longer laughing after he spoke. As a matter of fact, he seemed more serious than Em had ever seen him.
“I’m getting too old for this shit. I don’t think Philip is thinking straight. What the hell is he thinking? Goin’ into enemy territory and picking up a couple of civilians. Even he ought to know better. I know you boys like Jeff and everything, but his parents made a decision. They should have to live with it. Risking our lives for Mommy and Daddy. I should have my head examined for coming back out here. I had it good in Mississippi. Come on out to the sunshine, he said. Just a couple of quick missions and you get to work on a new plane. Well now, here I am in the middle of the goddamned ocean, and I ain’t seen a plane in two months. What the hell does he need me for?” Em no longer felt like Sergeant Barnes was talking to them. His tone was morphing into a mumble. Now he got up and walked over to the hatch and looked up into the storm. “This little tub probably won’t make it back to port anyway.”
Now Em was sure that Sergeant Barnes was not talking to them. He wasn’t even finishing his words. He was almost grunting when he turned around and threw a towel. It sailed past Em’s shoulder and landed in a heap in the corner. The sergeant began to climb the ladder when Em heard someone coming toward the open hatch.
Jeff was coming back down. He had a very serious look on his face. Before he even descended all the rungs, he blurted out, “We are going to need you guys up top. The captain says we need to turn around and follow the Indianapolis. The storm is getting stronger. He wants to sail north and try to get out of it. The Indianapolis will lead the way. He has already signaled them. She says the storm is only a few miles wide. We should be clear in a couple of hours. We need you two”—and he indicated Em and Jack—“to get up top and be deck hands. We have been the crew since we got on. The regular crew took some time off to be with their families. Captain Nakahara felt like it would be safer for us if he was the only one on board.”
Em and Jack decided not to ask questions and quickly began to get their rain gear on. Em wanted out of this storm so bad he was willing to do anything to help. He felt like there would be time for all his questions later. Right now, all he could think about was calm seas. It had literally been weeks since he had been on land. He could not wait to get off this boat. Even though he had only boarded a short while ago, he wanted his time on this rocking tub to end.
Two hours later, he and Jack were soaking wet and exhausted. Sergeant Cannon had given them a crash course in sailing. The storm had accelerated their understanding. It was getting close to dawn, and Em could see some light on the horizon. He hoped that it meant they were coming to the edge of the storm. The Indianapolis was still nowhere in sight. Jeff had assured them they were on the right track. He spoke to Captain Nakahara at least once every half an hour. He was translating to the rest of them. The captain said that they were about four or five kilometers behind the Indianapolis and were holding steady. The cruiser was cutting a path directly out of the storm. Em hoped he got to see her one more time. Now that he was no longer aboard, he was beginning to miss it. It sure beat the seesaw he was on now.
During one of the lapses in the storm, Jeff had been talking to him and Jack. To Em’s amazement, he learned that not only were Jeff’s parents on board but his grandmother was also with them. She had made the difficult decision to migrate to the United States. Her husband, Jeff’s grandfather, had contacted her and informed her that the only way he would come home was if the war ended. Jeff suspected that his grandmother knew that the war was not going to end the way they had anticipated when it started. He felt that she was also afraid of what her husband might do if defeat was imminent. He was proud, just like the entire Japanese population, and she knew that defeat was not acceptable. She feared that she would never see her husband or her sons again.
Em stood on the deck of the small boat and watched as the Indianapolis came into view. She was cutting through the water effortlessly. The storm was behind them now, and Em felt better than he had in days. He had not felt anxious since he had been working. The endless tasks were keeping his mind occupied. He had not thought about the submarine that was chasing the Indianapolis in more than three hours. When it abruptly entered his mind again, he sought Jeff as fast as he could. “Jeff. What did the captain say about the sub?”
Jeff did not even look up when he answered. “He’s not worried about that sub. He says the Japanese subs are not very good at tracking. The storm would keep them away. He wants to stay behind the Indianapolis until we get closer to Saipan. Then we will turn and head to quieter and safer waters. He does not expect any trouble.” This seemed to satisfy Em, so he continued to work.
The sun was climbing into the sky. Em thought that it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The boat was close enough to the Indianapolis that Em could make out the wake. Their small transport was staying directly behind it. He was watching the ship as it moved along and did not notice the ripple in the wake in front of them.
When the water no longer reflected the sun as it was rising but looked to be disturbed, he squinted and put his hand over his brow to get a better look. He thought he was seeing something spectacular and waited for the whale to come up to breathe. Instead, the surface of the water became black. He heard Captain Nakahara scream. The men on deck all stopped what they were doing and ran to the front of the boat. The submarine was emerging from the depths. The Indianapolis started to zigzag in front of them. Em was close enough to see the sailors on deck as they scrambled to get to their stations. The ship’s warning siren was wailing loud enough to be heard from even this distance. Em did not know what to do. Jack was climbing the stairs to the bridge.
“Where are you going?” Em knew that Jack did not hear him, so he decided to join him. The submarine was only a quarter mile in front of them. The distance between the sub and the Indianapolis was only a few hundred
