We can get all of you from deck to deck in minutes. Kevil, you might take a couple of extra straps, but I promise it won’t be too painful. The real bad part will be once you guys are on board. That little tug will be tossed around in this storm like—” He abruptly stopped talking when he saw the looks on the three airmen’s faces. Captain Murphy instead got up and straightened his uniform, before he walked out into the night again.
“This just keeps getting better. I thought I was getting off of this tub, but now I’m getting on a smaller one.” Once again, Em was talking to no one in particular. For some reason, all he could think of doing was writing to Irene. However, this was not the time.
Jack was packing what few things he had back into his bag. He suggested that the other two get busy. He told them that no matter what and how long they discussed it, the fact remained that they were getting off this ship in just a short time. He tried to explain the boom and how it worked, but Sergeant Barnes kept telling him to hush. Jack now laughed a little. “How long have you been flying around with Colonel Roth? You should be used to things like this, shouldn’t you? This can’t be the first time this has happened.” He finished closing his duffel bag and effortlessly threw it over his shoulder. Sergeant Barnes was muttering something. He still did not smile.
Jack was the first to volunteer. “When we get close, tie me into that thing and let me fly.”
Em thought Jack was showing off in front of his new “friends.” Captain Murphy looked at him rather strange when he told the sailors he was going to rescue the princess. When the boom lifted him over the railing and into the darkness, Em felt a sense of impending doom. He shook it off as fast as it took for the boom to come back over the rail. It had not taken but a minute or so. Jack had ridden in the harness before when he had been launched from it. Em had now heard him talk about the swimming experience for a few days. He wished he had gone with him. Now, however, he had to help Sergeant Barnes secure himself as comfortable as possible in the harness. The sailors who strapped him in wanted only to be finished so they could get off the deck out of the rain. The sergeant was as pale as Em had ever seen him. Even with only the lights from the deck, Em could tell his face was ashen. Maybe he was still a little seasick.
Just when he was about to be lifted, a sailor approached Captain McVay and did not seem at all concerned. When he stopped whispering in the captain’s ear, the captain just reached up and touched his chin. The boom operator had stopped what he was doing, and the captain waved his hand and said, “Go ahead, Simmons. Let’s get them over there.”
Em looked at Sergeant Barnes and noticed the sweat on his forehead. Em could tell it was not rain because it was running down from under the bill of his hat. “You all right, Sergeant?” Em was really starting to worry about the sergeant.
“I’m fine. You just hurry the hell up and get over there with us, and we’ll get the hell out of here.” Sergeant Barnes tried to look like he was not worried, but Em had no trouble seeing right through his thin facade. “Hold on tight and don’t look down.” Em laughed again as he saw the fat sergeant lifted over the rail.
Before he was the last one to get ready, Em looked at the captain and said, “Excuse me, sir. Should we be worried about that submarine?”
“Don’t you worry about that sub, son. She won’t get too close. She’s running deep right now. You will be running with this storm all the way inland. You’ll be all right. Besides, she don’t want you. She wants me. I expect she’ll follow me all the way to California. She won’t even know you’re out here.”
Em looked around the deck of the Indianapolis and began to get nervous himself. He had not noticed it when Jack and Sergeant Barnes were being lowered onto the small boat, but now that it was his turn, anxiety overwhelmed him. When the straps enclosed around him, he felt constrained so bad that he thought he would not be able to free himself. When his feet left the deck and he felt the harness lift him up, he felt very small. When he could no longer see the deck and the light began to fade and the side of the ship loomed so large in front of him, it felt like he would slam into it and be drug into the foamy sea.
Then he looked down, and all he could see were whitecaps. The waves looked so much larger from right above them. The boat below him was approaching fast. He could see the small group of men on the tiny deck. All of a sudden, a wave at least thirty feet high slammed into the small craft. It was tossed sideways in a flash of lightning. Em lost sight of it entirely for a second. A wall of water was obscuring his view. He kept descending and hoped that the crew aboard the Indianapolis were more aware of his surroundings than he was. When he could see the deck again, he was surprised to see that all the men were still there. He could now make out Jack and Sergeant Cannon and Jeff. He did not see the colonel or Sergeant Barnes. Em knew that Sergeant Barnes would find shelter fast. He was now only about fifty feet from touchdown when he heard a loud noise behind and above him.
The ship’s alert sirens were wailing, and the lights suddenly went out. The dark was all-consuming. Em wished silently that a flash of lightning would occur. The sirens stopped as suddenly as they had started, but the lights never came back on. The boom began to swing back and forth. The deck below him was now looking smaller and smaller. When he passed over it and could see the people scrambling around below him, he thought they looked freaked out. The boom lurched forward, slinging him even farther from the deck. Now he had to turn himself around to see the little boat at all. With one hand, he tried to get the harness to spin. The other hand refused to let go of the strap that was holding him in. When he finally started to go back toward the boat, he could tell that he was much lower to the water. He could feel the splash from the white foamy waves. He thought that if he could keep himself turned toward the boat, when he passed it, he could stretch his leg, and maybe someone could grab him. If not, then his momentum would carry him way beyond reach. He could see the rail now and thought that he would clear it. Now he could see Jack’s face, and his friend had a very determined look on it again. Em thought that Jack would grab him and be hauled overboard. Thoughts of basic training went through his head. The mud pit scenario was racing through his head. He wondered what made a person’s brain return to the past at such a strange time. When his feet touched the rail and he felt the deck rising and falling beneath him, he was afraid he would never be able to stop. The other rail was approaching fast when he was tackled from the side. Jack was laughing when both of them smacked into the rail on the opposite side of the boat. Jack quickly unhooked the strap, and Em fell hard onto the wet deck.
Before they had a chance to say a word, Sergeant Cannon yelled from behind them, “Hey, you two! Come on!” No explanation was necessary. The look on his face was enough.
Em and Jack quickly hauled themselves to their feet and followed Sergeant Cannon. Jeff was already going down the hatch that led below deck. Instantly, Em felt the movement of his new home. The Indianapolis moved as much as a tombstone compared to this bucket, he thought. Ironically, he did not feel nauseated. Before he entered the hatch, he looked back at the giant ship and saw that she had already began to turn. “Goodbye,” he said to himself.
The first thing he noticed when he began to look around at the rocking boat was just how small it was. The room he was in was barely big enough to hold the people in it. With everyone holding on to keep themselves from being tossed about, he found it hard to concentrate on one thing. Jack was looking at Jeff and talking to him quietly.
Sergeant Cannon was not holding on to anything and was using a towel to dry himself off. Even soaking wet, Em thought he looked rather sharp. The expression on his face suggested something intense. “Listen up, we’re getting out of here. Captain Nakahara has already set his course to follow this storm. We’ll ride it in to the mainland and return to sea with the other fishing boats. Right now, the Indianapolis is creating space. She thinks that sub is in the area. She knows that it will follow her. After all, who in their right mind would get off of that and onto this?” He paused. Then he looked at Em and said, “I can just imagine how many questions you have. Well, fire away.”
Em thought that this was not the right time, but when he opened his mouth, what came out surprised even himself. “I don’t know what the hell you guys are up to, but I didn’t sign up for this. I thought that at least I would know what the hell was going on. You treat us like