ROCKS AND SHOALS

by M. L. Maki

  Heinkel looks up from his work, “What do you have?”

  “This brace, sir. It’s a solid member. If we drilled holes like this and used a die to bend the metal, it would reduce the weight and add strength.”

  “Yes, but it could make the metal brittle.”

  “Yes, sir. But, if it is heated in the oven like the spar, it would normalize and keep its strength.”

  Heinkel initials the sketch. “Implement it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  HUNT BARN

  0550, 11 November, 1942

  Sam, in shorts and a t-shirt goes through her kata. She makes her movements slow and isometric. David walks in from the milking room with a full milk can. He sets it down and sits on the lid. She finishes the kata, stands straight, and bows. She smiles, “Enjoy the show?”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Aikido. It’s how I put you on the floor when you surprised me at the school.”

  “Can you teach me?”

  “School?”

  “It’s Armistice Day.”

  “Oh, right. Veteran’s day. Sure, it’s a good exercise and it relaxes you. It’s meditative. Put the milk away and come back in lose pants or shorts.” A moment later he’s in the barn wearing swim trunks and a sweater. It’s warm in the barn, so he pulls off the sweater.

  Sam, “Okay. As you move, breathe. Breathe in and breathe out and focus on it. Your breath is important to your posture and your strength.” She slowly demonstrates the first moves. “Take it slow. Focus and concentrate. It’s about form.

  They spend an hour practicing, “Take a break. It’s hard to focus like that when you’re not used to it.”

  “Why do you want me to go to college before joining up?”

  “You want to be a pilot. It’s easier if you have a degree.”

  “The recruiter said I don’t need a degree to go into aviation.”

  “Yeah, aviation. That’s the people who clean and fix the planes. You want to fly.”

  David, “Yeah, I do. I just…I don’t want to be stuck in a classroom when my friends are out there fighting. I want out there, too.”

  “If we can get you on the pilot track without a degree, then go for it. Regardless, you need to finish high school. I’d like you to go to college as soon as you can.”

  “I will.”

  “Okay, time for my run.”

  “Can I join you?”

  “Sure.”

  BOBLINGEN WORK CAMP, BOBLINGEN, GERMANY

  2010, 11 November, 1942

  Moses is in a huddle with his barracks mates, “Nata, I need to know if you trust every one of these people.”

  “Yes, Moses.”

  He lowers his voice, “I have a way to sabotage the bomber. It’ll take off and land just fine. In smooth air, it’ll fly fine. In rough turbulence or combat maneuvering, the wings will likely come off. If you’re caught, you can deny any knowledge. The problem might even be dismissed as an accident.”

  Nata translates and the men talk. He then asks, “How do we do this?”

  “I received permission to modify a piece of the plane. It’ll work just fine as long the piece is heated in the kiln and normalized. Otherwise, the molding will embrittle the metal, making it prone to cracking. This part is critical. We don’t heat it.”

  HUNT FARM

  1210, 11 November, 1942

  Sam and Margaret are in the kitchen drinking tea and looking at the photos Sam sent them. Margaret asks, “What can you tell me about your mother?”

  Sam is quiet, then, “We didn’t get along. She was a horse woman from Kentucky. They met in college, and well, mom and dad fought all the time. She would, I think, deliberately start fights with him. I don’t know why. We’d be at breakfast and she’d start poking him. She said things in front of me, in front of all of us, that were inappropriate. I remember Leigh lighting into her once. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as I remember, but there were times we got along okay, and times I hated her.”

  Margaret, “Oh dear. Why didn’t he leave her?”

  “Because she was the driving force behind the success of the farm. And, you know, it just wasn’t done in our family.” She sips her tea, “I found a box of letters my dad kept hidden in the attic.” She looks at Margaret, “I wasn’t snooping. I was just messing around up there and staying out of Mom’s hair. Anyway, they were from a girl named Alysha in Australia. She seemed nice. As I grew up, I’d fantasize about having nice Alysha O’Toole for my mom. Who knows what she was really like?”

  “What happened to the letters?”

  “That was the sad part. They were all written before dad and mom got married. I was sixteen and learning to fly. That’s why I remember when it happened so clearly. Why she was up in the attic, I don’t know, but she found them. It was the biggest fight I can remember. She even threatened him with a knife from the kitchen. He burned them in the fireplace.”

  Margaret grimaces, “It was probably the right thing to do, but, my goodness. If he writes about an Alysha, he’ll have our blessing.”

  “Thank you, Margaret. You know, Dad drank a lot. He was so unhappy.”

  “I see. Well, let’s hope history is changed. We want our boys to be happy.”

  CHAPTER 19

  BUS STOP, STONE MOUNTAIN, TENNESSEE

  1710, 13 November, 1942

  David puts Sam’s bags at her feet, “I’ll miss you, Sam. Thanks for the letter.”

  Sam gives him a hug, “You’ll do fine. Take it one step at a time and don’t let them tell you no.”

  “I won’t. I’ll keep practicing and working out. If all else fails, I can toss them on the floor a few times.”

  Sam laughs, “Yep. Probably not the best strategy. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Margaret puts her arms around Sam, “You have the lunch I packed. We finally got some meat on your bones, so don’t waste away again.”

  Sam holds Margaret tight, “I’ll take care. I promise. I love you, so much. You take care, too. Okay?”

  “Yes, dear.” Margaret steps back, fighting back tears.

  Leigh puts his arms out and Sam walks into them, “Honey, I love you. You understand how proud I am.”

  “Yes, Grandpa. I do. Thank you for everything. I love you.”

  The bus pulls up and its passengers get off. Sam looks at her family. “I love you all. Please take care of each other.” She picks up her bags and gets on the bus.

  FORT WORTH CENTRAL STATION, FORT WORTH, TEXAS

  0932, 13 November, 1942

  Frank hugs his grandmother, Debra. His grandfather, Michael, in his Texas Ranger uniform, gives him a hug, then shakes his hand. He pushes Frank out to arm’s length, “You’ve surely made us proud, boy. You surely have.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Then, Michael hugs Abigail, “Welcome to the family, darlin’. If the Navy won’t have you, we will.”

  Then Frank hugs Peter and Wendy, “Take care Grandpa and Grandma.” He grins.

  Pete says, “I wish you could be at our wedding next summer.”

  “If I can be, I will. I’ve a feeling I’ll be in the Pacific. There’s a chance Abigail will be done with her training by then. Now, remember what we talked about. Just because in my memory you became a lawyer, then a judge, doesn’t mean you have to do it this time. You want to be a Ranger like your dad, be a Ranger. Follow your heart.” He smiles at Wendy, “You, too, young lady. Get that degree, if that’s what you want. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They hear the whistle and the trains comes in. They all hug again. Frank hands Pete the keys to his car, “Take care of her. We’ll be back in a few days.” He and Abigail pick up their bags and board the train.

  COMMANDER HUNT’S TRAIN, COLUMBUS, OHIO

  1610, 13 November, 1942

  Sam, wearing her aviation greens, is tucked up against the window, reading. By a miracle, the seat facing hers is empty. The train pulls into the station and stops. She glances outside and g
oes back to her book. She frowns when she realizes someone is putting his bags in the rack above the opposite seat. She looks up just as Lieutenant Commander Byron ‘GQ’ Standley sits down. He grins, “Hey, Spike.”

  She sits up straight, “GQ. It’s good to see you”

  “How was your leave?”

  “It was good. Real good. Grandma’s cooking, oh yeah. I had to work out or I’d be a blimp. How about you?”

  “My grandparents live on a farm near this dinky town called Logan. The town threw me a party. A party for me. It was…wow.”

  “So, a good leave.”

  “It was a bit surreal. You know?”

  “Mine was a bit more sedate, it was what I needed. I helped on the farm. I rode nearly every day. And, I even learned a bit of blacksmithing. What was your most surreal moment?”

  “All the girls queueing up to kiss me. Seriously, I felt like Freddy Mercury, or something.”

  Sam smiles, “You know, Mercury was gay.”

  He looks away, “He was bi.”

  She waits for him to look back to her, “Byron, I figured it out. You are my brother. It’s all right.”

  “When did you know?”

  “Byron, you’re so careful how you act around the guys and how you acted around Gloria. You’re always professional. It wasn’t one moment; it was a compilation of moments. I saw you talking to a guy from the Rolls Royce plant. You were so careful, but I’d never seen you, well, quite so alive. It’s all okay.”

  Byron smiles, “It’s a relief you know. You’re right. He and I are a couple. We both have so much to lose. God, it’s been hard.”

  Sam smiles, “Yeah, I get it. It’s not as hard as your situation, but Jere and I have a similar difficulty with the difference in our ranks.”

  “Yeah, big Navy does not approve. You know, he’ll laugh his ass off when I tell him about all the girls I had to kiss.”

  She chuckles.

  Byron, “How about you?”

  “Nope. Not obligated to kiss any girls, or boys. I told my folks about Jere and they’re happy for me. Margaret wanted to make wedding plans. I told her it would have to wait until after the war. By the way, have you thought about where you’d like to live after the war?”

  “There’s nowhere where we’d be safe. You know that.”

  “Not true. Paris. There’s Paris. It’s historically been the most open. You could work in the French aerospace industry.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks, Sam.”

  TRAIN STATION, LANSING, MICHIGAN

  1800, 13 November, 1942

  Lieutenant Commander Kyle ‘Gandhi’ Jacobs and Lieutenant Commander Jose ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez step off the train. They spot Swede and Gloria down the platform. Gloria waves “Over here, guys.” Carrying their bags, they head over. “Come here, Speedy.” She gives him a huge hug as Swede hugs Gandhi.

  Swede, “How was San Francisco?”

  Kyle, “Totally different. It’s way cool. My grandparents are okay, but grandma kept throwing girls at me. She would not let up.” He hugs Gloria. “So, who’s Thud marrying?”

  Swede, “An Australian. Abigail Case. She was married to a group captain in Australia. A total ass. He got his secretary pregnant, so they divorced.”

  Jose, “I’m so glad she made it. Thud’s been pining for her since he met her.”

  Gloria, “Yep, she caught up to him in Texas. Their train pulls in tomorrow morning.”

  Jose, “Who are we waiting for now?”

  Swede, “GQ and Spike. Let’s get a cup of coffee. We’ve about 20 minutes before their train pulls in.”

  Twenty-four minutes later, GQ and Spike step off their train. Gloria grabs Sam, “God, it’s good to see you.”

  They hug, and Sam grins, “How are you, honey?”

  “Never better. You?”

  “Good. I’m good.”

  “Jere going to make it?”

  “No. He was denied leave.”

  Gloria scowls, “Not good. She turns to GQ and gives him a hug, “Hey. You okay?”

  “I was just telling the guys about all the girls I had to kiss back home. It was weird.” He turns to Sam, “Why wouldn’t they let him come?”

  “You know, big Navy doesn’t approve.”

  Swede, “Come on, guys.” He grabs Sam’s bags and they head to the car. “We’ve rented rooms for everybody. It’s all cool.”

  TOKYO BAY

  1717, 14 November, 1942

  Lt. Chris ‘Chaos’ Hisakawa stands at the stern of his fishing boat pulling in his nets. Behind him, Asahi Koizumi gathers the fish from the nets and puts them in the hold. “A good catch, Genzo.”

  “Yes, very good. Perhaps enough to afford some kitchen things for Fukue.”

  As the sun slowly sets, Fukue ties a lantern to a line and hoists it up the mast. “Do we do well?”

  Chris, “Yes. A good catch.”

  He and Asahi finish pulling in the net and secure the hold. As darkness descends, they see a cargo ship several miles away explode. A few minutes later, another one goes up. A third time the sky is lit by explosions. Chris hoists the sail and takes the boat closer in to the shore. “Grandfather, can you take the helm?”

  Asahi leans over and takes the tiller. Chris leans over the side with two pieces of metal and puts them in the water. He clicks them together doing ‘a shave and a haircut.’

  Fukue, “Genzo, a destroyer is coming out of Yokosuka.”

  Chris says, “Heave to.” He continues signaling.

  They watch three cargo ships sink. They can hear the active sonar on the destroyer as it searches for the submarine. Suddenly, Chris stops signaling.

  Fukue, “What is it?”

  “I don’t want the destroyer to figure it out.”

  Asahi, “That is wise.”

  Chris nods. He goes below and fetches a piece of tissue paper shaped and colored into a US military roundel. Fukue brings tea and bread out of the galley. It’s bitterly cold, but they stay out in the cockpit while they eat. The fires of the sinking ships are the only light. There is no moon. They watch as another destroyer joins the search, heading down bay toward the open ocean.

  Then, very faint, Chris hears a rhythmic woosh. He searches the dark waters, then hears a splash. Looking toward the shore, he sees a periscope close aboard. Chris grabs the line and drops the light off the mast. He points it toward the periscope and places the roundel in front of the light, shielding it so it can only be seen by the periscope. “Come on, guys. Understand what I’m saying.” In the current and light wind, the boat drifts toward the submarine.

  Asahi, “Do they see us, Genzo?”

  “They must. The question is, do they understand. Asahi. Fukue. Get our bags from below.”

  The periscope is a dozen feet away when the sail breaks the surface. They hear the hatch open and two men with rifles come out. Chris, in English, says, “Stay still. Do not move.”

  Then another man comes out of the hatch, “Who are you?”

  Chris breaths a deep sigh of relief, “Lieutenant Christopher Hisakawa, sir. I’m from the VF-32 Tomcatters off the Carl Vinson. We were shot down during the raid on Tokyo. This is my fiancé and her grandfather. They are also time travelers.”

  “What’s the name of the commanding officer of VF-154?”

  “Lieutenant Commander Samantha ‘Spike’ Hunt.”

  “What powers the USS Long Beach?” The man sways as the boat bumps against the hull of the submarine.

  “It’s nuclear powered. I know the reactor is a C1W. I learned that during a midshipman tour.”

  “Okay. Don’t bring too much shit aboard.”

  “Roger that. Do you want our fish?”

  “Sure, but make it quick.”

  SWEDENBORG HOUSE, WILLIAMSTON, MICHIGAN

  0816, 14 November, 1942

  The crew is eating eggs and bacon for breakfast while Swede goes to pick up Thud and Abigail. Sam, “Thank you, Mrs. Swedenborg. This is very good.”

  “Oh, i
t’s nothing. Please, call me Silvia.”

  Sam smiles, “Thank you.”

  Silvia, “Did you really meet the King?”

  “We all did. He came out a couple of times to say thank you.” They hear a car drive up, then Frank and Abigail come in, followed by Swede. They all hug each other while Swede introduces the new comers to Silvia. Sam asks, “How are you, Abigail?”

  “Never better. Literally, never better.”

  Silvia asks, “May I ask where you’re from?”

  Abigail, “Rutherford, Australia, ma’am. North of Sydney.”

  “Welcome to my home.”

  Frank hugs Sam, “Swede, where are you putting us all up?”

  Gloria, “We have rooms for everyone at the local inn. It’s good to see you again, Abigail. That must have been some trip.”

  “Yeah, it was. But I said I’d make it, and I did. It was a little overwhelming, I must admit. Gloria, I’m so happy for you.”

  “You still want in the navy?”

  “I do.”

  Gloria raises her voice, “Guys, before we go our separate ways, could all of you please write a recommendation for Abby? She’s seeking a Navy commission and pilot wings.”

  Gandhi, “What’s her background?”

  Gloria, “I’ve seen a photo of her flying an Avian inverted at ten feet down show center. She’s a barn stormer.”

  Gandhi whistles, “I’m in.”

  Everyone but Thud writes her a letter. Speedy, “Abigail Chase, or Jackson?”

  Abby squeezes Frank’s arm and smiles, “Jackson.”

  WARDROOM, USS DOLPHIN

  0735, 14 November, 1942

  Lieutenant Commander Gordon B. Rainer is having breakfast with his wardroom officers, Chris, in a borrowed khaki uniform, Asahi, and Fukue. Chris asks, “May I ask how the war is going?”

  Rainer, “PI has fallen, but we got pretty much everyone out. We’ve invaded Guadalcanal and taken it. It’s secure. There was a large surface action there.”