Interlude – Commander Carlyle

Two US Marines watched as a Seahawk helicopter landed in the parking lot of an elementary school, dropped off its' passenger, and then immediately took off again.

"Sir, how was the flight?"

"The pilot said it was probably what it's like to fly through the Bermuda Triangle, Sergeant," the Navy Commander replied, sliding into the back seat of the Humvee. "So where are they? I was told the convoy was close."

"Next town over, Commander." Now sitting in the front, Sergeant Pierson raised his voice as the vehicle turned onto Kuhio Highway. "They just stopped to pick up a couple of stranded motorists south of Princeville. We didn't know they were behind schedule until a few minutes ago."

"Radio still an issue?"

"Yes, sir. They work about a third of the time. We're going to join another group coming out of Kalihiwai, which we should meet in about ten minutes. Lieutenant Hutchens and the warship girl should be right behind them."

"Alleged."

"Alleged, yes, sir. You don’t think she’s actually one of them?"

"We'll know soon enough, Sergeant. However, I understand why she might not have revealed her identity. Though, with a name like Akagi Takijirō, she's not exactly keeping it a secret."

"Kido Butai," the third person in the Humvee interjected.

"What was that, Anderson?" the Sergeant asked.

"Sorry, Sergeant, I recognized the name."

"That's correct. IJN Akagi was part of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet, or Kido Butai," the Navy Commander explained. "Are you a student of history, Private?"

"Err, no, sir. I play Campaigns of the Pacific online. Akagi’s one of the first carriers you can build along with the Kaga."

The Navy Commander smiled. "Good game, I play it myself. As Private Anderson might tell you, Sergeant, the Akagi was part of the task force that attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th."

"Ah, yes, sir, I can see how that might be a problem."

As expected, they met up with the convoy but didn’t go too far, making an unscheduled break next to a health food store. The Marines would end up apologizing to the owners, but there weren’t any other restrooms nearby. The stop, however, allowed the Commander to meet with Miss Takijirō.

After returning to the Humvee, he asked, "Did you notice how all the civilians unconsciously gravitate around her?"

"Yes, sir. According to Lieutenant Hutchens and Arnold, Miss Takijirō’s presence seemed to have kept everyone calm. So, she’s a warship girl, sir?"

"I believe so. But who she is, I’m not exactly sure yet."

"What did you talk about, sir?" Anderson asked.

"See the little girl standing next to Miss Takijirō? The two were talking about anime. So, we all ended up discussing Studio Ghibli movies."

"They do make good ones, sir. I'm a fan of Howl’s Moving Castle."

Commander Carlyle nodded. "I must admit, I feel a little bad about recommending one movie."

"Grave of the Fireflies?"

"No, although that would be one. Have you ever heard of The Wind Rises, Private?"

"I recognize the name, sir, but I'm not sure what it’s about."

"It’s a fictionalized biography of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. A scene early in the movie depicts the Great Kantō earthquake. I could see the pain in Miss Takijirō’s eyes when I brought it up. If she is the Akagi, then she lost someone very dear to her—possibly a sister."

Sergeant Pierson, who had been listening, commented, "But she’s a warship, sir. How can she have a sister?"

"Our new friend was not the only one in her class, Sergeant. The first was called the Amagi. The 1923 earthquake did so much damage to her that the Japanese Navy ended up selling Akagi’s sister for scrap."

"Christ," the Sergeant murmured as the three entered the Humvee. They still had a long distance to cover.

Even after picking up another family whose car had broken down, the convoy made good time before stopping at a park in Anahola. By then, however, the wind had picked up, and the sky, which had been clear, had darkened. To the north, out to sea, bright flashes of lightning lit up the sky. The storm everyone had been dreading had finally arrived.

"How did you get everyone to listen to a lecture on the Washington Naval Treaty, sir?"

The Commander laughed. "I assure you, Private, they weren’t listening to me. Any professor of history would be thrilled to have Miss Takijirō as a guest speaker for a graduate-level class."

"So, she’s definitely the Akagi?"

"Yes, Sergeant, I believe so. We won’t officially approach her until we reach Honolulu. Her presence has kept all the civilians calm, and I’d like that to continue until we leave Nāwiliwili harbor."

"Do you think she’s aware that we know who she is?"

The Commander watched as Akagi helped everyone back into one of the trucks. "I think she knows something’s going on. But remember, she’s out of her element. If you watch her closely, every so often, she looks towards the ocean."

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"And she’s an Imperial Japanese aircraft carrier on American soil."

"That’s also true, but I think that’s why she hasn’t revealed her identity, Private. You play Campaigns of the Pacific; how many ships does a Japanese Carrier Division normally have in support?"

"So, she’s operating without a task force," the Sergeant observed.

"Indeed."

"Akagi’s looking towards the ocean again, Sergeant," the Marine Private commented. The convoy had just stopped, hopefully for the last time, after picking up another half dozen stragglers.

Before he could reply, a flight of Bell AH-1Z Vipers roared overhead, flying so low that the two instinctively crouched down.

"Something’s going on."

Moments later, Commander Carlyle returned from his meeting with the convoy leaders. "Two Coast Guard cutters were just attacked north of Kilauea Bay. They encountered a group of those sea demons shelling the island."

"Damn," Anderson whispered, looking towards the north.

The three men frowned, watching a convoy go by, bringing even more Humvees.

"Looks like the major’s here, sir," the Sergeant said as he pointed to a group exiting the vehicles.

"Let’s go find our carrier. It looks like we’re going to need help from the Kido Butai after all."

Interlude – Katheryn Harper

"We should have left weeks ago," Katheryn whispered unhappily, hugging her young daughter close.

She had wanted to leave when the Governor called for a voluntary evacuation, but her home office insisted she stay, which felt utterly ridiculous. The vacation homes she managed were empty as tourists fled the island. Two weeks later, as more grim news arrived from Europe, even more of her neighbors had evacuated.

Still, they told her to stay. But where would she and her daughter go even if they fled the island? She had no family in California or elsewhere. Rising rent and skyrocketing hotel prices were alarming, and the idea of finding space in a refugee camp was equally unappealing.

"We should have left," Katheryn whispered again as she took her daughter's hand and started down the highway. No stores were open, and the whole north side of the island had become a ghost town. She cursed herself for not getting gas earlier in the week.

"Mommy, where are we going?"

"Well, since the car isn’t working, we need to see if the people in the house over there can give us a ride."

That turned out to be a fool's errand; no one was home. Everyone had already evacuated. She needed to be strong for her daughter. Gathering up their luggage, Katheryn continued walking down the highway.

Rescue came less than an hour later when they noticed a group of military vehicles approaching from behind.

"Thank you," Katheryn managed to hold back a sob as a beautiful Japanese woman helped her and her daughter into the back of a large truck. The Marines wasted no time getting them situated before the convoy started down the road again.

"Konnichi wa, watashi no namae wa Cloe desu," her daughter said with a smile.

Katheryn felt a pang of embarrassment that her child assumed the woman spoke Japanese. Before she could apologize, the woman replied.

“O ai deki te kouei desu. Akagi to moushi masu.”

"Oh, ahh, I don’t know much Japanese," her daughter frowned, then grinned. "It's nice to meet you."

"Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Cloe," the woman replied. "My name is Akagi."

Katheryn smiled. "I’m sorry about my daughter. She recently got a couple of those anime shows for her birthday, and they were all in Japanese."

"No subtitles?"

"Everything, including the menu, was in Kanji. I thought it would be a good way for Cloe to learn the language. Since then, she has been taking lessons from one of our neighbors."

"Miss Takahashi is nice."

Katheryn noted that the trip wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she had few complaints as she and her daughter were now safe. Akagi was a godsend though, keeping Cloe busy practicing her Japanese. In fact, everyone on the truck seemed to enjoy the impromptu language lesson.

"That Commander Carlyle seemed quite enamored with you, Akagi."

At the group’s last stop, they had picked up a few more trucks full of people and some additional Marines, including a Navy Commander.

"I think he was just being nice."

Leaning over, she whispered, "He said something that upset you, though."

Katheryn had noticed the young woman’s reaction when they talked about one of those anime movies.

Akagi gave her a sad smile. "A scene in one of the movies reminded me of someone close to me that I lost."

"Oh, I’m sorry."

The young woman waved it away. "It’s fine; it was a long time ago."

"I didn’t know you didn’t live on the island," her daughter suddenly chirped.

"Oh, so you understand more than you let on, do you, Cloe?" Akagi said with a grin, then gave the young girl’s nose a playful poke. Part of the conversation with the Navy Commander had been in Japanese.

"The Marines must have told him I’m a tourist."

"Oh, where are you from?" Alan, one of the others on the truck, asked.

"Well, I’m originally from Kure, which is about twenty kilometers from Hiroshima City in Japan."

"I think I know where that might be," he mused. "I was stationed in South Korea for a little while back in the '80s."

"I thought you might not be from around here," Lucy, a young but very pregnant woman, commented. They were latecomers to the group, and her doctor had advised her not to travel, but now she had little choice.

"Strange time to be a tourist," Jack, her husband, added.

Akagi laughed. "That’s the same thing one of the Marines said when they picked me up."

"Well, your outfit is very pretty, Akagi," one of the older women said. "Although I’m sure you didn’t expect to be traveling in it. Did the Marines not let you change?"

"I didn’t have any luggage with me when they found me wandering around Hanalei."

"Oh, I’m sure you’ll find some nice outfits in Honolulu. There are plenty of shops."

"Looks like we’re coming to a stop," Katheryn called out.

"OH, thank God. I hope they have a bathroom," Lucy groaned.

It had already been a long trip, and Katheryn and the others dozed as they made their way south toward the harbor. She opened her eyes briefly and saw Akagi standing vigilant, watching over them. For some reason, she felt protected and drifted back to sleep.

"Private Bentley, sorry to bother you again, but can you tell us what’s going on with Miss Takijirō?"

The group had been surprised when the Commander pulled Akagi aside to speak with her. They were even more surprised when a group of Marines approached and saluted her. Currently, Akagi was standing among what Alan identified as officers.

The young private, who had been quite affable, now looked tense. In a professional voice, he addressed the group. "I’m not sure myself, ma’am. But if all of you could return to the other side of the park, I’ll see if someone has that information."

"How about we speak to Sergeant Pierson? He seems to be around the Commander all the time. I think he’s his driver," Ana suggested.

The Private nodded and motioned for the group to return to the safety of the small woods. Several more military vehicles roared into the parking lot, so everyone thought it was a good idea.

"Mommy, is she in trouble?"

"No, I don’t think so, Cloe," Katheryn replied, grabbing her child’s hand before she could run off toward her new friend. "She seems to be helping them with something."

As the group returned to their previous spot, she asked, "Does anyone know if Akagi mentioned she was in the military? She did salute those Marines."

"She does have a certain bearing," Alan mentioned.

"Oh, something’s going on," Lucy announced.

Akagi and a group of Marines began to gather and walked toward the beach on the other side of the park.

Cloe suddenly broke free and ran toward the Marines, shouting, "Akagi!"

The young woman stopped and bowed. With a smile, she gave a wave before continuing on.

"Don’t run off, Cloe. You’re going to get hurt," Katheryn scolded her child, pulling her back to the others.

"She’s obviously busy," Jacob commented. "We should wait for someone to tell us what’s happening."

From the beach, a bright light caused everyone to pause, both US Marines and civilians alike. When the light faded, a young Japanese woman stood on the water with a bow in her right hand and a large quiver on her back.

Cloe was the first to speak in wonder, "OH, Mommy, Akagi is a magical girl."