Now the voice came through with no interruptions. “Rachel, this is Stan Milne from Wailea Tours. I am returning from Tripler to pick you up. Be prepared to jump aboard.”
“Stan, listen to me,” Rachel said. “You have to get my husband and daughter first.”
“You have someone else with you?”
“No,” she said, “they are on a white apartment building about a mile northeast of me.” From the walkie-talkie, overpowering Rachel’s voice for a moment, Kai could hear rumbling that was even louder than it was on his building. It was worse than he feared. The Grand Hawaiian was about to collapse. Suddenly, all he could think about was that his wife was in danger, and he couldn’t help her.
“So I should go there first?” the pilot said.
“No, pilot!” Kai shouted. “Stan! Pick Rachel up first—”
Chuck grabbed Kai’s wrist and yanked his thumb off the Talk button.
“Are you crazy?” Chuck said, a wild look on his face. “We need to get off this pile before it falls down.”
Brad pushed Chuck away with a flick of his arm, but his face registered as much panic as Chuck’s.
“Kai, unfortunately, I agree with the bozo here. We should be first.”
Rachel’s voice cried out through the tinny walkietalkie speaker. “Kai, no! Get Lani out of there first. Pilot, if you can hear me, get my husband and daughter first.”
To Brad, Kai said, “The Grand Hawaiian took the full force of the tsunami. We’re lucky it’s still standing as it is.”
“We’re lucky this building is too,” Brad said. “And I’m not going back in the water.”
“Stop thinking about yourself, you bastard. That’s my wife over there.”
“Kai, think straight. Your daughter is over here, along with seven other people.”
“I agree with Brad, Kai,” Teresa said. “We have to get the girls out of here.”
“I may be a bastard,” Brad said, “but you know I’m right. Rachel would never forgive you.”
So that was the choice. Kai’s wife or his daughter. There was no right answer, just a terrible decision. He looked at the haggard faces around him.
They were right, of course. Kai wasn’t thinking straight. Lani was what mattered above all else. Kai keyed the walkie-talkie. His voice strained to keep from breaking.
“Okay, Stan. Come get us first. Are there any other helicopters in the area?”
“I haven’t been able to get one.”
“Then we’ll get her ourselves.”
“How many of you are there?”
“Eight.”
There was a pause. Then Stan said, “I’ve burned up some fuel since the last trip. We’ll give it a shot.”
If someone had to stay behind on the Grand Hawaiian, Kai would gladly let Rachel take his spot when they got there.
“You should be able to see my AStar by now, northwest of your position.”
Kai took a quick look and saw the helicopter speeding toward them. It was small. Kai could see why their numbers gave the pilot pause.
“Did you hear that, honey?” he said. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
“Kai, let me speak to Lani.”
He held the walkie-talkie up to his daughter.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. Lani, I want you to know how much I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom,” Lani sobbed.
“You are such a joy in my life. I couldn’t be prouder to be your mother.”
Lani was crying so hard, she couldn’t answer.
“No matter what happens today,” Rachel said, “you be strong. You’re a smart, caring, beautiful girl, and I know you’ll grow up to be a wonderful woman.”
“Mom, we’re coming to get you!”
“I know, Lani. Be good. I can’t wait to give you a hug.”
“Me too.”
In the background behind her voice, Kai could hear loud crunching, as if the Grand Hawaiian were being eaten by an enormous monster.
“Rachel, what’s that?” But he knew what it was, because the building they were standing on was making the same noise. Both buildings were in their death throes. “Are you okay?”
“Just hurry, Kai!”
The chopper hovered over them but didn’t land. The pilot pointed at the antenna in the middle of the roof. The rotor blades would strike it if the helicopter tried to land. The railing all around the roof rose four feet above the deck. The best the pilot could do was lower the left side of the helicopter so that its skid was resting on the railing. With the pilot sitting on the right, both the front and rear doors were accessible. The sound of the rotors was deafening, and the downdraft from the blades buffeted the group mercilessly.
The building shuddered again. The structure was on the verge of collapse.
Before Kai could establish an order for getting in the helicopter, Chuck pushed past everyone and jumped into the backseat, pulling his small suitcase behind him. Denise stood next to Kai, as flabbergasted as he was.
“Hey!” Brad yelled and scrambled in after him. He wrestled with Chuck, trying to pull him out of the chopper. “You bastard! Children first!”
“Stop it!” Kai shouted. “Forget it! There’s room for all of us. There’s no time.”
Brad stopped fighting, but before he moved back to the opposite side, he tore the bag away from Chuck.
“That’s mine!” Chuck screamed.
“Not anymore!” Brad yelled back and threw it out the door. The rotor wash blew it sideways, where it smashed into the outer wall of the building, popping open. Just as Denise had said, baseballs, dozens of them, dropped to the water below.
Chuck threw a murderous glare at Brad.
“Don’t even think about it, Chuckles,” Brad said. “Or you’ll follow them.” Chuck buckled himself in, and Brad turned his attention back to the others trying to board.
Brad hoisted Tom by his good arm while Kai boosted him up from below and guided him into the seat next to the pilot. The breeze from the ocean challenged the pilot to keep a steady position. Despite Stan’s efforts, the AStar kept moving back and forth in response, making it difficult to get a grip. Kai climbed up on the six-inchwide railing of the building and held on to the helicopter as he gingerly pulled Mia up. Teresa and Lani supported her and tried not to hit her bad leg.
“Don’t look down,” Kai yelled over the sound of the rotors. He didn’t follow his own advice and peered through the space between the helicopter and the skid. The water had reached its acme, but it was still a hundred feet below them. Kai looked away quickly before vertigo could claim him.
Once Mia was safely inside next to Tom, Kai grabbed Lani’s hand and yanked. When she got onto the railing, she teetered for a second, and Kai thought for sure that she was going to fall. She screamed, and Brad grabbed her other hand, swinging her into the backseat.
Denise crammed herself into the front seat with Tom and Mia, leaving enough room in the backseat for the rest of them.
That left Teresa. As Kai pulled her up, a gust of wind blew the helicopter farther along the railing, which threw both of them off balance. She stumbled sideways, wobbling precariously on the railing, and Kai fell against the side of the chopper.
Mia yelled “No!” as Brad threw himself onto the floor of the helicopter and grabbed both of Kai’s arms to keep him upright.
“Teresa!” Kai shouted. “Come on!”
She careened back toward him and latched onto his legs to keep herself upright. Suddenly her full weight pulled on him. The wind had changed direction and pushed the helicopter away from the building. They were suspended high above the water.
“Don’t let go!” Kai screamed to Teresa, as if that would help.
Seeing that Teresa might be crushed against the building if the pilot tried to get even with it again, Brad yelled, “Up! Up! Up!”
The weight pulling Kai down seemed to double when the pilot maneuvered up. Kai felt Teresa slip down his legs and heard her scream.
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“Hold on!” he yelled stupidly. The door banged against him as it fluttered back and forth in the rotor wash.
Teresa came to a stop, her arms wrapped around Kai’s ankles.
“Pull me up!”
“I can’t!” Brad said, straining from the weight.
Kai saw a belt dangling from the backseat. He gripped it with one hand and pulled himself up until his upper body was on the backseat of the AStar. Lani tried to pull him in, but with her strength sapped, she wasn’t much help. Chuck sat there motionless, his eyes wide with terror.
Kai’s legs hung over the side, still tightly held by Teresa.
“You can let go!” Kai yelled to Brad. “Get Teresa!”
Brad released him, and now Kai’s grip was the only thing keeping him and Teresa from falling from the helicopter. Brad leaned out and strained to grab Teresa.
“I can’t reach you!” Brad said. “Give me your hand!”
Kai felt Teresa release his left leg. Then he heard her shriek and let go of his right leg.
“No!” he yelled.
He pulled himself up, turned around, and saw that Brad was still draped over the side. With trepidation, he looked over the edge.
Teresa dangled by only one hand from Brad’s hold. She had inadvertently let go when grabbing for Brad. Kai flattened himself onto the seat.
“Grab my hand,” he said.
Teresa flailed until her palm reached his. He clenched it fiercely.
“Pull!”
With the two of them pulling, Teresa’s light frame practically rocketed into the helicopter onto the seat next to Kai. He slammed the door behind her.
Brad continued to lay on the cramped floor, the only place there was room for him. Their feet rested on top of him. Teresa threw herself at Kai and wept with relief. He held her tightly, thankful that they hadn’t lost anyone else.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, panting from the exertion. “I think I’ve used up a lifetime’s supply of adrenaline.”
“Me too.”
Teresa fished around for the seat belt. Kai did the same.
“Rachel,” she said.
“Stan,” Kai said as loud as he could.
The pilot pointed at a headset hanging from the ceiling. Kai put the earpieces on and depressed the cord’s switch as he spoke into the attached microphone.
“Mr. Tanaka, I presume,” Stan said through the onboard comm system. “We’re headed to the Grand Hawaiian right now.” The helicopter made a steep turn in the direction of Rachel’s hotel. “I’ve got your wife on the radio.”
“Kai?” Rachel said, the fear in her voice clear from that single word. “There’s a lot of creaking and movement going on. It’s like standing on the world’s largest piece of Jell-O.” He admired her for trying to make a joke even in this situation.
“We’re on our way, Rachel. We’ll be there in less than a minute.”
“I don’t think you’ll make it.” Even over the noise of the helicopter, Kai could hear the screech of distressed metal. He leaned into the cockpit and saw the Grand Hawaiian dead ahead less than a mile away. They would be there in seconds. But she was right: they were too late. Puffs of dust were erupting from all over the building, the telltale signs of imminent collapse he’d seen in the other buildings that had already gone down. Nevertheless, Kai clung to any shred of hope that they’d make it.
“Don’t say that, sweetheart.”
“Tell Teresa that I understand her job now.”
“You can tell her yourself. I can see you.”
“I know. Kai, I love you. I’ll miss you.”
“Rachel, no. We’re coming.”
“Take good care of Lani for me. I wish I could have seen her grow up. I’ll miss her so much.” He could hear the ache in her voice.
“Rachel.”
“Honey. My honey.”
Tears streamed down Kai’s cheeks, but he kept his eyes riveted on the Grand Hawaiian.
“Oh, Rachel, I love you. Don’t leave us.”
“I don’t want to. I love you. I love you. I—”
Her voice was abruptly cut off. It was followed by a colossal rumble.
“Rachel!” Kai screamed. “Rachel!” But there was no answer.
The Grand Hawaiian tower finally succumbed to the power of the water pounding at its frame. The south side buckled, sending the top pitching over toward the beach. Windows blew apart. Pieces of the hotel flew out in every direction. The pilot swung the helicopter around to avoid getting struck with debris.
With all of the dust billowing up, Kai lost sight of Rachel. But she didn’t have a chance. The bulk of the structure splashed into the water with an enormous roar. For a moment it surged to a stop, halted by the impact with the water. And then, surrounded by white foam, it sank. The entire hotel slid below the surface. It was gone.
All Kai could do was slump in his seat and moan, only vaguely aware of Lani’s screams. In shock, he sat there, mute, looking out the front of the cockpit as the chopper raced back in the direction they had come.
And that’s when he saw the boat building, the tower they had been rescued from, tumble into the sea.
FIFTY-TWO
12:22 p.m.
15 Minutes to Fourth Wave
My wife is dead, and it’s all my fault. That’s all Kai’s mind could comprehend at the moment. Not gone, not passed away, not any of the other euphemisms that people use to try to protect themselves from reality. She was dead. His job was to protect her and everyone else who had died in the last two hours. He had failed not only professionally but personally. He had been her husband. His was the shoulder she had cried on after a tough day at work. He was the one she had snuggled up to for comfort. It had been his responsibility to keep her safe. And he knew she had felt equally protective of him.
Kai had never felt more miserable than at that moment, and he never cried harder. He howled from the pain in his chest, from the unfairness of it all. They had been so close to saving her. So close. Kai didn’t know how he could endure the heartache.
But then he felt Lani burrow into the crook of his shoulder, still wailing. He tugged her close to him and along with the despair, felt a glimmer of pride. Rachel must have had a good reason for giving up her spot when the helicopter left the Grand Hawaiian. She would only have done it for someone else’s family.
As for her own family, Rachel had know the risk she was taking sending the AStar to them first. And, deep down, Kai understood her need to make that sacrifice. If the situation had been reversed, he would have done the same without hesitation.
Kai was holding the living, breathing embodiment of everything Rachel wanted in life. There was nothing more important to either of them. Lani’s fragile little body shuddering against his arm reminded Kai that there was still good in the world and that he still had responsibilities. He had to get Lani to safety. With a fourth wave set to hit Honolulu in the next fifteen minutes, they were still in danger.
But he couldn’t give up on Rachel yet, no matter how impossible the odds of her survival were. Once the danger of airborne projectiles had passed, Kai convinced Stan to fly back to where the Grand Hawaiian had been just a minute before and circle. The water was awash with debris and bodies, and Kai simultaneously hoped and feared he’d see Rachel’s. He wanted to find her no matter what, but the idea of seeing her limp, lifeless form was too much to bear. He looked for any unusual movement at all, anything to indicate someone was alive in that brew.
They found no sign of her.
“I’m sorry, Kai,” Brad said from his prone position. “She’s gone.”
“I know,” Kai said, wiping his eyes. “I was just hoping—”
“Mr. Tanaka?” Stan interrupted. “We should get back. I just let your friend Reggie know that you were safe.”
“Reggie sent you?”
“Yes, sir. He was the one who told us about your wi—about the Grand Hawaiian. We’ll be back at Wheeler in seven minutes.”
As they passed the downtown area and flew over Sand Island, Kai couldn’t help but stare at the water as it receded into the ocean that was now his wife’s graveyard. His mind replayed the last few minutes over and over, like a sick videotape that he couldn’t turn off. He tried to distract himself by looking out the window, but it was almost worse seeing the terrible vista below.
In the distance, Pearl Harbor, the Navy base already synonymous with disaster, was once again dotted with smoke trails, this time from explosions kicked off by oil and other chemicals dispersed by the tsunami. The vast flat expanse of Honolulu International and Hickam Air Force Base was only recognizable because of the control tower jutting out of the water and the battered hulks of airliners crushed against the remains of the terminal.
They were crossing one of the airport’s seaplane channels when a high-pitched whine spooled up from behind Kai’s head. As it grew louder, the helicopter wobbled back and forth as if balancing on a slowly spinning top that was about to fall over.
“Dammit!” Stan shouted. “Not yet!”
“What’s happening?” Kai said. The helicopter was quickly losing altitude.
Stan’s finger’s stabbed at a few switches on the control panel. The cyclic stick wagged to and fro as if trying to wrest itself from Stan’s grip.
“The tail rotor’s giving out!” Stan said, barely able to grunt the words. “If I don’t get us down in the next thirty seconds, we’re going to crash!”
FIFTY-THREE
12:24 p.m.
13 Minutes to Fourth Wave
The water hadn’t completely receded yet, so the Honolulu International Airport runways were still awash. Several structures jutted above the surface, their frames intact. Airliners were scattered around the airport, most of them ripped to pieces, their aluminum frames no match for the power of a tsunami. The closest was a Hawaiian Airlines 767 that lay on the tarmac a hundred yards away, its landing gear and one wing ripped off, all the windows blown out. If the helicopter landed in the water, they’d drown. Kai had no doubt about that. The only chance was to land on one of the buildings. Stan apparently had the same idea.
The Tsunami Countdown Page 29
