Rogue Wave

Chapter 56

The C-130's propellers spun up to full speed in preparation for takeoff.

"Are you insane?" Chuck screamed. "You just told him to take off without us!"

Kai ignored him.

"Listen to me, Captain," he said, not only for Wainwright's benefit, but for everyone in the Humvee. "We're going to come up behind you and jump on to the cargo door, so keep it lowered." They couldn't drive on to the plane because, although the door was lowered, it couldn't contact the runway during takeoff. "That way, you can take off as soon as we're all on board."

"I get it. A running start. I'll keep the speed down as long as I can, but I've only got about 6000 feet of clear runway, and there's a big-ass hole at the end. We're on our way."

The plane lurched forward and started moving down the runway. The Humvee was now only 200 yards behind and closing quickly.

"Let's change places," Kai said to Brad.

"No way! You know I'm the better driver."

"I don't care. Move!"

"It's too dangerous. And you're crazy if you think I'm stopping."

Kai lowered his voice.

"Brad, someone's got to be at the wheel to hold it steady while the rest of us get on. And I don't see a cruise control."

Brad let it hang there for a second without answering. "I'll figure something out," he finally said.

"What?"

"I've got an idea."

"What?"

"Dammit, Kai! I don't have time to explain. Let me concentrate."

The huge tail of the C-130 loomed in front of them. An Air Force crewman stood at the back of the plane, hanging on to a strap and beckoning them to get closer.

To their left, the tsunami grew to gigantic proportions, heading at them on an angle. It wouldn't swamp the runway all at once, but would hit the part in back of them first. Because of the angle, the wave would be chasing them down the runway at an effective speed of about 150 miles an hour, far above the Humvee's top speed of 70.

Their closing speed with the aircraft slowed, but Brad had the accelerator floored. Kai could see the airman in the plane talking into a headset, and the plane decelerated a little, allowing them to catch up.

When the Humvee was within five feet of the plane, Chuck jumped up. Using the wide rooftop rack as a brace, he scrambled over the cab and onto the hood directly in front of Brad.

"You idiot!" Brad yelled. "I can't see!"

"Wait until he's closer!" Kai yelled to Chuck.

But Chuck didn't listen. In his impatience to get on the plane, he couldn't wait until they got closer than three feet. He ran forward and just as he was about to jump, the Humvee hit a piece of debris on the runway.

The jolt sent Chuck reeling sideways, and before the airman in the plane could grab him, he fell off the side of the Humvee and tumbled onto the runway.

Denise screamed as she watched Chuck's cartwheeling body. Kai didn't say what he was thinking, which was that even if Chuck survived the fall, there was no time to turn around and get him.

The Humvee rammed against the back of the C-130.

"Now!" Kai said. "Hurry!"

While the others climbed onto the hood, Kai scrambled out the open back window and stole a quick look behind him. Chuck recovered from the fall and pushed himself up on his knees. He turned around in time to see the wall of water 300 feet high tower over him, blocking the midday sun. Chuck raised his arms as if he were Moses trying to part the Red Sea, and then he was absorbed by the wall as it surged onto the runway. He was gone.

Kai, numbed by the day's experiences, couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for Chuck. He pulled himself onto the Humvee's roof and saw Lani looking back at him from the truck's hood in fear.

"You can do it, honey," he said. She nodded and rose carefully to her feet.

The bulk of the aircraft blocked some of the wind, so Stan was able to stand on the hood to help the kids across. With his help, Lani jumped onto the plane's cargo door, where she grabbed the airman's outstretched arm. She flailed her arms for a second and then collapsed to the deck out of harm's way. Kai breathed a sigh of relief.

Tom and then Denise quickly crossed to the plane without incident. Kai had already picked up Mia, so Teresa went next. She threw a look at Kai pleading him to bring her daughter over safely. Kai returned her gaze, reassuring her that there was no way he'd let her go.

Teresa ran across the hood of the Humvee and secured herself in the cargo hold. Peabody followed. His vision must have been blurred worse than they thought because he misjudged the step on to the lowered door. He lost his footing on the front of the hood and dropped onto his back, his butt suspended in a space that had opened up between the C-130 and the Humvee.

There was no way Peabody could pull himself up. The airman let go of his strap, but he couldn't reach Peabody's hand. Stan pulled Peabody up by his shoulders so that he sat on the hood. Together they stood, and with Peabody's arm around his shoulder, Stan ran and jumped on to the deck of the C-130. They both went down spread-eagled, and the airman pulled them out of the way.

Without Stan to help him, Kai would have a tricky time getting across. The airman waved to him frantically, so he knew there was little time left before the C-130 would have to take off. He couldn't wait for someone to help him across. Kai clambered over the Humvee's roof and pulled Mia sloppily after him. He then hoisted her on his back. Even with the wind block of the plane, the current of air was strong enough to push him to the side, and he misplaced his foot on an edge of the hood. He heard Teresa's scream faintly over the rush of air and the airplane's engines.

Mia tilted her body to the side, helping Kai right himself before he fell. With a last burst of adrenaline, he leaned toward the airplane and made a dash across the hood. He leaped onto the cargo floor, and the airman caught him.

Kai retained his footing and passed Mia to Teresa. He grabbed a strap that the airman handed to him, and spun around to see what Brad had planned.

The tsunami was so close to their flank now that with the tail of the aircraft blocking Kai's view, he couldn't see the top of it unless he looked straight back. The solid mass of water dwarfed the Humvee.

Brad was talking into the radio transmitter. He had a big smile on his face, but it belied the sadness in his eyes. The plane pulled away from the Humvee. That was his plan all along. Kai locked eyes with Brad and shook his head.

"Don't do this," he mouthed, knowing that Brad would never be able to hear him.

Brad pointed at Kai and gave him a thumbs up. As Kai continued to stare at him, the plane lifted into the air. He could see Brad's smile grow even bigger when he saw the plane take flight. That was Kai's last image of Brad-smiling, his eyes shining with tears-as the tsunami overtook him and swallowed the Humvee.

They barely gained the required 300 feet before the tsunami passed underneath them by only a few yards, the turbulent air causing the plane to buck. The wave was so close that Kai tasted the salty spray.

"Are you Kai?" the airman on the plane asked.

Kai nodded dumbly, completely drained from what had just happened.

The airman handed Kai the headset.

"The Captain wants to talk to you."

Kai put the headset on.

"Yes?"

"Kai? This is Captain Wainwright. Your brother told me that it was more important for you to get on the plane than him. I talked to him right before the end. He had a message for you. He said, quote, 'Kai, don't worry about me. I'm not afraid of the water any more. Take care of my niece for me. I love you, brother.' End quote."

Captain Wainwright paused, but Kai didn't have anything to say.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," he said.

"Me too," Kai said and tore the headset off.

He sagged to the deck of the aircraft, and for the last time that day, he cried.