quizzically.
“Well, you are,” Crabb said finally. “Don’t you remember? Last night. You told us so, yourself. And we all agreed. We drank to it, in fact.”
Y put his hand to his forehead and gave it a whack, and strangely, it seemed to jog something deep inside. A second later a thought bubble percolated up from somewhere deep in his cranium.
Yes, they had decided that he would be the captain of the carrier, just as Bro would remain commander of the huge towing seaplane, and the Irishmen in the tugs would take orders from him. But that wasn’t what Y was confused about.
What was frightening him was the nearly indescribable feeling way, way in the back of his head.
Like all of this had happened to him before.
Him? The captain of an aircraft carrier? One that was being moved by tugboats?
This didn’t make any sense. It was like his reoccurring dream, but with much more detail. And no matter how he tried, he could not push the disturbing notion from his mind.
“So?” Crabb asked him.
Y looked up at him again. “So, what?”
“So where are you going to watch the Cats come in?” he repeated. “The bridge or the deck?”
Y shook his head again. “The AirCats?”
Zoltan got down on one knee and looked deep into Y’s very bleary eyes.
“You all right?” he asked him sincerely. “Besides being hungover, I mean?”
Y just shook his head. “I … I don’t know.”
Zoltan refilled his coffee cup.
“The Cats are coming aboard, they’re going to ’Nam with us, to provide air cover,” he said. “You made the deal with them last night. They’re working for next to nothing. It was a deal we couldn’t pass up.”
Y whacked his head again—and sure enough another thought bubbled up. Yes, he did recall the deal. The AirCats were itching for action and looking to get away from Iwo for a while. Tagging along on this bizarre expedition seemed to be just the thing for them. Plus they had a rooting interest now in finding out what happened to the B-2000’s crew. After all, that’s what their close friend Vogel was doing when he was killed. Now they were going to find out for him. It was like fulfilling a comrade’s last request.
“Yes, I remember now,” Y said. “And I guess I’ll watch it from the bridge.”
“The deck is better,” Zoltan said.
“OK, the flight deck then,” Y said, slurping his coffee with a bit of agitation.
Zoltan and Crabb took the hint.
“OK, see you in thirty?” Crabb asked him as they opened the door to leave. “Will that give you enough time to finish?”
Y looked up at them. They were both smiling at him ear to ear. But why?
“Finish?” he asked them. “Finish what? My coffee?” He drained the cup and put it down on the table. Both men laughed at this. “Yeah, your coffee,” Zoltan said.
“Good one,” Crabb said, turning out the cabin light. Then they both left, leaving Y in the dark, sitting on the edge of his bunk, more confused than ever. That’s when he felt the hand on his shoulder ….
Y froze. His body turned to ice. He could not hear any thing. No wind, no sea, no sounds of breath ….
He shot off the bed and hurled himself across the cabin. He began desperately searching for the light switch, his body shaking from head to toe.
The lights finally came on and he saw a form moving on the bunk. In his panic he shut the light off again and then struggled to turn it back on. He surely didn’t want to be alone in the room with a ghost, and with the lights off.
The lights came back on, and one scary moment later, Y realized this was not a ghost he was looking at.
Rather, it was an angel …
An earthly one.
Beautiful hair. Beautiful face. Beautiful naked breasts.
Her name was Emma.
Y’s head began spinning again.
“How? What?” he heard himself babbling.
She just smiled back at him. “You didn’t forget everything, did you?” she asked him coyly.
Y couldn’t take his eyes away from her. His alcohol intake was really starting to
“Well, you are,” Crabb said finally. “Don’t you remember? Last night. You told us so, yourself. And we all agreed. We drank to it, in fact.”
Y put his hand to his forehead and gave it a whack, and strangely, it seemed to jog something deep inside. A second later a thought bubble percolated up from somewhere deep in his cranium.
Yes, they had decided that he would be the captain of the carrier, just as Bro would remain commander of the huge towing seaplane, and the Irishmen in the tugs would take orders from him. But that wasn’t what Y was confused about.
What was frightening him was the nearly indescribable feeling way, way in the back of his head.
Like all of this had happened to him before.
Him? The captain of an aircraft carrier? One that was being moved by tugboats?
This didn’t make any sense. It was like his reoccurring dream, but with much more detail. And no matter how he tried, he could not push the disturbing notion from his mind.
“So?” Crabb asked him.
Y looked up at him again. “So, what?”
“So where are you going to watch the Cats come in?” he repeated. “The bridge or the deck?”
Y shook his head again. “The AirCats?”
Zoltan got down on one knee and looked deep into Y’s very bleary eyes.
“You all right?” he asked him sincerely. “Besides being hungover, I mean?”
Y just shook his head. “I … I don’t know.”
Zoltan refilled his coffee cup.
“The Cats are coming aboard, they’re going to ’Nam with us, to provide air cover,” he said. “You made the deal with them last night. They’re working for next to nothing. It was a deal we couldn’t pass up.”
Y whacked his head again—and sure enough another thought bubbled up. Yes, he did recall the deal. The AirCats were itching for action and looking to get away from Iwo for a while. Tagging along on this bizarre expedition seemed to be just the thing for them. Plus they had a rooting interest now in finding out what happened to the B-2000’s crew. After all, that’s what their close friend Vogel was doing when he was killed. Now they were going to find out for him. It was like fulfilling a comrade’s last request.
“Yes, I remember now,” Y said. “And I guess I’ll watch it from the bridge.”
“The deck is better,” Zoltan said.
“OK, the flight deck then,” Y said, slurping his coffee with a bit of agitation.
Zoltan and Crabb took the hint.
“OK, see you in thirty?” Crabb asked him as they opened the door to leave. “Will that give you enough time to finish?”
Y looked up at them. They were both smiling at him ear to ear. But why?
“Finish?” he asked them. “Finish what? My coffee?” He drained the cup and put it down on the table. Both men laughed at this. “Yeah, your coffee,” Zoltan said.
“Good one,” Crabb said, turning out the cabin light. Then they both left, leaving Y in the dark, sitting on the edge of his bunk, more confused than ever. That’s when he felt the hand on his shoulder ….
Y froze. His body turned to ice. He could not hear any thing. No wind, no sea, no sounds of breath ….
He shot off the bed and hurled himself across the cabin. He began desperately searching for the light switch, his body shaking from head to toe.
The lights finally came on and he saw a form moving on the bunk. In his panic he shut the light off again and then struggled to turn it back on. He surely didn’t want to be alone in the room with a ghost, and with the lights off.
The lights came back on, and one scary moment later, Y realized this was not a ghost he was looking at.
Rather, it was an angel …
An earthly one.
Beautiful hair. Beautiful face. Beautiful naked breasts.
Her name was Emma.
Y’s head began spinning again.
“How? What?” he heard himself babbling.
She just smiled back at him. “You didn’t forget everything, did you?” she asked him coyly.
Y couldn’t take his eyes away from her. His alcohol intake was really starting to
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