Rogue Wave

up. A colossal crack of thunder echoed through the cockpit. The windows shattered, and wind howled through the cockpit. Number one engine was wrenched from its mounts, shearing half the port wing from the plane and setting the fuel tanks aflame. The lift vanished from beneath the wings, and the plane plummeted like an elevator cut from its cable.

With two engines gone and another shut down, the airliner was mortally wounded. Thinking of the 373 men, women, and children in the plane-people that were his responsibility-Robb didn't give up, but he had no more hope of flying it than one of the passengers. He battled the controls trying to level the plane, but it was a dead stick. Despite his efforts, the plane spun downward in a death spiral. By the time the airliner plunged through the lowest cloud layer, the altimeter read 1000 feet. For the first time in an hour, Robb could see the blue water of the Pacific.

Realizing that their fate was inevitable, Michael Robb let go of the yoke and sat back. He didn't want to die alone, so he held out his hand to Wendy Jacobs, who grasped it tightly with her own. Never much for religion, Robb nonetheless closed his eyes and found himself reciting the Lord's Prayer. He was up to the words 'Thy kingdom come' when the plane slammed into the ocean surface at over 500 miles per hour and disappeared beneath the waves.

Chapter 2

Ewa Beach, Hawaii

8:51 AM

Kai Tanaka finished with his shower, and Bilbo, the family's Wheaten Terrier, greeted him as he came out of the bedroom. The screams and laughter of two 13-year-old girls reverberated from the kitchen, making him smile. He finished dressing and exited the bedroom.

The smell of coffee was still strong, so Kai knew someone had already made a run to Starbucks. A lone grande latte sat on the counter, beckoning him. The TV in the kitchen was tuned to Headline News as usual, with the volume so low that all he could hear was the indistinct mumbling of the anchorwoman.

Lani and Mia sat close together at the dinette table, talking to each other over a magazine in low, conspiratorial tones. Then they erupted into shrill screams that dissolved into giggles while they pointed at the magazine. Lani saw Kai head for the coffee and shushed Mia to stop laughing, but they couldn't help continuing to snicker.

'Hi, Dad,' Lani said.

'Hi, Uncle Kai,' said Mia.

Even though Kai wasn't really Mia's uncle, she had called him that since she was able to talk. He still liked the sound of it, especially because he didn't have any nieces or nephews of his own.

Kai walked over to the table sipping his latte and made as if to get a better look at the magazine. 'And what are you guys reading this morning? Is it Newsweek or Car and Driver?'

Lani quickly flipped the magazine closed. It was Seventeen. Mia must have brought it with her. Like most fathers, he couldn't help wonder at how fast they were growing up. They were barely teenagers. To him, Seventeen was far in the future.

Lani giggled at Mia, and then adopted a mock-serious tone. 'We're just doing some research for our trip this morning.' Mia nodded in agreement.

'Uh huh,' Kai said dubiously. 'Seventeen has an article about boogie boarding, does it?'

'Not exactly,' Mia said. 'But there are some tips about beach combing.' At this Lani and Mia erupted into another peal of laughter. Kai assumed it was something about how to meet boys, but he didn't want to know, so he didn't ask.

'Where's your mom?'

'She left for work about 30 minutes ago. She said she, uh, overslept.' Lani said it as if there was more to it than simply missing the alarm.

Usually Rachel's Monday shift didn't begin until 10 AM, but then he remembered the disabled vets brunch at the Grand Hawaiian. As the hotel manager, she would want to be there early to make sure everything was perfect, especially because the governor was speaking. Kai dialed her cell.

'Hello?' Rachel said, sounding annoyed. A truck horn honked in the background, signaling why she was peeved. She was still on the road. He put the call on speakerphone.

'Traffic?' Kai said.

'As usual.'

'Didn't the alarm go off?' Kai was such a sound sleeper, he usually missed Rachel's alarm.

'Oh, it went off. I just missed it. Those two were gabbing away until two am last night. Three times I went into their room to tell them to knock it off. Are they there?'

'Uh oh,' Kai mouthed to Lani, who grimaced.

Rachel spoke louder to be heard from the speakerphone. 'Are you girls going to be quiet tonight, or does Mia need to sleep on the couch?'

'Mom,' Lani whined, 'Mia just got here. We've been catching up. What if we just whisper tonight?'

'She got here Saturday, and it's now Monday. All I'm saying is that if I have to come in there tonight, you're not going to be sleeping together for the rest of Mia's stay.'

Lani pouted. She knew her mom meant it. Rachel wasn't one to make idle threats. She and Kai both believed in following through, and it seemed to be working. Lani was a good kid.

That didn't mean she didn't test her parents from time to time. Although she was a well-behaved and delightful child for the most part, she was also precocious. Kai wouldn't have been surprised to find her reading Cosmopolitan instead of Seventeen. He half expected her to announce at any moment that she was going to skip the next two years and simply turn 16 at her next birthday.

And the problem was that she looked 16. Still one month shy of turning 14, she had developed remarkably quickly. At 5'8'', she was now taller than her mother by a good two inches, and even more distressingly, she had developed a womanly figure. Her hair was auburn, not the strawberry blond of Rachel's Irish heritage, but she had gotten her mother's arresting green eyes, delicate facial structure, and athletic lean body. From Kai, she inherited the olive complexion and almond-shaped eyes of his Italian-Japanese background. To Kai's chagrin, the effect made her not only beautiful, but exotic. He was going to have to plan for dates very soon, and he was terrified.

'Hey Kai, remember to tell Teresa that they should be ready at seven for the luau tonight.'

'Tonight? You mean tomorrow.'

'You made the reservation for tomorrow?'

Oops, Kai thought. He knew there was something he was supposed to do.

'No,' he said, trying to think of the right words to say. He failed. 'Weren't you going to make the reservation?'

For a moment, there was nothing but silence.

'Uh oh,' Lani said, wagging her finger at Kai. He shot her a dirty look, picked up the receiver, and turned off the speakerphone. He lowered the volume a couple of notches, knowing what was coming.

'Rachel, I'm sorry…'

'Kai! You promised to make the reservation. Tonight is the only time I'm not working evenings this week. If we don't have a reservation, we're never going to get in.'

'The Royal Hawaiian, right?' Kai said, moving into the family room to get a little privacy.

'The Sheraton Waikiki.'

'I'm sure it's not too late to get a reservation.'

Her annoyance turned to sarcasm. 'Right. It'll be easy to get reservations on a holiday. Never mind. I'll do it.'

'Look, I'm sorry I forgot about the reservation. If they're sold out, we'll find something else to do.'