complex in front of them. When the surge reached the 20th floor, just below the rooftop, the whole structure disappeared into the sea.
As the water continued to flow past, every few seconds another building would fall, signaling its death with a time-delayed roar, like thunder cracking after the flash of distant lightning.
Kai knew it was simply a matter of time before their building joined them.
Chapter 48
The mood on the roof of the Grand Hawaiian while they boarded the chopper didn't register as panic, but Rachel could sense the urgency.
To balance the load, the smallest people had to sit in the front, so Paige, Hannah, and Tyler clambered in there with Ashley on Paige's lap. Stan helped Rachel, Sheila, and Paige load Jerry's ungainly frame into the back seat. The camerawoman, Laura, snatched up her camera again as soon as Stan took Jerry's arm and began filming the process. They propped Jerry upright next to Doris, who sat in the rightmost seat.
Sheila climbed in next. Laura waited for Rachel, but Rachel shooed her in. As Laura climbed in, Stan said, 'Lose the camera!'
'What?' Laura said. 'Do you know how much this costs?'
'I don't care. It weighs too much. We need all the lift we can get.'
Laura grudgingly dropped the camera from her shoulder and removed the tape. She handed the camera to Rachel, who was standing outside. Rachel set it gently on the roof.
'Get in!' Stan yelled to Rachel.
'I thought the weight was too much.'
'It'll be close, but the kids are light, so we're going to try for it. This building isn't going to be here much longer.'
'But it's jammed. Where should I sit?'
Stan pointed at Laura. 'Get on her lap.'
Rachel scrambled on top of Laura awkwardly. Her hand slipped and dug into Laura's leg. Laura flinched.
'Sorry.' There was no way for Rachel to fasten a seatbelt around herself, so she grabbed the seat in front of her as tightly as she could.
Stan secured himself in the pilot's seat on the right, with Paige and the kids squeezed next to him. He brought the engine up to speed.
'OK,' Stan said. 'We're going to do this slowly.'
With the engine at full speed, he pulled back on the stick. For a second, nothing happened. They simply sat there, the helicopter blades throbbing over their heads.
Stan pushed the throttle until the engine passed the redline. The helicopter jumped a yard into the air. Stan struggled with the collective, trying to keep the chopper level. But before he could get any more height, the aircraft skidded to the right dangerously close to the huge rooftop air conditioning unit. The helicopter rotated awkwardly, and for a moment the sound of grinding metal buzzed behind them, sending a cascade of sparks flying past them. Piercing screams filled the cabin.
Stan rotated the helicopter back around and dropped the stick. The helicopter thudded onto the roof, the main rotor blades sweeping past the machinery with only a foot to spare.
'I'm sorry, guys,' he said. 'This isn't going to work. Someone's going to have to get out.'
'Only one of us?' Rachel said. 'Will that make a difference?'
'I hope so. That sound you heard was our tail rotor hitting the air conditioning unit. It seems okay, but I can't take any more chances of bumping it. Nine passengers is just too many. I'll be lucky to take off with only eight of you.'
There was an uneasy silence for a second.
'If I drop these people at Tripler,' Stan said, 'I can be back in five minutes. I'd volunteer to stay behind, but unless one of you can fly a helicopter…'
'I'm staying,' Rachel said with a resigned tone.
'Maybe you should draw straws,' said Stan.
'No, this is my hotel. I'm responsible. I'm the one who should stay.'
Everyone else remained quiet. Even if they had argued, Rachel wouldn't have let one of them stay behind while she was whisked to safety.
Before Rachel could climb out, Paige grabbed her arm and hugged her fiercely.
'Thank you for giving my family a chance.'
'Thanks for helping me. Take care of those kids.'
Rachel backed away to give the helicopter room to maneuver.
Stan brought the helicopter up to speed again. Without Rachel's added 120 pounds, the blades were able to claw more lift from the air. The chopper slowly rose and angled away from the air conditioning machinery.
After it was clear of the hotel, it circled once 30 feet above Rachel. They waved, and Rachel gave them a thumbs up.
Then the helicopter swung away and headed in the direction of downtown Honolulu, leaving Rachel on the roof of the Grand Hawaiian alone.
Chapter 49
When Kai and the others saw the helicopter take off from the Grand Hawaiian, they let out a weary but jubilant cheer. It was quickly cut off by a rumble from far below them. The building continued to resist the force of the water, but it protested mightily. The noise made Kai step up the broadcast of the mayday. It would be extremely risky to wait for Rachel's helicopter to get back.
'My name is Kai Tanaka, and we are standing on a white building approximately six blocks from the beach and eight blocks west of the Honolulu Zoo. To anyone who can hear us…'
The power of the walkie-talkie limited the radius to just a few miles, so he was hoping something would fly within range long enough to hear the message. After a couple of broadcasts on the new frequency Rachel had given him, he got an answer.
'Mr. Tanaka, this is CWO Henry Mitchell on Army flight one niner three. I see your party. What is your situation?'
Teresa hugged Mia, and Tom yelled, 'All right!'
'You see us?' Kai said to the pilot.
'We're just passing over Diamond Head.' Kai turned and looked to the east and saw a Blackhawk helicopter speeding towards them.
'Thank God! We've got eight people here.' A huge antenna sprang from the center of the building's roof, a feature Kai hadn't noticed from the ground. Three microwave transmitters were perched on the antenna. Kai didn't see markings on it, but it couldn't be anything other than a cell phone tower. It would get in the way of any helicopter trying to land. 'You'll have to hover next to the building to pick us up.'
Chuck and Denise, the other couple on the roof with them, saw the commotion and edged closer.
'What's happening?' Chuck asked. 'Did you get someone?'
'A helicopter,' Brad said.
'Which one?' Chuck pointed at the Blackhawk. 'That one? Why isn't it coming down?'
Kai expected the helicopter to start dipping down toward the building, but Chuck was right. It maintained its
